Do you think it’s odd to talk about taking down your decorations before Christmas? If you’ve got ADHD, this is exactly when you need to think about organizing Christmas decorations. If you wait, you’ll never get around to it.
Organizing Christmas decorations the ADHD-friendly way isn’t rocket science, though it does take a bit of planning. And, the best time to think about this is before you start taking the decoration down.
ADHD-Friendly Tips for Organizing Christmas Decorations
Let’s break organizing your Christmas decorations down into three simple steps.
Step 1. Clear Out the Clutter
The first rule in ADHD-friendly Christmas organizing is to get rid of the decorations you no longer love or use.
It’s not as hard as it sounds to decide which decorations to get rid of. The ones that need to go bye-bye are probably the ones you never put out this year. They’re still sitting in the box and may have been for a few years.
Need a firmer nudge to decide which to get rid of? Notice how you feel about each ornament you haven’t put up. Does it spark joy? A happy memory? Or, are you keeping it because it was expensive or your Aunt Joyce gave it to you?
Don’t clog your life or energy with ornaments you no longer love or use!
Step 2. Create Good Storage
If you’ve read my book, Organized for Life , you know I usually poo-poo fancy storage containers.
Christmas decorations are some of the few things I think need specialized storage containers. Those separate compartments for the tree ornaments make storage safe and easy.
If you don’t have sturdy containers for your decorations, go get some. Tattered, mouse nibbled cardboard boxes don’t protect your precious ornaments. I like plastic bins, especially for ornaments stored in the garage or basement or attic.
(BTW, Martha Stewart recommends you store decorations under the bed…Really? Store something you get to once a year in prime storage space? I don’t think so! Don’t get me started on Martha Stewart!)
Step 3. Devise Your Decorating System
Instead of willy-nilly throwing things into boxes, your life will be much easier if you create a simple, ADHD-friendly Christmas decorating system.
The best system stores your decorations according to how you’ll get them out next year. Also, it’s flexible enough so you can decorate a bit at a time or put everything up in one fell swoop if that’s what feels right in the moment.
Here’s my system: We have five plastic Christmas decoration bins. One for tree ornaments; one for outdoor lights, and three more labeled according to week; 12/1, 12/7, 12/14. I’m less overwhelmed to get out one box of Christmas decorations a week than if I have to pull everything out at one time.
The bin labeled December 1st has the advent calendars, the Christmas mugs and plates and other things we want out all month. The December 7th bin holds my nativity scene, the stockings and candles, etc.
Another system a couple of my ADHD coaching clients use is to pack their decorations according to the room the stuff goes in. So they have a living room bin, a family room bin, dining room, etc. This works well, too.
Remember, less is more when it comes to decorating with ADHD, so keep only things that bring you joy and put them away for the year thinking ahead about easier ways to get the decorations out next year.
There you have it, the three step ADHD-friendly plan for organizing Christmas decorations. Happy Christmas!
P.S. If you want to start your New Year off right, feel free to join our ADHD Success Club, a comprehensive, virtual (phone and internet), group-coaching program dedicated to teaching adults with ADHD how to manage their ADHD symptoms and live more successful and effortless lives. We focus on the 3 pillars of ADHD Success with the essential skills and habits every ADHD adult needs to know to be successful at work and at home.
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Dana here – A reader, Marianne, emailed this decorating trick to me. I had to share it with you:
I used to change out my table cloth and chair cushions and recover the breakfast bar seats with holiday fabric napkins each year. Now I have red and white I use all year and reverse able plate mats one side roses the other a sudle berry kind of look. It’s been bright and cheery all year. Fortunately I have a touch of red already thought the house anyway. It also cuts down on storage usage. I just thought, maybe slip covers on my Christmas pillows would make them more useful elsewhere to maximize use and delete another storage situation.
Great idea, Marianne!!