The Elf Blog

Christmas Alone

Spending time with family and loved ones is a major focus of holiday celebrations.  Still, not everyone can do that.  They may live far away from those they love.  They may be estranged from their families or have no one left. Maybe circumstances (or time or money) make it difficult to get together with family and friends.  All the stress on family and gathering can make your loneliness cut more sharply.

I can't magically transport you to your loved ones or heal old wounds or bring back those you have lost, but if you will be alone on Christmas, please email me before 3 p.m. EST on Christmas Eve at chiefelf at aol dot com with a phone number where you can be reached and your time zone.  On Christmas Day, you will receive a call from your friendly neighborhood Elf.  Seriously.  That's what Elves are for.

Christmas Countdown - 1 Week

Christmas Eve is one week from today.  You're in the homestretch!

• Finish your baking.  Take cookies to neighbors and friends.
• Wrap your presents.
• Do your grocery shopping for your Christmas Eve and Christmas meals.
• Take a walk around your house (inside and outside) to see if decorations need to be refreshed or if something needs to be tidied.
• Prepare your guest room for any Christmas guests.
• Gather Christmas DVDs and story books to entertain on Christmas Eve and Christmas.  Create a Christmas playlist on your iPod or gather CDs.
• Finalize New Year’s Eve plans.
• Shop for a New Year's Eve outfit if needed or rent a tux.
• Update your list of the gifts you have received so that you are ready to write thank you notes after Christmas.
• Take a deep breath.  You're going to make it.

Drop-In Guests

During the holiday season (roughly now through January 1st), it's not unusual to have friends drop by to bring a gift or to offer the greetings of the season.  It's good to be prepared for them:

• Make sure that the living room or family room (wherever you greet guests) stays basically tidy.  Before leaving the house each morning, give it a quick once over.
• Keep the guest bathroom stocked and clean.  Here's a nice use for the Christmas hand twoels and guest soaps.
• Keep basic serving items easily accessible: a tray or two, glasses, napkins, baskets, etc.
• Make sure you have some refreshments to offer.  During this time of year, I like to make sure that I have beverages (soda, sparkling water, coffee. tea, cocoa, beer, and/or wine) available.  I also have fast snacks at hand -- things like cheese and crackers, grapes, party mix, candy, cookies, veggies, popcorn.  If someone stops by, you can offer them a drink and something to eat without ransacking the cupboards or sending someone to the store.

Stay flexible.  Often, holiday guests drop by without notice.  If you are so tightly planned that you can't afford an hour to chat with a friend, you're risking placing preparations ahead of joy.

A Productive Weekend

Basically, we have two weekends before the holiday season begins.  (The weekend before Thanksgiving is really the beginning.)  That means you have two weekends to set the stage.

If you'd like to start some shopping, that's not a bad idea.  There are Veterans' Day sales and the crowds will be less.

It's also good to spend some time doing a serious cleaning.  Do all the laundry, not just what you need to get through the week. Clean the guest room thoroughly.  Vacuum the baseboards and under the cushions and behind furniture.  Clean the fridge and freezer and cabinets, making as much room as possible.

Do whatever it takes to make sure that basic tidying can keep your house guest ready through the holidays.

Overstock

Sometimes I think we remember only too well what it was like to dwell in caves, fearing what tomorrow might bring and having our survival depend on stockpiling resources.

For most of us, this is not our reality.  We don't need to spend September and October stockpiling food and fuel to last until April.  The supermarkets will be open all winter and food will remain accessible.  Even if there's snow, we are unlikely to be cut off from resources for more than a week.

So why do we stockpile months' worth of food?  Marketers convince us that we need to take advantage of stock up sales, buying more than we are likely to use in the next several months.  Warehouse stores take it to a whole new level.  Now, clearly larger families can take advantage of such sales because they can easily go through several boxes of cereal and huge bags of frozen vegetables every week.  For those in smaller living units, however, too much is too much.  A carton of oatmeal can last me almost a month since I don't eat it every day.  A pound of coffee lasts even longer.  Yet still, it's tempting to buy two cans of coffee or two cartons of oatmeal since they are on such a great sale.  That way, I'll have it when I need it and I'm shielded against a price increase.

