I wanted to let you know even though I do one #Holiday at a time I am excited for #Fall to arrive. Cooler Weather, bonfires I wish I could attend. Hot Chocolate and David says Football but not for me. Unless its a movie.

Before we get too far into the holiday season, there is something I like to do that isn’t nearly as exciting as decorating—but it makes everything that comes afterward a whole lot easier. Clean out the storage area where I keep your fall myThanksgiving decorations!

I wish I could say mine are all in one place like I had planned for them to be but there scattered all over the house. David who is being Grinchy says he isn’t getting them out this year. BAHHUMBUG to him. That just means I will need to go shopping. Would you want to come with me?

If your fall decorations are packed away in bins, boxes, tubs, closets, or somewhere in the garage, this is a this this would be a great weekend to pull them out and see what you actually have. Before you say its to early to start decorating which might be true I wanted to remind you you don’t have to decorate the entire house. You don’t even have to pull everything out. Just start somewhere

I thought I would give us a Thanksgiving Harvest Challenge this morning. Pull out your fall and Thanksgiving decorations and sort them into four groups: Which I am going to do with anything I find sitting around my house.

KEEP– Things you still love and want to use this year. FIX– Things that need a little repair before they can be used. DONATE– Things that are still nice but that you no longer need or want. TOSS– Things that are broken, damaged, or simply aren’t usable anymore.

Then choose a few favorite decorations and get them ready for the season. Maybe it’s a Thanksgiving centerpiece or it might be a favorite turkey decoration. Maybe it’s a fall wreath or the decorations your family has used for years

While you’re sorting, talk about the decorations you find. Do you remember when you bought them? Did someone give them to you? Have you used them every Thanksgiving? Does one decoration remind you of someone special?

Sometimes those old decorations are more than decorations. They are little pieces of family history. And if you find something you no longer use, donating it can give another family the opportunity to make their own memories with it.

One thing I wanted to remind you is and this is important! You do not have to clean out the entire storage area. Choose what works for your family.

You can:

• Sort one box.
• Find your Thanksgiving decorations.
• Clean one shelf.
• Pick out your favorite fall decorations.
• Set aside items to donate.
• Fix one decoration.
• Or simply spend some time talking about the memories connected to your decorations.

The goal isn’t perfection. The goal is to get a little more ready for Thanksgiving while spending some time together.

As you get your decorations ready, take a moment to think about what you are thankful for. Our homes don’t have to look perfect for Thanksgiving. What matters most is the people and memories we gather around the table.

Ready to get started? Download and print our Thanksgiving Harvest Storage Clean-Out Checklist. It will walk you through sorting your decorations into Keep, Fix, Donate, and Toss, along with a few simple family-memory prompts.

Grateful, Thankful, and Blessed.

GreatfulMoments.com

Thank you,

Glenda, Charlie and David Cates