What a time it has been the last couple months. Without going into too much detail, it has been more than a bit of a gong show! Getting ready for Christmas was of course busy, and Daria had a family emergency that kept her away from the technical side of the Savvy Organizer.

Then, on Christmas Day, away from our home that I WORKED SO HARD TO HAVE PERFECT before I left, it apparently froze and we had pipes burst, toilets crack and a dishwasher break! ARGH! I have never experienced the headache of a flood, nor cutting our livable space in half before. It really has been a challenge condensing. I would look around every day at the disaster that was before my eyes and think “I need ME!” (someone to come in and help me organize this mess) or some serious drugs to help me focus! It was almost more than I could handle with 6 people living in about 1000 square feet. So we are now living on top of one another, but I finally feel like I have a handle on it. Not that I am done, but I no longer dread the morning and feel like there may be a light at the end of the tunnel! Wow. And the gigantic silver lining that is around this whole dark cloud is that I get a bright, beautiful new basement!!!! I love insurance!!! In 6 months I am confident I will look back and think it will be the best Christmas present ever. Until then, I think it may be a different story!

Have you ever experienced a flood? How did you organize from it? The focus of Savvy Organizer in the coming months will be on PURGING because that is all I will be doing around here! Hope you all had a great Christmas and New Years and I look forward to hearing your tips and sharing mine with you as I go. Here’s to a New Year, new basement, and a forced paring down. Love it!!!!!

Maja shares her ideas and hints for putting away and storing Christmas decor. She also helps you to organize her holiday decorations so that it’s much easier to find what you need next year!

Step #1: Get Bins to store your precious ornaments and holiday things in (sterilite containers at Walmart etc.)
Step #2: Get your Labels ready, mark down contents of every single bin (Maja uses 3×5″ inch cards and a black marker)
Step #3: Use the Mantra (top to bottom, left to right, focus, focus, focus)
Step #4: Tape gun at the ready
Optional Step #5: Create a Binder or Master list with the contents of each bin for easy reference, don’t forget to number the bins if you choose this method.

Listener Poll: “When do you think is the best time to take down your Christmas decorations?”. Please leave your comments in our shownotes.

If you’re feeling holiday overwhelm, or you’re having trouble doing the Christmas balancing act…this show is for you!
It’s crunch time, and also time to do the “slash and burn” dance and figure out exactly what is most important, while pushing aside things that will cause you too much stress, or that you just don’t have time for.This episode will help you to schedule in the events and memories with family and friends ahead of time. We’re going to be booking activities now, to ease your hectic schedule next week. Maja also talks about the pursuit of “perfection” vs. “happiness”. Do you have BIG Expectations and holiday stress? Maja encourages you to be happy and to “let go of what you have to” to actually enjoy the special moments. Pat yourselves on the back for all you have accomplished so far, take a deep breath and enjoy the Holiday. Merry Christmas!

**Congratulations to our first Giveaway winner “Katie”. You have won a copy of Deceptively Delicious by Jessica Seinfeld. Thanks so much everyone for participating, we have many more giveaways to come in the New Year.

Today’s tip focuses more on Christmas planning.  There are only a couple weeks left, and Today is the day you revisit your notebook and see how your list is going.

Check list:
Have you figured out what you are buying for people?
Have you finished your sewing projects?
Have you planned your meals with a calendar?
What about your Christmas baking - is it almost done?

Now is the time to regroup and refocus and get back into gear!You will want to be going back to your list a few times over the coming weeks to make sure you are still on target, and make any necessary adjustments. Can you still accomplish all that you want and still be sane?  If not, make some cuts.  It is far more important that you are happy for your sake and your family’s - everyone will enjoy the holidays SO much more than if you are a stress case with everything done and perfect. It’s not about Perfection, it’s about happiness.

The Holidays are fast approaching and The Savvy Organizer is here to walk you through what a stress-free and organized holiday can be like.In this weeks show Maja shares her holiday plan for you including:- setting up your own Savvy Holiday Notebook- when to wrap- how to shop in crowds while still liking people…And much much more!This show is a great audio handbook for making the most out of the Christmas season and being able to give yourself fully to your family and friends. Enjoy the first of our Christmas shows, please leave your comments or questions - we want to assist you in making this a wonderful time of year. You deserve it, and YOU CAN DO IT!