My mom moved in six months ago. We redid a living room for har so she could bring some of her furniture. The problem is she still has some boxes that she will not let me touch and unpack. She just wants them to sit in one spot and not be touched. I'm getting ready for Christmas and the boxes have to go . They are a pain to move when cleaning. Do I just move it? I tried that one day and she started screaming and crying hesterically. Her decision making is not there so she doesn't know what she wants to do.
Glad to hear you were able to resolve the boxes issue. Good luck to you.
How big are these boxes? Maybe if you stacked them up and threw a tablecloth over them you could set some ornaments on top and make them useful instead of an eyesore.
I am glad though that I chose rooms which weren't in regular use. Still, the rapidity of the change left me reeling. To this day I can't remember what was there and if it legitimately should have been discarded.
I had a great contractor, understanding, sympathetic and very responsive. He even warned me this could be traumatic. And it was.
OnlyaCaregiver, I would cherish your mother's mental health at this time more than the Christmas decorations, and as 97YearOldMom says, decorate around it, making the boxes into presents as Dustien suggests.
Something a friend did for my father was very, very helpful. As he packed up things in boxes "for storage", he inventoried everything, printed out a list and taped it to each box. As Dad witnessed this process, he remembers where specific things are in specific boxes. And there's no sense of loss as there was with the more radical cleaning I hired to be done.
You have a challenge in what to do with these boxes. I can easily see a nice Christmas display, with a small tree, manger, and the storage boxes wrapped in lovely holiday paper. Make it a centerpiece of your holiday decorations.
Please let us know how you decide to handle this situation and how it works out. Decluttering is something many of us face, including for ourselves!
Going forward, I'm changing my approach completely. One section at a time, one small box to be packed at a time, all with soothing music in the background and stopped immediately if either of us become confused or stressed.
Let us know how you handle the boxes. Remember to breathe and find some joy in the season.
However, we have always entertained in the living room and placed our Christmas tree in there. Well, now it's Mom's room, so we will entertain in the family room. We have made a number of adjustments already, and will continue to do so as long as she is able to live here with us. I don't know that any of us knew exactly how all this was going to impact us.
Your Mom may have diminished decision making skills, but she still possess feelings apparently. If I were you, I would just try to work around her boxes. She has given up a lot, and the boxes represent something to her that we can't fully understand. Hopefully, you can find an approach to your dilemma that will make everyone happy. Good Luck!
If it's too upsetting for her, maybe you can just throw some Christmas fabric over the boxes, set an artificial tree on it, and make it a Christmas decoration. Wrap up some small boxes and put them under the tree to create a holiday scene.