2023 - HHP - Week 15 - Final Clean

[Holiday_Mom]

We're in the final stages of the plan and wrapping up the gift shopping.

Week 1 - Planning and Paperwork
Week 2 - Calendar and Creativity
Week 3 - Me & Mine
Week 4 - Close to Home
Week 5 - House Room
Week 6 - Wardrobe
Week 7 - Bed & Bath
Week 8 - Family Space
Week 9 - Public Space
Week 10 - Cooking Space
Week 11 - Food Storage
Week 12 - Dining Space
Week 13 - Entryway
Week 14 - Storage
Week 15 - Final Clean
Week 16 - Nearly There
Week 17 - Celebration
Week 18 - New Year’s

The season is nearly here; time for one last round of finish cleaning in the House & Holidays Plan.

Two weeks before Christmas? It's time for a final finish cleaning at the House and Holidays Plan.

Over the past weeks, we've decluttered and deep-cleaned; this week's goal is to bring the whole house into a ready state for the remainder of the season. A "final clean" week will put a surface shine on our home!

In holiday prep, we'll finish gift shopping, complete gift wrapping, plan Christmas dinner, mail Christmas cards and bring home the ultimate seasonal symbol: the Christmas tree. Celebration ahead!

This Week's Focus: Final Clean​

One last push toward a clean home is our household focus on this busy week. We'll be busy completing gift shopping, mailing Christmas cards and finishing holiday decorating.

This Week's Household Checklist​

• Do a final pre-holiday whole-house clean. Sure, we've tackled household areas week-by-week and the deep-cleaning is done--but this week, it's time to polish up our work with a final whole-house clean. Play cleaning service this week, and give every room a top-clean session of dusting, vacuuming and final touch-up. You'll bring the entire house to a holiday-ready state. Time to celebrate!

This Week's Holiday Prep Checklist​

• Wrap party! Hold an informal "wrap party" brunch or evening for friends. Work on wrapping packages together. At the end of the party, swap leftover supplies for a fresh look next year.
• Eat from the freezer. Use stockpiled freezer meals on busy nights.
• Plan Christmas menus. Make a simple menu plan for Christmas week. Delegation is easier if you have an idea of what's for breakfast ... or lunch, or dinner.
• Update address book. As holiday letters and Christmas cards arrive, update the address book with any changes.
• Mail Christmas cards or holiday letters.
• Complete gift wrapping.
• Buy Christmas trees and/or fresh greens.
• Check cameras. Be ready to capture the moment.
• Make an under-tree "emergency box". Use a gift-wrapped box with a removable lid. Placed under the tree, it holds extra bulbs, fuses, ornament hooks and batteries.

What are you doing this week?

 

[Holiday_Mom]

This will be my last busy week in the evenings before Christmas. Beginning Friday, I will have a break from after school meetings until mid-January. In the meantime, I'll focus on getting things done in small chunks of time.

Household Checklist

• Do a final pre-holiday whole-house clean.

Holiday Prep Checklist

• Wrap gifts
• Eat from the freezer.
• Plan Christmas menus.
• Update address book.
• Finish Christmas cards.

 

[halimer]

Now that our big Hanukkah party is over and our house has been admired - or not - I can let the normal clutter return.

I will also go slowly about wrapping my Christmas gifts and doing my holiday baking. For me the bulk of the stress is over.

 

[luludou]

Finish wrapping gifts as they arrive. I think I only have a few more, will look up my gift list tomorrow.
Make Rice-krispie squares for freezing.
Wash jenn-air.
General maintenance

 

[happy2bme]

HOUSEHOLD CHECKLIST:

clean house - done

HOLIDAY PREP CHECKLIST:

bake - done
plan Christmas Eve/Day menus - done
make grocery list - done
purchase service gift for MT - done

 

[Cindylouwho]

Fell off the radar the last few weeks with everything going on here. Deep breaths. I'm not in a panic but boy there is a lot going on and a lot that needs to happen.

Halimer -- Oh I laughed at your comment about letting the clutter return once the party was over and house done being admired or not. Right?! "Oh yes -- it is ALWAYS this clean!! Now get out so we can relax!" Same!! (Still laughing!)

Here's where I'm at:

• Final Clean -- pretty much done yesterday. We are within 1 hr of being ready to guests if we had to be.
• Gifts -- 95% purchased. DH's big gift is being a royal pain.
• Wrapping -- NOTHING WRAPPED. But it is organized, in boxes and on standby. Each box seems to be missing a little item. DH gets to wrap during the next football game. Where is all the white tissue paper this year?? I'm ordering on Amazon but they are tiny expensive packs and Costco didn't have any at all.
• Returns -- Spent last night out and about in much small crowds getting returns made. Changed my mind on several things and wanted to make sure I got those back as I often don't want to deal with it in January.

To finish this this week:

• Mail out holiday checks and finish all office work.
• Print the baking list for shopping on Friday. Baking starts Saturday. (Stalled it as long as I could).
• Find last of the gifts -- shooting for being done Friday. I HOPE!!
• Family activities starting Thursday....
• Gifts should be ready to go to DH for wrapping by this weekend.
• A couple other enormous project that will somehow miraculously come together.

DS flies in from school next week. Can't wait!

So need to go drink some more coffee and make all this happen. The weather around here has been so completely boring and overcast. Kinda doesn't feel like Christmas. (And last year I complained about too much snow -- the weather guy just can't please me I guess!!).

 

[Holiday_Mom]

Halimer -- Oh I laughed at your comment about letting the clutter return once the party was over and house done being admired or not. Right?! "Oh yes -- it is ALWAYS this clean!! Now get out so we can relax!" Same!! (Still laughing!)

This had me chuckling too.

This week in particular, life has been consumed with dd's rehearsals for her Christmas concert and supporting family and friends as they go through hard things right now. I turned down a work luncheon and an evening out to catch up on all that never got done this week.

My focus this weekend is to get things in order for gift delivery on Sunday and Monday. Tonight I am baking a batch of cookies that will get portioned out and delivered on Monday. Tomorrow I have to mail my cards, get groceries and pick up 4 gifts for delivery on Sunday. Somehow, I forgot a whole group of people.

 

[Holiday_Mom]

Whew! I got the gifts for Sunday and Monday organized and ready to go. We are expecting huge storm Sunday and Monday. They are now in plastic bags and garbage bags. Hopefully, they will be protected enough from the rain. Cards got mailed too.

Everything else will get done in the upcoming days.