Christmas is, for many, a time when you welcome guests into your home (whether on Christmas Eve, Christmas Day itself, at New Year or on Epiphany). On top of the task of preparing meals for several people, there is the worry of keeping the house clean and tidy, something that can be quite stressful.
If there’s anyone who knows about organising, it’s certainly Marie Kondo. Her method,
Refresh Your Energy and Begin with Gratitude
According to Marie Kondo, sometimes, when we rush to have everything perfectly in place, we lose sight of one of the main tenets of tidiness and organisation: gratitude.
“Take a moment to express gratitude to your home for upholding your traditions, your memories and your loved ones,” she recommends. It is a way of renewing our energy and letting positivity into us and into our home as we prepare for a gathering full of joy with our family and loved ones.
To refresh the energy and begin cleaning the house with gratitude, Kondo proposes three steps:
- Remember why you are grateful.
- Open all the windows to let in some fresh air.
- Imagine what your ideal dinner or gathering would look like and be as specific as you can.
Tidying the Home by Category
Once you have refreshed the energy and expressed gratitude to your home, it’s time to start tidying the house. If you don’t have time to do it thoroughly because you need to focus on cooking or for any reason, the expert recommends concentrating on tidying the spaces where guests will be (the living room, the bathrooms, and the entrance).
The KonMari method involves tidying by category rather than by room to avoid repetition and achieve a logical order. Start with clothing, then move on to books, papers, miscellaneous items (they call these komono and it is the broadest category of the method) and items with sentimental value.
Checklist for the Festivities
Kondo proposes this quick checklist to ensure you have done everything necessary to have the house ready:
- Check whether objects spark joy as you progress. That way you won’t have to repeat the process later.
- Gather and tidy all the clothing that remains in the spaces where your guests will be.
- Collect all the books and papers that remain on the surfaces of the key areas.
- Remove all other objects from the surfaces and find a home for the ones you need or that spark joy.
- Once you have cleared them, clean all surfaces.
- Let go of anything that does not fit your ideal lifestyle, with gratitude.
- Thoroughly vacuum the floors.
- Clean the windows and mirrors and scrub the floors.
Final Touches that Bring Warmth
Once you have tidied the key areas your guests will pass through, it’s time to add the final touches that will bring warmth to your home.
Marie Kondo suggests three elements that can brighten the home, but the important thing is that you feel comfortable with each of them and do them if you genuinely like them. One of the keys of her KonMari method is to tailor each space to what makes you feel good and not to decorate for others.
These are her suggestions:
- Set the table in advance if your guests are coming and it makes you feel good.
- Light a candle to create the perfect ambience if it brings you joy and calm.
- If you wish, brighten your home with fresh flowers. Marie Kondo loves flowers and regards them as an easy way to bring life to spaces and stay connected to the present.
By following all these recommendations you will not only have your home ready to welcome guests in a few steps, but you will also improve the energy of your home and your own wellbeing.
