I used to decorate for Christmas like crazy. Every nook and cranny was covered in Christmas. I tried to continue this after I was diagnosed with a chronic illness that includes fatigue. I finally realized the only thing my family cared about was a tree and family gatherings. So now my husband puts up the tree and my son decorates it! I help when I want to and I put out the stockings and put a little bit on the mantle. I have still not decluttered the excess so that’s my next step.
Yeah. Me too. I gave up fussing over trying to make sure everyone else was happy. Like it was my job ( as i was the eldest - parents are gone). So i quit being a Christmas Banshee and no longer host Christmas 😮. Truthfully, they could have cared less if my chairs didn’t have matching Christmas covers. I only put this pressure on myself. Now i arrive in my high heels 👠 to my sisters house for dinner with a bottle of wine 🍷 But shes thrilled to have help with the dishes 🥰
Winter is my reduced energy season. I want minimal Christmas, like tree, garland and lights. I keep the same theme as woodland. It makes me feel happy. I slowly take items down in February. By spring everything is put away.
The best things we ever decluttered were social gatherings, gift exchanges, and other obligations with really toxic people (including some family members). Time is precious & some people just aren’t worth it. 🤷🏻♀️
Laura, Laura!! Guess what, guess what?!!? Two hours ago I had a dumpster delivered to my driveway! This is getting serious AND I BLAME YOU!! ... well, partially. 😂😂 I have it for a week (unless I call them sooner) and boy oh boy do I have my work cut out for me! ...and that's just working in the small shed attached to the garage! I'm decluttering my stuff, my parents' stuff (they've been gone for about five years), and my ex's stuff, tho decluttering HIM was the smartest thing I've EVER done! 🤪🤪 ...but I digress. Thank you for giving us "permission" to bow out on holiday traditions. My son and I actually started doing that several years ago and have carefully added back in whatever we felt like, and it's been great. ... music? Classic rock baby!! Zeppelin, Heart, Metallica. When I was younger I called the rock radio station in Los Angeles once a year to vote for my favorite song - it was a one hit wonder by Mountain... "Mississippi Queen"! 🤦 OK, now I hafta go find it and listen! Oh!! And I'll see your "Do you remember cassette tapes" and raise you 8-tracks!! Geez!! How flippin' old am I anyway! 😱🤭🤫😂🤣. ...and YES! Declutter for ME, not the friends and relatives who MIGHT come over. I used to tell people, "If you're coming to see me, come any time, but if you're coming to see the house, call first!" Thank you, dear lady, for all the inspiration. Wish me luck, I'm goin' in! 👷♀️ Hugs from the southern California desert, MK 🤗❤️🌵❤️🤗
That is awesome. You could make a yard sale / free yard sale or donation and trash. My front porch looks like a hoarder situation. I clear it and it's cluttered again by the end of the season🫣
Hey Laura, I saw this earlier and thought of you, as a fellow introvert, and it goes with your video title! "A large group of people is called a "Nope'" 😂 Isn't it though!? I'm certainly feeling this as the festive season approaches 😅 Pats to Jovie from my Hooligan Hounds. Love how Jovie knows exactly where she wants those pats!
Oh yeah, Jovie loves the chin and ear scratches. 😂 It was opening night of Scout's play last Monday and when I arrived there was a massive crowd in the lobby. That was definitely a big ol' NOPE. 🤣 I found myself a quiet corner and holed up there until the theatre doors opened.
Last Christmas I decided to pare down decorations, gobs of gifts and too much food. No one cared. We still had great family get togethers. I’m looking forward to this year. You have given me some good ideas for this year to simplify more 👍
Great video,! Holiday traditions do change over time and it is important for me to attend to my emotional and physical health - makes life so much more fulfilling. Ever season I declutter a few dishes, roasting or casserole pans, and seasonal decor that no longer serves me and my family. And now is the time to spruce up my front entry with the unusually warm days we are having for late October. Have a wonderful day!
I try to be done with Christmas shopping by mid-October. I’ve been doing this for close to 30 years! It allows me to fully enjoy the holiday season (Halloween-Christmas). About 15 years ago my family and my brother’s family started going to a mountain cabin for Christmas. We cut a tree in the woods a day or two before Christmas and decorate it with a small bag of tinsel and ornaments we bought at the dollar store and have been using all these 15 years. Because we travel to the cabin, gifts are kept to a minimum. It is a glorious minimal holiday centered around family and lots of good food and memories that can never be taken away. 🥰 You’ve put together a great list. The holiday season is such a special time of year and being prepped and ready makes it so much calmer and more enjoyable.
