Best Results Organizing

Dear Readers:

Faithful fans of Paper Doll know that as much as I love organizing paper, I try to recognize that sometimes you just have to open yourself to the whimsical notion that organizing for function isn’t always the only way to go.  For example, you may recall that right in the middle of our series on solving book clutter (here and here),  I talked about fabulous, if not functional ways to organize books.  Well, the holidays bring a vivid example:

Yes, the book “tree” is lovely (though bibliophiles are surely blanching at the structural damage being done to the spines and pages). But what’s truly adorable about this Christmas Book-Tree is the video of the two little children who brought it to fruition.  (Click to watch the video and then check out the blog.  It’s OK. I’ll wait.)  I’m not sure whether these tykes are Dutch blogger/designer Frank Visser’s own progeny, but their obvious delight in creation reminds us of the child in all of us and that sometimes, stepping away from organization and structure can open us to new possibilities.

There’s no paper, but we do have what appear to be paper clips, in the Hanukkah celebration on Terry Border’s amazing Bent Objects blog.  For the uninitiated, those dreidel-spinning gamblers are latkes, or delicious, golden potato pancakes. The coins are called gelt and don’t let them melt–they’re chocolate!

So, let the holidays of this remarkable year end with enchantment, not stress.  Get down on the floor and color (outside the lines) and make a Kwanzaa kinara with your kids out of cardboard and tissue paper.  

Whether you celebrate Hanukkah, Christmas, Kwanzaa or some combination thereof, please take time to enjoy your families and friends.  Tuck away the reusable wrapping paper if you can, update your address book via Christmas card return-address labels if you are able, but give yourself a Get Out of Clutter Jail Free card.  Don’t stress about filing away the manuals for the new gadgets, tossing the holiday cards or getting to that backlog of catalogs and holiday-themed magazines and recipes.  There will be time enough for that, later on.  Organizing is about making your space, time and thoughts work well for you.  So declutter any errant thoughts that keep you from enjoying this time of year, and let the rosy glow of Rudolph’s nose soften your focus on your surroundings. Just enjoy.