Embracing the Chaos (But Not Too Much): A Professional Organizer’s Guide to Holiday Joy

Let’s get real: the phrase “holiday hustle and bustle” sounds like something printed on a decorative pillow at HomeGoods that we’d all impulse-buy and later regret. As a professional organizer who’s witnessed more holiday burnouts than a string of christmas lights, I’m here to tell you that the secret to seasonal joy isn’t about eliminating the chaos – it’s about choosing which chaos sparks joy and telling the rest to take a sleigh ride off a cliff.

First things first: You don’t need to attend every holiday party that you get invited to.lands in your inbox. The holidays are like a buffet – you don’t have to pile everything on your plate just because it’s there. Pick the events that make your heart sing, not the ones that make your anxiety hit the roof (the roof is only for Santa).

“Joy comes to us in ordinary moments. We risk missing out on joy when we get too busy chasing down the extraordinary.” -Brene Brown

Speaking of things you don’t need – let’s talk about guilt gifts. You know, those presents you buy for people because you feel obligated? The ones that end up being generic candles or coffee mugs that say “But First, Coffee” for the 47th time? Stop it. Right now. These items are the future clutter of America, destined to be regifted or donated faster than you can say “Secret Santa.”

Here’s my professional organizing secret: Create three lists – “Must Do,” “Want to Do,” and “Society Says I Should Do But Actually No.” That last category? Burn it (metaphorically, of course – we don’t need any more environmental guilt). Your aunt’s second cousin’s kindergarten teacher doesn’t need a Christmas card. She doesn’t even remember you.

“When we remember a special Christmas, it is not the presents that made it special, but the laughter, the feeling of love, and the togetherness of friends and family that made that Christmas special.” – Catherine Pulsifer

The key to making holiday hustle part of the joy is treating it like a well-organized closet: keep what serves you, donate what could serve others, and trash what’s just taking up emotional space. Want to bake cookies at midnight while blasting Mariah Carey? That’s your joy – embrace it. Feel pressured to hand-craft personalized ornaments for your entire office? That’s a hard pass.

Remember: saying “no” is not just a complete sentence; it’s a gift to your future self. Every “no” to an obligation is a “yes” to your sanity. And unlike those guilt gifts, sanity is something you can’t return for store credit.

This season, let’s make peace with imperfection. Your house doesn’t need to look like a Pottery Barn catalog. Your gifts don’t need to make people weep with joy. And your holiday schedule doesn’t need to make you weep with exhaustion. The real magic of the season isn’t in the