Funny, I bought Christmas tea towels last year and was delighted with them. I'm not one for decorating, I mean I don't put up a tree, any decorations fit in a small box (including my tea towels!) I don't like extra clutter, but tea towels were perfect, as they replaced the existing ones, and then got put away. I'm even considering buying a festive mug this year. I only keep 1 mug accessible at a time, (I keep the rest on a shelf I can't reach) and I'm considering swapping it out for December this year.
Laura, have you ever seen a book called 'Get Your Shit Together' by the british artist David Shrigley. It features his own naïf paintings, often animals with surreal quirky memes.The front cover is also in rainbow lettering, you may like it.
I think I only kept one cassette tape till today: U2 live at Point Depot, Dublin, January 1, 1990. Will cherish that one forever, though I have no idea if it even still works today...
I definitely feel seen with the "empty boxes" one! I'd add bubble wrap and packing paper. I've been holding onto them because I think, "I might need to ship something I sell online..." etc. 🤦🏾♀
I used to recycle all cardboard boxes UNTIL I had a lightbulb idea of using them to pack up Goodwill donations. Using boxes also keeps me organized because I can fill the box with something, write what's in it so I don't forget or feel the need to look inside because I know the contents, and I can tell the Goodwill employees what it is.
Laura, Nice list. I don't celebrate any holiday. Been there. Done that. Now we have meal at a nice Chinese restaurant and come home and relax. The box thing is hard. It might come in handy. Also jars. Then suddenly a big purge happens and the recycle bin is put to great use. Cheers
80's music is my favourite.... in particular, Corey Hart, and Richard Marx I love almost all their songs, ( and many other artist have a few songs that I love) and I still have some cassettes . 🎼🎵🎶 We've recently let go of A LOT of empty boxes. 📦 This is a good list. 😀👍
You are so insightful, i love your videos. Im definitely going to do a 'No'vember but i havent decided yet what ill do but i will by November. Thanks so much for that idea. Also i love playlist because i love music and my list would include The Cranberries, Boston, The Smiths, Sigur Ros and The Lightning Seeds.
I like my halloween decor but I'm also moving somewhere that it isn't a Thing. I intend to be That Person™️ at Halloween while everyone else is raring to go for Xmas (a holiday I care much less about, frankly) I used to go gangbusters on every holiday but I realized I don't care lately. It's nice to get rid of things I don't need. I most enjoy giving them away in buy nothing groups.
Ugh. I can't be bothered with playlists and spotify. It sounds like such a chore 😣 When I want music, I'll put on one of the favourite CDs I've kept. I also like movie soundtracks as a background music for reading or writing sometimes. If I want to listen to a song I don't own or some random background music, there's RUclips. And during the Christmas season, there's Sky Radio 😄 I can go weeks without music though
I used to decorate for Christmas like crazy. Every nook and cranny was covered in Christmas. I tried to continue this after I was diagnosed with a chronic illness that includes fatigue. I finally realized the only thing my family cared about was a tree and family gatherings. So now my husband puts up the tree and my son decorates it! I help when I want to and I put out the stockings and put a little bit on the mantle. I have still not decluttered the excess so that’s my next step.
Yeah. Me too. I gave up fussing over trying to make sure everyone else was happy. Like it was my job ( as i was the eldest - parents are gone). So i quit being a Christmas Banshee and no longer host Christmas 😮. Truthfully, they could have cared less if my chairs didn’t have matching Christmas covers. I only put this pressure on myself.
Now i arrive in my high heels 👠 to my sisters house for dinner with a bottle of wine 🍷 But shes thrilled to have help with the dishes 🥰
Winter is my reduced energy season. I want minimal Christmas, like tree, garland and lights. I keep the same theme as woodland. It makes me feel happy. I slowly take items down in February. By spring everything is put away.
