It’s only a week until Christmas. You haven’t done your Christmas shopping or planned the Christmas meals, and you also still need to do the Christmas cleaning. Sound familiar?

Don’t try to do all of your Christmas cleaning in one go. Divide it into smaller pieces and maybe try to even enjoy it.

Get your entire family to take part in the Christmas cleaning. Everyone knows how and is allowed to tidy up their own things, and after that the cleaning will already be half done. One of the family members could do the vacuuming and the other could wipe the floor – cleaning will be quick when you work together!

Wiping the surfaces is easier when they are free of clutter. Who will do the toilet and the bathroom? Who is going to change all the sheets and towels? Who gets to set the pace for the cleaning, who is responsible for the background music?

However, don’t be too hard on yourself and your family. While spending time in a clean home is more enjoyable, Christmas doesn’t necessarily require a massive cleaning effort. Christmas candlelight is forgiving to dust bunnies and small messes.

 “Cupboards only need to be cleaned if you’re going to spend your Christmas in a cupboard,” is a piece of wisdom from the Martha organisation that is worth remembering if someone has the nerve to make a comment about messes behind cupboard doors.