Phew…. The Holidays are over. And though to some it can be a bit sad and disappointing because the holidays are usually a time of family, fun and festivities, to most it brings a sense of relief.  It’s a time to get back to reality, routine, focus and less craziness and running around.  But in the meantime, it takes some major cleansing, clearing, purging and cleaning….  So here are some of my post-holidays to dos, and maybe they apply to your post-holiday life as well:

1. Go to the dump – this is at the top of the list after the holidays.  There is so much trash, so many boxes, so much packaging, so much recycling…basically there’s so much waste.  And so a trip to the dump feels cleansing and cathartic – aagghhh….  It’s a must do.

2. Reconfirm and commit to your New Year’s resolution(s) – this is for those of you who traditionally make New Year’s resolutions. I tend not to because I haven’t had much luck with them in the past.  What I do now is try to live most days with health and moderation in mind as much as possible.  And if I keep that a constant and consistent goal, I do pretty well.

3. Dismantle holiday decorations – this could take days and weeks.  I have so many boxes and bins of holiday decorations that taking everything down takes some serious time – it’s a major process. Therefore it can be a bit overwhelming and not something I necessarily look forward to, which probably lengthens the amount of time it actually takes.  If I am done with this by mid-January, this is good.

4. Clean and vacuum the house – another cleansing process that makes you say – aagghhh….  Nothing feels better than cleaning the counters, floors, bathrooms and then vacuuming up all of the debris, hair, dust and dirt of the dogs (plus we had a visiting dog this holiday season), cats, kids and other critters.  Once it’s done, a sense of clarity and organization returns just by the sheer fact that things are more clean.

5. Figure out where the toys and gifts will fit into your house and purge at the same time – this is especially hard because before the holidays we didn’t have enough room to store everything.  And so now it’s impossible.  Where will everything fit?  The answer to this comes only when you decide to purge some toys, items, stuff along the way.  Take out the old to make room for the new.

6. Go to the supermarket – the kids, family and guests have probably eaten you out of house and home so it’s time to go to the supermarket to replenish.  Plus it’s back to school so you need to stock up on snack and lunch supplies.

7. Pay for all of the holiday gifts and create a budget for the new year – ouch.  Of all of the to dos, this one is the most painful.  Once again, we all probably spent too much and now it’s time to really add up the expenses, pay the bills and then create a budget for the new year to prevent the holiday overspending from happening again and again.

8. Pay another visit to the dump – with all of the cleaning, purging, dismantling, guess what has been generated at the same time?  More stuff for the dump.  But make sure that your local dump is open before you load up your car.  That’s happened to me before, and it was a major bummer.  For those of us who live in Weston, the dump is open on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Fridays and Saturdays.

9. Relax and enjoy – Christmas and Hanukkah are almost a full year away so relax and enjoy until then!

These are some of my post-holiday to dos.  What do you have on your list?  And do you do as much cleaning and organizing at this time of the year as I do?  I can’t wait to hear….. And last but not least, Happy 2012!