The 5 spaces you need to organize FIRST - Get Organized for the New Year!

Learn more about the products I used in this video here: www.containerstore.com/s/cas-aarssens-clutterbug-m…

I can't imagine having the same Christmas family tradition with my kids that I had growing up. Not because it wasn't an AWESOME tradition, but because I am not as resourceful and incredible as my mom. So, on Christmas eve, my dad would take us out to look at Christmas lights. My mom didn't join us because she was going to get her hair done...like sooo many salons are open on Christmas eve, lol. But I was young and didn't know any better. By the time we got home, Santa had come and left a plethora of presents for my brother, my four sisters, and myself. We would open the presents, and once done, stack them back under the tree in our "spot." Then we would get dressed and go to midnight mass. Once home, we didn't go to bed. Oh heavens no, that would be too boring. Instead, we had a huge breakfast! I'm talking eggs, sausage, danish and eggnog. How my mom had the energy to do all of this is beyond me! As time went on, my mom stopped going to the hair salon (wink, wink). But the present opening, mass going and the incredibly special (and I think unique) middle-of-the-night meal continued for a long, long, long time.

I appreciate your advice so much and I appreciate you. I’m 62 and I’ve had early dementia since I was 55. I love an organized house. I love to label everything so I can find things when I need them. This is going to help me so much with my office. You’re the best!

We had oatmeal for breakfast as kids on Christmas morning. Couldn't open your gifts until everyone in the family finished their oatmeal. Didn't know that was weird until I got married and my in laws looked at me like, "poor dear", when I told them this. 😅 my parents just wanted us to have something healthy on our tummy before busting open the Christmas candy, ya know? Now it doesn't quite feel like Christmas for me without oatmeal for breakfast and my husband still thinks it's weird! 🤣

Holiday weirdness: One year I got tired of making a huge Christmas dinner that no one ate. So, for the past several years, everyone gets to eat whatever they want on Christmas. We get a takeout pizza the night before and reheat for my oldest, I make chicken pot pie for my husband, and my mom, youngest and I eat Chinese! Everyone’s happy!!

This list is perfect! I'm coming off of two years of being completely down and out after a traumatic experience and my house was complete chaos. I found this video and I've made it through the first 3. My whole outlook has changed in just a couple of weeks. The first thing I see when I come home is my beautiful new entryway, it's easy to get dressed and look presentable after 2 years of sweatpants, and we're all finally eating healthy food again. I still have a lot left to deal with but I'm not afraid of it anymore. Thank you so much!!!

Summary for me...& maybe you too 1. Landing Zone 2. Clothing 3. Food 4. Work Space 5. Paper Happy New Year to you & family! Thank you for all the help ❤

Hi my name is Mercedes. I just wanted you to know that you have made a difference in my life. My mom passed away on October 15th, since then I have been going through her things and it has been so overwhelming because she was what I like to call a neat hoarder. Everything is in bag box or bin neatly stacked in one side of a room or in a closet. I have been struggling with really bad anxiety so going through her things is super hard but I’m fighting through it to organize and make it livable for my father. So I just wanted to say thank you for your coaching you are very much appreciated😘

When my kids were younger, we did the Switch Witch for Halloween. The kids kept their favorite pieces of candy and put the rest on the porch. The Switch Witch then comes to take the candy and leave $5-$10 for the kids. Less sugar for them (and my sanity)! We would take the candy to work for the coworkers to munch on!

Each year at some point before Christmas Eve we take a break to really enjoy our tree. We turn on the fireplace, turn on our favorite carols, and with just the firelight and tree lights we snuggle up to just admire the tree and lights.

I remember watching someone (not sure if it was Cas, Dawn or someone else) organizing their pantry. They had several boxes of various flavors of granola bars. They opened all the boxes and dumped them all into ONE basket in the pantry. 😲 I broke out in hives. That's when I realized I'm a Bee.

Yes, can we talk about having the huge Christmas dinner midday on Christmas day, we stuff ourselves beyond capacity, then all the adults want to do is sleep, making the rest of the day a huge borefest for the kids? This year I switched it up, and am adopting this as my new normal... Christmas dinner on Christmas eve evening! 😱 followed by the Christmas eve box full of movie munchies and a Christmas movie. Then, on the day, a light, healthy breakfast of fruit kebabs, veggie sticks and accompanying dips, choc/caramel sauce, humus... light snacks during the day... those chocolate and not so healthy goodies, charcuterie board etc... leftovers for early dinner, then my mum's trifle for dessert later. SO much more energy! Our Christmas day swim in the river was SO much more enjoyable! Oh, so much better all round! In New Zealand it's usually a scorching hot day on Dec 25th, so eating a massive, hot, roast dinner during the day always just made me feel lethargic and not wanting to do any of the fun stuff I really wanted to do to make Christmas day the most memorable and fun for my kids, and myself too, not going to lie! So I'm extremely happy I've finally cracked the code on this. Today I woke up and needed to tighten my belt a notch! I think this new tradition is going to be a keeper! 🤩🎄❤

Weird holiday traditions....growing up we hung actual socks out of our drawers for Santa to fill. My little brother and I always grabbed Dad's work socks cuz they were bigger!!! I was about 12 when a relative gave us felt stockings that she decorated to hang at Christmas. That is when I found out most folks didn't use socks that they actually wore.

My mom (I did too) used to put 3 fingers in flour and made bunny tracks across the floor on Easter. My kids still wanted the bunny tracks after they were older. So then m&m’s were left also.

Our family holiday traditions included opening each person getting a new ornament that we opened on Christmas Eve. For Easter, a favorite pastime for me was when my grandpa would open the window for the Easter Rabbit to come in while we hid in the next room and hide chocolate eggs all over the house for us to find :D

Growing up we’d always go to my grandparents house for Easter. We always had an Easter egg hunt for the kids and a soda/beer hunt for the adults. It was awesome! The adults were more into it than the kids were!

I feel great! I just decluttered 6 bags of clothes and my family went to the laundromat to just get all of our clothes clean and put away. Thanks for the motivation!

I would like to thank you from the bottom of my heart. Your tips have helped me to organize my life. My dad passed away last year and because of your binder system I was able to plan his funeral without being stressed out about where to find his paperwork. Again thank you so much.

I started decluttering my home last June. Now I am almost obsessed with it..I declutter every day for as long as I can because I am in my early 70's and I feel time is of the essence to get this "stuff" out of my home before my dau. would get stuck with it..I signed up for your class and can't wait till Jan. 15th....Jodi

Love reading all the traditions!! I bought a pickle ornament to start that tradition with my family years ago, but never did it because I was afraid our kids (6 in our blended fam) would get too overzealous and break ornaments, hurt each other, etc. lol I should have opted for fun instead!!! Growing up, we used to celebrate Christmas with a big dinner with extended family on Christmas Eve, then exchange some presents from those family members after dinner/dessert. After they went home, we'd go to Church 11pm-12am, candelight service. Then when our parents and my brother and sister and I came home, we would open all our presents!! Stockings and Christmas breakfast were for morning. Easter for my kids when they were little.... when they woke up and opened their door, there was a jellybean trail, going from the door to their basket, which was hidden. 4 kids, each one with a different trail (and sometimes different candy) and they weren't as easy to follow as it sounds! They were tricky, haha! They had to climb over things, crawl under things, etc. At the end of the trail, the basket was still hidden a little in that area. Work for that basket!!! 🤣 I miss those days!! Now they're 16-28 yrs old! 😭😭💖💕