The holiday season might be over, but that doesn’t mean the work is done! Once the celebrations are over there is plenty to clean-up, go through, and put away. From decorations, to presents, and all the leftovers, there is a lot to do. To help you get through the busy post-holiday season, we’ve outlined a few tips on how you can stay on track of what needs to be done:

1.     Use up the leftovers

Holiday meal leftovers are inevitable. There will always be plenty of extra turkey with all the fixings, so after the holidays are over, try and clear out room in your fridge by using up the leftover food. There are many different recipes you can make with the leftovers that go beyond just reheating the food – from turkey pot pie to turkey soup, sandwiches and other casseroles, leftovers can be remade into new meals you can take to work for lunch or enjoy for another meal. If there is still food leftover, try freezing some of the food to extend its shelf life. Just don’t forget that you have the food in your freezer!

2.     Go through your gifts

Most people just want to be able to enjoy the gifts they receive as soon as they get them. However, there are always times when clothes are the wrong size, something doesn’t work when its opened or needs to be assembled before use, or you get a gift that just isn’t right for you. Take stock of all the items you received and make a pile for anything that needs to be returned to the store. Make sure you have the proper gift receipts attached to the gifts so you don’t encounter any issues when you go to return. Check out how long you have to exchange the gift too – if you don’t have to go right away, then plan to make the trip later in January when the stores aren’t too busy.  Another pile can also be made for any clothes, blankets or other items that need to be washed or altered before use. This should be more of a priority so you can use your new gift as soon as possible! For gift certificates, tickets, or other time-sensitive gifts, make sure you take note of the use-by date and set a reminder for yourself on your phone or calendar so you don’t forget it. Lastly, make sure everything is put away in the place where it belongs, whether that is your closet, kitchen or toy bin.

3.     Put away the decorations

It might not be as much fun to take down all the holiday decorations as it was to put them all up, but your home can’t stay stuck in the holiday season forever. Start by removing all the boxes and bags from your storage and sort out what items need to go where. To make the decoration take-down seem less overwhelming, work on one room at a time. You don’t have to do it alone either – get your whole family, or even some friends, and make an activity out of the clean-up. If the weather is nice, it would also be a good time to take down any lights or outdoor decorations before they are forgotten in the New Year. This is also a good time to go through your decorations and take note of anything that needs to be replaced, like any burnt out light bulbs, broken garland strands, chipped ornaments, or broken branches. Make sure these items are either fixed or properly disposed of and set a reminder in your phone or place you regularly check to replace these items in time for next year. Once all the boxes and bags are packed up, return them to their proper storage place.

4.     Catch up with the people you couldn’t see

There never seems to be enough time to visit with friends and family over the holidays, and sometimes it is just easier to catch up in the New Year when the holiday activities are over and schedules free up. Once the regular routines set in, it can be hard to remember to plan a get together with the people you weren’t able to see over the holidays. Instead of saying you’ll just catch up in the New Year, set an actual date for later in January or even February so you have it booked and in your calendar before other activities start booking up. Make a serious commitment to get together, not just a general agreement to do “something sometime soon.”

5.     Start planning for next year

It’s never too early to think about next year! Often there are a lot of sales over Boxing Day and into the New Year, so you can start thinking about gifts early on. Start planning a shopping schedule to space out your spending and not make gift-giving as much of a financial burden. You can also take the time to plan out any new decorations you might want to purchase or make for the holidays next year and start saving any new recipes you come across for baking or holiday meals. Just make sure that anything to find or make is saved in a place you will remember so you don’t duplicate any of the items next December!