In truth, it may not be that great a deal.  You have to take up space to store it. The longer it's stored, the higher the likelihood that it will go bad before you use it.  There will be another sale.  There always is.  The prices may not be quite as low, but food prices have been relatively stable for years.  If inflation were running 10%, it might be a different story, but that's not the case.

So, what do you do?

• Have a reasonable sense of what your household uses in a month.  As a rule, you don't need to keep more than that on hand.
• Rotate the foods you do have on hand so that you use the oldest food first.
• Before going shopping, take a quick inventory of what you have on hand and plan upcoming meals to use the oldest food.
• If you do buy a lot of something, within 24 hours of bringing it into your house, have a plan for using at least half of it.
• If you want to take advantage of two-for-one discounts but don't really need that much, consider shopping with a friend and splitting the cost.

Outside the Box (or at Least the House)

It's fall.  Even if it hasn't gotten chilly yet, it's time to accept that.

The next good weather weekend, it's time to prepare the outside of your house for the coming winter:

Clean and store or cover the lawn furniture.

Bring in hammocks, small grills, etc.

Place bird feeders so that the little creatures won't starve.

Replace screens with storm windows.

Check outdoor lighting since it gets dark early.  (If bushes block the light, trim them back.)

Clear debris and tidy plant beds so that you are ready for any holiday decorating.

Fall Cleaning

This is the post you don't want to read. It's time to schedule your fall cleaning.

You'll want at least a few days -- same as for spring cleaning. 

It's time to do the deep cleaning you don't do every week -- moving furniture, eliminating clutter, putting summer things back in storage, donating what you don't need, scouring fixtures, etc.

The more you clean now and the more clutter you can get rid of now, the easier it will be to prepare for the holidays and to get the house ready for entertaining.

It's not fun, but it will set you up for the months ahead.  I plan to do my cleaning on September 26-27. I'll have to do some cabinet/file cleaning after that, but the one weekend should give me a solid start.

I Hate Moths

This weekend, I faced an infestation of pantry moths.  I hate moths.  (To be honest, I hate all bugs that don't have the good sense to stay outside.  Once you're in my house, you're mine.)

Pantry moths go after cereals -- opened or boxed -- and can make quite a mess.  They fly slowly but they breed quickly.

The first step in dealing with them is getting rid of the products that are infested.  They need to be in a sealed garbage bag in the outside trash can.  Washing things down after disposing of the products is a good idea.  I used a weak bleach solution.

A friend of mine also tracked down an excellent trap called Pantry Pest that traps moths so you can discard them.  After 24 hours, the difference is noticeable.

Living More Simply Update

I continue to do pretty well in limiting purchases.  In the last month, I did make the two major purchases of a party tent and a hammock.  I've used both and I like them very much.

I've also bought some accessories for my dog, some books, and a ring.  Still, my purchases of non-consumables are definitey reduced.  It is making me realize though how much money I spend on consumables and services.

I finally managed to clean out a closet and separate some clothes for donation.  I have many more closets and drawers to prune and reorganize.  Perhaps by the end of the summer.

Another Living Simply Update

I'm still doing pretty well with limiting my purchases.  I've spent less than $20 on non-consumables in the last month.  It's actually been easier than I expected.  I'm making more visits to the library and I'm not buying new clothes.  I'm thinking twice about every purchase I make.

Now, I have to admit that I have a few large non-consumable purchases planned.  My yard is perfect for parties, but rain can certainly put a damper on things.  And in DC, rain is always a possibility.  So, I've decided that it's time to invest in a tent that I can use when I have parties.  I'm just about finished with my research, so I'm likely to make a purchase soon.

On the other hand, when the weather is good, it's nice to be outside to read or nap or just while away an afternoon.  So, I've been researching the purchase of a freestanding hammock.  A lawn chair would be less expensive, but a hammock is much more restful and comfortable.  It's a simple luxury that I think I'll enjoy.

As for the sorting out closets.  Well, I haven't gotten to that yet!