Get Organized for the Holidays: 8 Things to Tackle Now

Do November and December seem to sneak up on you faster every year? If you want to get organized for the holidays before the hustle and bustle begins, now is the perfect time to tackle a few tasks around your home.

Whether you’re ready or not, the next two months bring extra decorating, shopping, cooking, and entertaining.

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Taking care of a few things early can help you feel more prepared and leave more time to enjoy the festivities.

And don’t worry, I’m not suggesting you spend days completely reorganizing your home!

Who has time for that with the holidays right around the corner?

A wooden bowl filled with fresh apples sits next to a bundle of dried wheat stalks and an open cookbook showing a Dulce de Leche Apple Pie recipe to help you get organized for the holidays.

For now, we’re focusing on clearing clutter, making room for holiday essentials, and planning ahead.

We’ll save those bigger organizing projects for after the holidays!

So, here are eight manageable tasks you can tackle now to prepare your home for the holidays and make the weeks ahead a little less stressful.

Table of Contents

8 Things to Do Now to Get Organized for the Holidays

1. Declutter High-Traffic Areas

A beige sofa with two white pumpkin-embroidered pillows and a solid dark brown pillow overlooks a kitchen island.

Before the holiday hustle and bustle begins, take a little time to clear clutter from the areas of your home you use most.

Focus on the spaces where family and friends tend to gather:

Entryway: Put away shoes, bags, mail, and anything else that piles up near the front door.
Living room: Clear coffee tables, end tables, and other surfaces to make room for holiday decorations and entertaining.
Family room: Tidy up everyday clutter, including books, magazines, toys, and games.
Kitchen: Remove unnecessary items or appliances from countertops to make plenty of space for holiday baking and meal prep.

Remember, the goal isn’t to completely reorganize these spaces.

We’re simply clearing away clutter to make our homes more comfortable, welcoming, and ready for the busy weeks ahead.

2. Make Room in the Pantry

Wire pantry shelving filled with patterned storage bins on the top shelf and black plastic woven baskets on the bottom two shelves, many labeled with hanging tags to help you get organized for the holidays.

With all the extra cooking and baking that comes with Thanksgiving and Christmas, now is a great time to free up space in your pantry or wherever you store your food staples.

Start by checking expiration dates and tossing anything that’s past its prime.

Take inventory of what you already have, especially baking staples like flour, sugar, spices, and other ingredients you’ll need for your favorite holiday recipes.

Next, find items you can use up in everyday meals to free up valuable shelf space.

You don’t need to completely reorganize your pantry.

As you make room, group similar items so you can find what you need easily.

You don’t need expensive organizing containers—repurposed boxes or inexpensive plastic bins can keep things tidy!

Remember, making a little extra room now will make it easier to put away holiday groceries and find what you need when it’s time to cook and bake!

3. Clean Out the Refrigerator and Freezer

Interior of a well-stocked refrigerator, organized for the holidays, with shelves containing cartons of almond milk and creamer, jars of pickles and applesauce, cranberry juice, produce containers, eggs, and items in the crisper drawers.

With holiday meals and gatherings just around the corner, now is the perfect time to make some extra room in your refrigerator and freezer.

Start by checking expiration dates and tossing anything that’s spoiled or no longer safe to eat.

Check what’s hiding in the back of your refrigerator, and don’t forget to check the freezer for forgotten items.

I know I need to use up some of the food in our freezer to make room for our Thanksgiving turkey!

And I’ll need to make sure there’s enough fridge space to thaw it safely before the big day.

Take a look at what you already have on hand and plan a few meals around those ingredients.

You’ll free up valuable space, reduce food waste, and make room for all those holiday essentials.

While you’re at it, give the shelves and drawers a quick wipe-down so everything is fresh and ready for the extra groceries, make-ahead dishes, and delicious leftovers that come with the holidays.

A little preparation now can keep your refrigerator from turning into a game of Jenga when it’s time to put away holiday leftovers!

4. Get the Dining Room Ready for Entertaining

A white hutch filled with white ceramic dishes and decorative pumpkins, set behind a dining table with fall decor.

Whether you’re hosting Thanksgiving dinner, Christmas brunch, or a holiday gathering with friends, now is a great time to make sure your dining room is ready for guests.

Start by clearing clutter from your dining table, buffet, or sideboard, so you have plenty of room to serve food and set a festive table.

Next, take inventory of your entertaining essentials.

Check your tablecloths, napkins, and placemats to see if anything needs washing or ironing.

Make sure you have enough dishes, glasses, silverware, and serving pieces for the number of guests you’re expecting.

If you discover you’re missing something, you’ll have time to borrow it, find it secondhand, or shop for it before the holiday rush.

And don’t let a lack of matching dishes or enough place settings keep you from entertaining!

Many beautiful paper and plastic plates in festive patterns can make your holiday table look lovely without spending a fortune.

Just remember to shop early for the best selection!

