Home Organization Tips for the Holiday Season

The holiday season is meant to be magical—but let’s be honest, it can also feel overwhelming. Between hosting, shopping, decorating, and making time for family traditions, it’s easy to feel buried in chaos instead of soaking in the joy.

The good news? With a little thoughtful planning and a few practical organizing strategies, your home can support the flow of the holidays, not fight against it.

Here are six stress-saving holiday home organization tips that will help you stay calm, collected, and ready to actually enjoy the most wonderful time of the year.

1. Plan with Intention (and Margin!)

Organization starts with smart planning—not overbooking. Use a paper planner, digital calendar, or even a family command center to map out all your events, school activities, travel, and to-dos.

Leave buffer space in your schedule for wrapping, errands, and some much-needed downtime. If you’re hosting, plan your menus and shopping lists early—future you will thank you.

2. Prep for Overnight Guests

Don’t wait until the night before guests arrive to scramble. Prep your guest space ahead of time, even if it doubles as an office or playroom.

A Murphy bed or foldaway solution works wonders in multi-purpose rooms. Add fresh sheets, towels, and a little welcome touch (like a carafe of water or a scented sachet) to make your guests feel right at home.

3. Declutter as You Decorate

Before hanging garlands or trimming the tree, take a moment to edit what you have. Donate or discard broken, outdated, or unloved decorations.

Use labeled bins to organize by type or room (tree décor, mantel items, lights), which makes both decorating and packing away smoother later.

4. Tidy Up with Guests in Mind

A quick surface clean is tempting, but true calm comes from creating order behind the scenes.

Focus on high-impact areas like the entryway, kitchen counters, and guest bathroom. Closet organizers, storage ottomans, or a bench with baskets can help catch the holiday influx of coats, shoes, and extra stuff.

5. Buy Less, Stress Less

Overspending leads to over-cluttering. Use wish lists, set clear gift limits, and consider switching to family gift exchanges if your list is long.

Quality > quantity. The fewer random or duplicate items entering your home, the easier it will be to stay organized—and keep your space peaceful after the holidays.

6. Create a Gift-Wrapping Zone

Skip the holiday tornado of paper, tape, and ribbons all over the house. Instead, create a designated wrapping station with a bin, cart, or repurposed drawer.

Group together all your wrapping supplies—scissors, tags, tape, paper, ribbon—so you’re ready to wrap on the fly without creating chaos every time.

Let Your Home Support Your Holiday Joy

Your home doesn’t have to look Pinterest-perfect to feel peaceful and organized. What matters most is that it functions for you—and supports the people and memories that make this season meaningful.

Start small, plan ahead, and remember: calm is the new festive.

With holiday cheer,

Nathalie xoxo