My favorite way to fold a fitted sheet is to wash it and put it right back onto the bed. 😊
I only have one for each bed. I chose plain colors because sometimes patterns doesn't go with everything if something changes
My favourite way too. 😁
The best things we ever decluttered were social gatherings, gift exchanges, and other obligations with really toxic people (including some family members). Time is precious & some people just aren’t worth it. 🤷🏻♀️
Laura, Laura!! Guess what, guess what?!!? Two hours ago I had a dumpster delivered to my driveway! This is getting serious AND I BLAME YOU!! ... well, partially. 😂😂 I have it for a week (unless I call them sooner) and boy oh boy do I have my work cut out for me! ...and that's just working in the small shed attached to the garage! I'm decluttering my stuff, my parents' stuff (they've been gone for about five years), and my ex's stuff, tho decluttering HIM was the smartest thing I've EVER done! 🤪🤪 ...but I digress.
Thank you for giving us "permission" to bow out on holiday traditions. My son and I actually started doing that several years ago and have carefully added back in whatever we felt like, and it's been great.
... music? Classic rock baby!! Zeppelin, Heart, Metallica. When I was younger I called the rock radio station in Los Angeles once a year to vote for my favorite song - it was a one hit wonder by Mountain... "Mississippi Queen"! 🤦 OK, now I hafta go find it and listen! Oh!! And I'll see your "Do you remember cassette tapes" and raise you 8-tracks!! Geez!! How flippin' old am I anyway! 😱🤭🤫😂🤣.
...and YES! Declutter for ME, not the friends and relatives who MIGHT come over. I used to tell people, "If you're coming to see me, come any time, but if you're coming to see the house, call first!"
Thank you, dear lady, for all the inspiration. Wish me luck, I'm goin' in! 👷♀️
Hugs from the southern California desert, MK 🤗❤️🌵❤️🤗
That is awesome. You could make a yard sale / free yard sale or donation and trash. My front porch looks like a hoarder situation. I clear it and it's cluttered again by the end of the season🫣
@@BriarCottage ...right? Yes, a yard sale is in the works!!
That is an amazing declutter! It's going to feel like a thousand pounds lifted off your shoulders once it's gone!
@cantocant2346 I think so too. I spent some time out there the other day and the dumpster is already about 3/4 full. It's kinda fun!
Hey Laura, I saw this earlier and thought of you, as a fellow introvert, and it goes with your video title!
"A large group of people is called a "Nope'" 😂 Isn't it though!? I'm certainly feeling this as the festive season approaches 😅 Pats to Jovie from my Hooligan Hounds. Love how Jovie knows exactly where she wants those pats!
Oh yeah, Jovie loves the chin and ear scratches. 😂
It was opening night of Scout's play last Monday and when I arrived there was a massive crowd in the lobby. That was definitely a big ol' NOPE. 🤣 I found myself a quiet corner and holed up there until the theatre doors opened.
@@HowToGYST Good work on the hiding, I'd be just the same 🙌 😆 Hope the play went well 👍
Last Christmas I decided to pare down decorations, gobs of gifts and too much food. No one cared. We still had great family get togethers. I’m looking forward to this year. You have given me some good ideas for this year to simplify more 👍
I’ll be paring down this year too. The gifts are getting out of control.
Great video,! Holiday traditions do change over time and it is important for me to attend to my emotional and physical health - makes life so much more fulfilling. Ever season I declutter a few dishes, roasting or casserole pans, and seasonal decor that no longer serves me and my family. And now is the time to spruce up my front entry with the unusually warm days we are having for late October. Have a wonderful day!
Yes it's very mild here right now. Temperatures set to plummet next week though! Great job on slowly paring back each season.
I try to be done with Christmas shopping by mid-October. I’ve been doing this for close to 30 years! It allows me to fully enjoy the holiday season (Halloween-Christmas). About 15 years ago my family and my brother’s family started going to a mountain cabin for Christmas. We cut a tree in the woods a day or two before Christmas and decorate it with a small bag of tinsel and ornaments we bought at the dollar store and have been using all these 15 years. Because we travel to the cabin, gifts are kept to a minimum. It is a glorious minimal holiday centered around family and lots of good food and memories that can never be taken away. 🥰
You’ve put together a great list. The holiday season is such a special time of year and being prepped and ready makes it so much calmer and more enjoyable.
Kate Bush, Loreena Mackennit, Malinda, Enya, Sting, U2. The list goes on and I love it all.
Funny, I bought Christmas tea towels last year and was delighted with them. I'm not one for decorating, I mean I don't put up a tree, any decorations fit in a small box (including my tea towels!) I don't like extra clutter, but tea towels were perfect, as they replaced the existing ones, and then got put away. I'm even considering buying a festive mug this year. I only keep 1 mug accessible at a time, (I keep the rest on a shelf I can't reach) and I'm considering swapping it out for December this year.