Taking care of these little details now means you’ll have one less thing to worry about when it’s time to welcome family and friends!

5. Prepare Guest Spaces

A stack of five folded white towels on a bathroom counter.

Are you expecting overnight guests during the holidays?

If so, now is a great time to make sure your guest bedroom and bathroom are ready for their arrival.

Start by clearing away clutter and making space for your guests’ belongings.

If your guest bedroom doubles as a home office or storage area, tidy it up and provide an empty drawer, a small spot in the closet, or a place for their suitcase.

Next, check your bedding and towels to make sure everything is clean and ready to use.

It’s also a good idea to stock the guest bathroom with essentials like toilet paper, hand soap, fresh towels, and a few extra toiletries in case someone forgets something.

Consider adding a few thoughtful touches, such as a bedside lamp, an extra blanket, or a basket with items your guests might need during their stay.

Taking care of these details ahead of time will help your guests feel right at home.

It also allows you to spend more time enjoying their visit instead of scrambling to get everything organized for the holidays at the last minute!

6. Organize Gift-Wrapping Supplies

A black mesh desk organizer filled with gift tags, two small patterned gift boxes, scissors, and a tape dispenser to help you get organized for the holidays.

There’s nothing more frustrating than sitting down to wrap Christmas presents only to discover you’re out of tape or can’t find the gift tags!

Before the holiday shopping begins, take a few minutes to gather your gift-wrapping supplies and see what you already have.

Check your wrapping paper, gift bags, tissue paper, ribbons, bows, and tags.

Make a list of anything you’re running low on so you can pick it up while you’re out shopping.

Next, find a convenient place to keep everything together so you’ll be ready when it’s time to wrap those gifts.

You don’t need a fancy gift-wrapping station!

Whether you use a desktop organizer, a basket, a drawer, or a simple storage bin, the goal is to keep your supplies organized and easy to find.

Taking care of this task now means one less thing to worry about when the Christmas shopping and wrapping begin!

7. Schedule a Christmas Decor Shopping Day

Artificial greenery, including wreaths and garlands, hangs on a retail display wall with a 50% off sale sign.

Are you someone who does not want to think about Christmas decorations until after Thanksgiving?

I get it, but that doesn’t mean you should wait to shop until then!

Many stores put their Christmas decorations out months in advance, and popular items can sell out long before most people are ready to decorate.

Especially the real touch garlands and wreaths that are pictured above.

Take a few minutes to think about your Christmas decorating plans and make a list of anything new you’d like to add this year.

Then schedule a shopping day to visit your favorite stores and find those special pieces.

Stores like Hobby Lobby often discount Christmas merchandise well before the holiday season begins, so shopping early can help you find what you want while staying within your budget.

And remember, buying your Christmas decorations early doesn’t mean you have to put them up right away!

You can tuck your purchases away until you’re ready to decorate.

A little planning now means you’ll have a better selection to choose from and one less thing to worry about when the holiday rush begins!

8. Get a Head Start on Holiday Planning

Now that you’ve tackled a few tasks around your home, it’s time to think about everything else you need to do to get organized before the holidays arrive!

Between planning menus, making grocery lists, buying gifts, and tracking holiday activities, there’s a lot to remember.

Instead of keeping everything in your head, take a moment to write down your plans and create a schedule to get things done.

And if you’re not sure where to start, we’ve got a couple of free resources to help!

Free Thanksgiving Planner

A black Thanksgiving planner titled Tips and Strategies to Transform Your Holiday, surrounded by decorative autumn leaves and a pen to help you get organized for the holidays.

Our Thanksgiving Planner helps you organize everything from your holiday menu and grocery shopping to meal prep and your Thanksgiving Day schedule.

Free Christmas Planner

A black binder titled Christmas Planner: Tips and Strategies to Transform Your Holiday with a snowflake icon, resting on a gold-dotted surface with miniature decorative trees and a pen to help you get organized for the holidays.

Our Christmas Planner helps you track gift lists, holiday shopping, decorating plans, and all those little details that make the season special.

Both planners help you stay organized, reduce last-minute stress, and spend more time enjoying the holidays with the people you love.

You can find them both in our Free Resource Library, along with lots of other helpful printables!

Simply sign up for our emails to access the library, where you can download and print these planners, our home organization planner, and more.

Closing Thoughts

Getting organized for the holidays doesn’t have to mean spending days cleaning and reorganizing your entire home!

By tackling a few of these tasks now, you’ll be better prepared for the busy weeks ahead and have more time to enjoy all the wonderful things the holiday season brings.

Remember, you don’t have to accomplish everything on this list at once.

Start with one or two tasks, work at your own pace, and do what makes sense for your home and family.

After all, the goal isn’t a perfectly organized home or a picture-perfect holiday.

It’s having more time to make special memories with the people you love!

I’d love to know: what’s the first thing you do to get your home ready for the holidays?

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Blessings, Donna and Rich

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