December 2025 - Sort, Tidy, Declutter!

[Harriet]

We are a success! ... .. we are just not finished, lol.

A year of decluttering work on our homes is a success, but does not finish a thing, of course, since decluttering will always be an ongoing project.

Still, the month of December gives us a pause to look around and realize that others can be offered hospitality as a result of our efforts. That's profound. We can provide a place for meaningful, memorable celebration, and welcome those the Lord has given to us as family and friends. We can appreciate the space and refuge that our lovely homes were meant to provide.

If DASHing through the snow makes for stash-and-DASHes (and it will), remember this time to make more than a mental note about getting back to the stash-and-dash. Put it on the calendar! "bag shoved under bed has mail !" There are no bad stash-and-dashes, only bad follow-up.

Do you have year-end Clutter Goals that you are reaching? Let us know, we're interested. Are there failures that frustrate you? We have BTDT. Are you forming a plan for making 2026 more of a success that 2025? We hope it will be the best ever.

Focus Cleaning folks like me are firmly into Maintenance Round now :

12/1/2025 finish-up week
12/8/2025 maintenance
12/15/2025 celebrate
12/22/2025 celebrate and start our Get Ready for 2026

and will have a little bit of an early start, if desired, on 2026, since the New Year begins on a Thursday, with a look at our Porch and Entry.

[Harriet]

Deep in December, it's nice to remember... (smile)

Here is the Focus December tips and ideas post Indiana wrote for "Maintenance" part of Focus Cleaning forum, with lots of reminders that decluttering can still help even this late in the year. Perhaps it might jog some thoughts for us now, on what could benefit us leading up to holiday events or end of year. Also help to keep our minds from feeling cluttered with "to dos".


Now that all our rooms are deep cleaned we can enjoy the holidays by just doing maintenance and holiday preparation as our focus.

Maintenance:
dusting
floors
tidying
erasing footprints
cleaning bathrooms
cleaning kitchen
touch up where we see it is needed
give your plants some TLC.

Divide and Conquer:

Divide your home into 3 sections. Freshen the non-public areas the first week of December. Plan to give attention to the other areas over the next two weeks.

Declutter:

Declutter Thanksgiving decorations as you put them away.

Declutter Christmas or Hannukah and winter seasonal decorations as you bring them out.

Calendar:

Make a calendar for the month of December that includes the last few days of November.
Mark the holidays and celebration days that will affect your household, including New Year’s Day.
Mark all holiday activities.
Mark days that cards and packages must be mailed to assure delivery by Christmas or Hannukah.
Mark days for baking.
Mark days for shopping.
Mark on the calendar the day a project (if you are making one or some) must be done. Count back the number of days it will take to make it and mark it. Mark benchmarks for how much should be done. Be realistic on the time it will take – add a cushion.

Activities:

Begin thinking about menus.

Buy stamps, cards, and wrapping supplies.

Sign, address, and send holiday cards.

Spend a few hours shopping on weekdays or after work, when stores are calmer than they are on weekends.

Write out gift lists, write down clothing sizes, and organize addresses, preferably on a computer or a PDA to help with neatness and efficiency. Carry them with you for easy reference. If the store offers free shipping, you will be ready.

When shopping on the internet don’t forget to Google the store name followed by the word coupons for any discounts available.

[Kittykatt]

Thank you for starting this month, Harriet. I need to concentrate on Christmas, so I'm just decluttering as I "see" things, rather than actively hunting out things to declutter this month.

The exception is the Christmas stuff. I e already had one round of decluttering there, but I'll go through it all again when I decorate for Christmas. I need to be mindful to discriminate between items that we won't be using this year (like my very attractive olive wood nativity set. Matilda has discovered she can climb onto all the high spots I thought were "safe". So, as I don't want anything to be chewed/swallowed/ damaged, I won't set it up this year, but maybe we'll try again next year?) and stuff that I will never use again!

[Harriet]

I understand, Kittykatt. In the evenings during this season, we place the vacuum cleaner and its cord around the tree, a few feet out, after presents are under the tree. Tobias has an interest in paper, but not in ornaments. So that way, when temptation to rip packages shows up, he is disgusted by the evening "sentinel", and we can go on to bed pretty sure he isn't going to cross the "line".

I've decluttered 2 relatively small boxes that were filled with "stash and dash". There are no bad stash-and-dashes, only bad follow-up. These didn't have any measurement over a foot, I'd say.

[Nancy]

I sorted out cups did tidy up those and let go of some and goblets I do not use and are stained.
The carport got a spiff I put away the patio chairs I'd parked in the carport for a bit and the side tables.
Then was able to move around a bit more and got leaves swept and more ready to go in the can later
in the month as room becomes available. [The fresh air was good for me.]

[Kittykatt]

Harriet, that is a genius idea to protect your presents from Tobias!

WTG, Nancy, with all your outside tidying.

[Harriet]

HRH got some boxes moved in our LR so that they are out of sight and floorspace is more open at the wide area near the foyer. Yay for that, because it was starting to bug me, knowing that we will have the family here for the 24th.

A mixed blessing that ddolder brought a couple boxes over - packed up from my sewing room when we moved so hastily out of what is now her house. Thrilled to discover some meaningful items and also some rare books, but where oh where am I supposed to put things. One of the boxes already in the recycling, though, so I am getting there. Boy, do I need more bookshelves.

[Nancy]

WTG! With your progress!

I have cleaned up in the carport and gotten the last of the leaves in the trash can that's now rebooted for another week.
A few smaller branches went in as well. This is such a relief for me ahead of rain eminent coming that just started.
Left room for house trash too.

[Nancy]

For the win this week I had a cup I'd thrifted with the tag on it still with flowers on it that I'd never used.
And a John Deere mug that looked like new.
DD took them for her gift baskets! Yea!

[Harriet]

All the holiday items that are not decor are put away. Somehow, I have even more bags to store - how does that happen? Boxes into recycling except for true gift boxes with purpose.

Since master bedroom closet (and a bit underbed for a box of long rolls) is the storage for all wrapping, this is part of bedroom declutter in advance of cleaning there next week.

HRH has started saying if he had it to do over, he might switch this bedroom and my office/sewing room when we moved here. I see some of his points, considering the size and shape of rooms, but do NOT want to get into that much moving of furniture. It would be a project.