The Kitchen Sink V5I32

Hello December! It is getting colder, and Christmas will be here before you know it. There is so much to do in such little time.

Is your tree up yet? Tradition dictates that you wait until after Thanksgiving. A newer trend has been to put it up whenever you feel like it. I have seen people put it up in July. Whatever makes your heart happy, I say. Add a little magic and make an evening of it. Make some cocoa, play some Christmas music, and enjoy your family. These memories will last longer than the gifts.

On to the Clean of Christmas. I love setting up my tiny crock-pot with fruit scraps, such as apple or orange peels, add cinnamon, clove, or rosemary, and cover it with water. Having your home will smell like Christmas is the perfect motivation to get your home Christmas clean. I don’t know about everyone but I have to rearrange my living room to make room for my tree, and if I’m going to rearrange, I may as well clean while I am at it, right? I like to deep-clean the places behind furniture and baseboards, and the back sides of furniture can get dusty. I like to give my floors a good scrub, maybe a wax, and clean my rugs. This would also be a good time to “wash” your sofa. If you have a carpet cleaner, I suggest a liquid detergent such as Tide. A tablespoon or two depending on the size of your canister. The most important part is to do a rinse cleaning (sometimes two) after to ensure you get all the detergent out. You will know you got it all if the fabric is soft, if it is stiff or sticky go over it again. As always if the fabric is delicate do not do anything that may affect the integrity. If you don’t have a carpet cleaner, I suggest a spray clean. I take a cheap Vodka (no flavors or colors), in a spray bottle and spray it as needed to remove odors. You can mix water with it if the smell is too strong. *Clean at your own risk and never mix cleaning solutions without a Google search to ensure safety.*

My Christmas magic suggestions. Both my children know the Secret of Santa but they let me pretend. We do Lazy Elf on the Shelf, I use the elf to bring or suggest fun Christmas activities. If you still have littles, the elf is a great way to add a little magic each day. Print a little welcome and goodbye letter. You can even send “Santa is watching” warnings, as nothing motivates littles like knowing Santa is coming. Recently we have started learning about how the world celebrates the holidays. My oldest took German so we are learning about German Christmas and Krampus this year. It’s very interesting. We also teach them about Hanukkah and Kwanza, which is around Christmas time. My family believes the more we learn/teach them about other faiths and cultures, the more understanding and respectful they will be to others.

Don’t forget all the fun holiday activities going on. Check with your town’s Chamber of Commerce, downtown, or library. There is always plenty of activities to choose from, and make sure you add activities to do at home. My kids love our town’s Christmas parade. We bring blankets, warm drinks, and snacks, and if it’s too cold you can always drive around, listen to carols, see the lights, and how everyone has decorated. Make it into a fun scavenger hunt. We have movies we watch every year and we make our gingerbread houses, so we have a month full of family Christmas planned. I’ve found kids may fuss a bit about doing holiday activities but once they are doing it they have a good time.

Join me January 9th when we will discuss starting the New Year with organizing your home. Remember the holidays are stressful, and sometimes we don’t get everything we want done. That is okay. Give yourself grace, you are doing your best. Soak up your family time, because family togetherness is what makes the holidays memorable.

Happy Cleaning and Merry Christmas