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Kelly Johnson is the owner of Organized Interiors LLC. She was featured on Episode 53: Organization Should Be An Official Love Language. Jill invited Kelly to be the official organizing guru for Jill Devine Media and she accepted.

Here's her first blog post for you:

The holiday season can feel overwhelming, so I wanted to share some tips to help you as you prepare your home for the holidays.

1. Purge

I mean this in two ways: The first is to purge items in your home such as clothing, accessories, and toys to create space for gifts you may receive during the season. Take time to go through your closet and make the decision to donate items you have not worn in the past year. It always feels good to let go of items that are no longer serving a purpose and instead, are just taking up space in your closet. Parents - have a discussion with your children about making decisions to donate toys that they no longer play with. If there are some questionable items, consider placing them in the garage or basement for a couple of days or weeks before donating.

The other way to purge around this time is to go through the holiday decorations that you've had in storage and make the decision to donate the items that no longer bring joy to you and your family. If the decorations are not being displayed in your home this year, chances are, you will not use them next year or any of the following years. There is no sense in taking up storage space to store these items that will never be used. If you come across items that are family heirlooms, consider placing them in a storage container for keepsake items.

2. Decide on a Theme

Having a theme in mind while decorating for the holidays creates a uniform look throughout your home. Also, if you have a theme in mind, it can guide you as you shop for new decorations. Before you run out to buy all the cute decorations at Target or Home Goods, be sure you look at what you have first. As I mentioned earlier, this is a great time to go through your holiday decorations and let go of items you no longer use. If you decide you need a couple more decorations, stick to the theme and decide on a reasonable budget.

3. Prepare Your Entertaining Items and Pantry

This year will likely look a little different in terms of entertaining, but even if you are just hosting for your immediate family, you can still make it fancy! Preparing your entertainment items and pantry and making sure you have everything you need in advance is key!

Now is a great time to go through your entertaining items, toss or donate unwanted items and put away everything else in an organized fashion. This will make it easy to see what you have and do some shopping ahead of time if needed.

It's also time for a pantry refresh! I recommend going through your pantry and tossing all expired items. This will make room for all your delicious holiday favorites! Adding some organizing products like bins, baskets and canisters often save space and creates a fresh look! I always suggest adding labels so that everyone at home knows what goes where!

I hope you enjoyed these simple tips and I wish you all a very happy holiday season!

Kelly Johnson is the owner of Organized Interiors LLC. After spending most of her career in legal recruiting, she decided to switch paths and focus on her passion, which led her to starting her professional organizing business. Kelly’s business, Organized Interiors LLC, offers home organization, move management, home styling and personal assistant services. You can call Kelly at 314-608-0113 or email: kelly@organizedinteriorsstl.com.

Kelly and her husband, Ryan live in University City with their daughter, Carly. She is an animal lover and enjoys reality TV and traveling.