Yes! Swap it out! Fun! Also, what magical tea towel shop did you go to? 😂
If I buy mugs my fiance tosses out two per mug. He helps lol
Laura, have you ever seen a book called 'Get Your Shit Together' by the british artist David Shrigley. It features his own naïf paintings, often animals with surreal quirky memes.The front cover is also in rainbow lettering, you may like it.
Firstly: Folding a fitted sheet = witchcraft!! Secondly: I said no to work in November and work offered me a long holiday. That was good of them 😂
Bohemian Rhapsody by Queen is on every playlist I create lol and it’s a mandatory singalong ❤️❤️❤️
I think I only kept one cassette tape till today: U2 live at Point Depot, Dublin, January 1, 1990. Will cherish that one forever, though I have no idea if it even still works today...
Maybe you could get it digitised if you still want to listen to it. 🙂
@@HowToGYST That's what I hope for ;-)
I definitely feel seen with the "empty boxes" one! I'd add bubble wrap and packing paper. I've been holding onto them because I think, "I might need to ship something I sell online..." etc. 🤦🏾♀
Me too !
But it was either a very strong box or a very pretty box 📦 😅
I used to recycle all cardboard boxes UNTIL I had a lightbulb idea of using them to pack up Goodwill donations.
Using boxes also keeps me organized because I can fill the box with something, write what's in it so I don't forget or feel the need to look inside because I know the contents, and I can tell the Goodwill employees what it is.
I immediately thought of the stack of boxes in my back room! Too good to throw away, lol! I'll be decluttering them today.
Oh yeah, I'm guilty of that too. But at the rate that new boxes come in I figure I'll be just fine. Like buses, there'll be another one along soon. 😂
I'm ironing my 12 white napkins now. Because future self will be so happy to see that ready to go.
Laura, Nice list. I don't celebrate any holiday. Been there. Done that.
Now we have meal at a nice Chinese restaurant and come home and relax.
The box thing is hard. It might come in handy. Also jars. Then suddenly a big purge happens and the recycle bin is put to great use.
Cheers
Jack looks like he's been to a few of my dinner party's 😂 p.s I do great beans on toast
I started my xmas shopping in June! I got all my main presents but for 3 people taken care of and all the stocking stuffers!
80's music is my favourite.... in particular, Corey Hart, and Richard Marx I love almost all their songs, ( and many other artist have a few songs that I love) and I still have some cassettes . 🎼🎵🎶
We've recently let go of A LOT of empty boxes. 📦
This is a good list. 😀👍
So many great songs from the 80s!
YEAH!!!!! 🎵🎶😃👍
Jovi!!!! ❤❤❤❤❤
She had to join the fun. 😂
@@HowToGYSTOf course she had to! What would you do without her assistance? Awesome video as always, thank you, dear Laura!🤗
You are so insightful, i love your videos. Im definitely going to do a 'No'vember but i havent decided yet what ill do but i will by November. Thanks so much for that idea.
Also i love playlist because i love music and my list would include The Cranberries, Boston, The Smiths, Sigur Ros and The Lightning Seeds.
The Lightning Seeds! Now there’s a throwback! 👏
The Laura and Jovie Show! I love it!!! ❤😊
Someday she’ll have to be surgically removed from me. 😂
Inspiring!! Thanks!
Aw, thanks for watching. 🥰
I like my halloween decor but I'm also moving somewhere that it isn't a Thing. I intend to be That Person™️ at Halloween while everyone else is raring to go for Xmas (a holiday I care much less about, frankly)
I used to go gangbusters on every holiday but I realized I don't care lately. It's nice to get rid of things I don't need. I most enjoy giving them away in buy nothing groups.
I love 80s music. But two of my more recent fave tunes are King of Anything by Sara Bareilles and Boxes by Gavin James.😊
Ugh. I can't be bothered with playlists and spotify. It sounds like such a chore 😣 When I want music, I'll put on one of the favourite CDs I've kept. I also like movie soundtracks as a background music for reading or writing sometimes. If I want to listen to a song I don't own or some random background music, there's RUclips. And during the Christmas season, there's Sky Radio 😄 I can go weeks without music though
Does it still count if I'm keeping it thinking "That's a good box for donations the next time I do a big declutter..." ? 🤔😉
It counts as soon as you put a donation item in it! 🙂
@@jennyjenkins877 Love that Jenny! 😄