Or Twixmas if you prefer! Whatever you call that time between Christmas and New Year, I like to think of it as the time to relax but also get a few tasks done around the house. Here’s my list of what to do in Crimbo Limbo.
PUT AWAY CHRISTMAS GIFTS
Growing up, I’d leave my Christmas gifts in the living room for weeks. Now I prefer a decluttered space so I like to put away as much as possible. Clothes get hung up or folded away, toiletries get put in the overstock baskets, and snacks get stored in my snack box in the kitchen. I just like things to be where they should be!
CATCH UP ON TV
It’s the only time of year for lots of us when we have nothing to do. That’s why I love to sit down with my Christmas snacks and get through my TV watchlist and Sky+ recordings. For you, it might be new releases on Netflix or starting your annual rewatch of your fave show (Grey’s Anatomy is next for me again). It’s okay to do nothing over Christmas!
DO SOMETHING WITH LEFTOVERS
I admire you if you can cook a Christmas meal and not have any leftovers. If you’re like us and you have some but not loads, figure out what to do with them. For the love of god, please don’t just throw them away! It’s tradition for us to do a turkey curry on Boxing Day now and just eat party food throughout the rest of December and into January. Leftover veg can be thrown into a stir fry or made into a soup. You’ll be able to find loads of recipes online!
REFLECT ON THE YEAR
If there’s one thing I love doing, it’s reviewing my week/month/year. Because I do it so regularly, I’ve got into a routine of sorts both in my weekly resets and monthly resets and it doesn’t take as long to reflect on my year. You can make it as elaborate or as simple as you’d like. Write down what went well, what was challenging, and what you’d like to improve on. You could break it down into months or specific areas of your life, such as work, family, and finances. Don’t forget to look at the annual goals you set for yourself back in January!
SET YOUR NEW ANNUAL GOALS
After you’ve reflected on the year, it’s time to look forward to the next. I no longer set resolutions as they seem so final. Instead, I set annual goals as they seem more flexible. The trick is to push yourself but make sure it is achievable. This year, I even redid mine in April! Again, I separate mine into life categories: personal, financial, business, blogs and health/fitness. Just make sure you actually look back at them. These set the basis for my monthly and quarterly goals. You could also break them down into action steps now so they’ll feel much more within reach over the course of the year.
DO THE ONE THING YOU KEEP PUTTING OFF
This applies to anything, from painting your bedroom to cleaning out the garage. Usually, it refers to something in the home but it could also mean clearing out your external hard-drive or going through your finances. Basically, it’s those tasks that you keep putting off for whenever you have a spare moment. Well, there’s no time like Crimbo Limbo to get those niggly tasks off your list! Of course, some might take ten minutes, others might take a day or two. The idea is to either fully complete the task or at least make some decent headway at it.
THE ANNUAL DECLUTTER AND DEEP CLEAN
It’s the job we all hate to do but we feel so much better afterwards. To make it fun, stick on your favourite podcast or playlist and give yourself a time limit. Trust me, when you’re against the clock, you’ll be determined to finish! Try to do this either by room or by chore. Ideally, declutter first before cleaning so you can make a mess before clearing it all up. Plus it’s easier to clean when you have less stuff. If you are decluttering, please get rid of those items straight away. Check out the opening hours for your local charity shops and council recycling centres and just get the stuff out of the house.
START PLANNING FOR THE NEW YEAR
Again, this is super vague because it could mean the actual New Year celebrations or well into the new year. If you’re hosting a party, make sure you have everything you need, from food and drink to decorations, gifts and games. If you’re thinking longer-term, pencil in some dates for holidays and events. Make a note of any appointments you need to make and sort out any social plans at least for the first quarter.
ALLOW YOURSELF TO RELAX
Relaxation looks different to us all, from spending an hour in the bath to DIY. However, when January comes around, we’re back to our usual schedules and lives. This is the only time of the year when we get to chill out if we’re off work. Our holidays are usually spent travelling away somewhere so enjoy your time at home. Do your self-care routines, carve out some time for your neglected hobby, and spend some quality time with loved ones.
HIT THE RESET BUTTON
The whole New Year, New Me thing is obviously overdone but it’s okay to make those changes if you want to. They require commitment but if there’s any time to overhaul your life, now is that time. Reboot your workout routine, buy healthier food in your food shop, and set up a healthy habits tracker. If people give you stick for it, ignore them! I always go into a new year full of optimism, especially with my health and fitness, but I also give myself grace if it’s not as perfect as I had planned!
That should give you a few ideas of what to do in Crimbo Limbo. I love this time of year because it’s out with the old, in with the new. I’m a sucker for setting up for a new year, getting my planning set-up ready, and resetting my habits. However, if your idea of what to do in Crimbo Limbo is simply eat chocolate and watch TV, that’s perfectly acceptable too!
If you enjoyed this post about what to do in Crimbo Limbo, you can check out my other organisation posts here. Don’t forget to follow me on Twitter and Instagram. I hope to share more organisation stuff on there too!
