Post Holidays, part 2

After all of the positive feedback I am adding part 2 to the post holiday chaos. A client asked what do with all of the kids holiday art, handmade gifts, cards, etc. She said that she already had so much out and it was starting to look like junk and not the treasures that they are. If you are like her, with kids, or are a grandparent who gets a lot of treasures, then this is for you.

My 13 year old daughter gave me a very special gift at Christmas. Yes, it was homemade. She decorated a large box with wrapping paper, cut out hearts and stars in different paper to paste on the box, got some special ribbon...well you get the idea. It was beautiful. And on the box was an inscription reading that the box was a gift that could never be opened. It was a "hug box" filled with millions of hugs packed inside, waiting to cheer me up on a hard day. It was a true treasure. I was not sure I wanted to pack away this gift but I was not sure where to put it, then finally I decided to put it under my bed because when I am sad, or had a hard day, that is where I end up at the end of the day.

This box of hugs is what everyone needs, a box filled with love waiting to cheer someone up. So, my suggestion to you is that you take your kids art, gifts, cards, etc., those things that you don't want to display or keep on the counter, and make your own heart box. You may need several boxes. So that when you have a hard day, or want to be cheered up, you don't get lost in the chaos of the house wondering where things went wrong, or why is it so hard, instead you can go to your box, take it out and open it. It will be filled hugs, all those things that will remind you that each day is never a waste. And you don't even need to decorate the box, just open it up and watch that bad day go away.

And the good thing when the kids treasures aren't buried under that pile of stuff is that the pile of stuff is now just stuff, and you can get to it another day. Or just throw it away and make a fresh start to a new pile of new stuff.