Organizing in the New Year

    At the beginning of each new year, I, like many of my friends, make resolutions, set goals, and sift through a tower of collected papers needing to be filed or shredded.  What is important, what must be saved and what needs to be discarded?  That is the difficult part.

   Last week, we “un-decorated”.  The tree is now packed up and boxed, the ornaments gently wrapped in tissue paper and placed in boxes or returned to their original containers, any wreath or garland that had a battery has been removed, boxed and stored, linens have been cleaned and folded.  The house looks so bland, so dull after all the beautiful colors of the holidays.  At 6pm I was anticipating the wreaths and mantle garlands to turn on automatically and brighten the room with their colorful glow.  But, alas, they are gone until the end of this year.  The candles are still around the house and will remain there as we enjoy the scents from season to season. 

    The hard part was deciding which decorations had finally reached their life expectancy, which ones didn’t fit in with our current “décor” and interest.  Only a few things were tossed, including some artificial holly that was used to brighten an antique aluminum milk box on the front porch.  After several years in the space above the garage where it was warm and also cold, the holly seems to have become brittle with age, and fell apart as I removed it from the porch.  Well done, holly!  You served your purpose and looked lovely next to the sled and skates and will be missed.

    And of course, since I’m the key decorator, it’s hard to put boxes and treasures away exactly as they were the year before.  Maybe I should have taken a photo so that I can replicate it next year?  No, because I’ll find something new and may decide to donate something I can’t use.  This year was a huge donation year and that felt good.  I had a huge bag of decorations, lights, gift bags, holiday cards, tags, dishes, linens, that I donated to an assisted living home nearby.  Some of the residents are unable to get out and I thought this way they would be able to use the holiday items that I could not. 

     And so, the lists have begun.  The Christmas list of items I need for next year;  those items that I don’t.  It helps to have this posted inside the cupboard where the decorations are stored, so that I can’t forget it so easily.  When the snowman cookie jars were returned to their kitchen cupboards and some stored  in the mudroom cabinets above the freezer, I wrote on slips of paper and taped those inside the cabinets to remind me where the other items were.  Now you must realize that this is not a usual place for me to look for any item, so unless I write the contents on another list, I won’t remember!  

    The only drawback I see for next year is that I abbreviated some words, you know how you do that.  My husband can’t read the grocery list as I make up my own abbreviations for our normal food items.  I’ll need another list for words:  i.e., LR – is that living room or laundry room?  Does that mean the left side or the right side?  Oh, this is getting a bit much…..

    Christmas newsletters from every year that we have been married are in a chronologic order in a folder.  Special photos that family and friends sent are included in a folder separated by year dividers.  I even have lists of who sent us cards/photos/newsletters each year on a spreadsheet and can quickly update each year.  There’s also a list of gifts given and received and whether I remembered to send a thank you note. 

    As the seasons change,  I’ll review the lists that are posted in locations at eye level in the house, especially those with the autumn and Christmas décor, and begin to make a  list of things to look for when I am out shopping.  The only problem is that I can’t ever seem to find the list!  Somehow the list gets either swallowed by my purse or hidden in one of the crevices in my wallet where a receipt should have been.  When I get to the store, I can’t find the list! 

    As a planner/programmer for the federal government for many years, my life was a plethora of budgets, spreadsheets, plans, policies, all necessary to run my designated programs.  I was used to work suspenses, data worksheets, reports, and all kinds of computer outputs.

     Now that I’m retired, I’ve taken those computer and organizational skills and adapted them to our lifestyle.  There is a computer list of every doctor appointment, miles, the date, for whom, the reason, all for tax purposes.  The volunteer hours sheet for various organizations.  There is constant updating friends' and family addresses/emails/phones as folks move, retire, and adding their children to their family phone plans.  I have a birthday list, which I keep on the computer, as well as a books read, books want to read list.  By now you can see that I’m the caretaker of the family records, important or miscellaneous.   

    Hmmm, I know I’m organized, but maybe I’m carrying it just a bit too far.  Maybe I should just buy what I want when I see it, be surprised when I open the cupboards and cabinets and “find” items that I haven’t seen in years?  Maybe I should just buy a paperback that looks interesting whether it’s on my “to read” list or not? But that’s not really me.  Time and time again, I’d rather look at a list, even if I can’t find it right now…..oh, wait, where did I put my purse?!