Apartment Therapy’s Holiday Cure is your 20-day guide to being comfortable, calm, and in control of a clean space during what can sometimes be a chaotic season. Sign up now (it’s free!) to get at-home holiday ideas delivered straight to your inbox

The editors of Apartment Therapy spend a lot of time predicting what resources people will need to live contented lives at home. We sit down month after month, and season after season to think about where you, the reader, are and what you’ve got on the horizon in your life in terms of hobbies, holidays, home projects, and everything in between.

But this year has thrown us all for a loop. Life is the most unpredictable thing right now.

So when the team asked me to take our tried-and-true Home Cure concept and apply it to the holidays, it was a tough task. In any other year I’d have suggested a cleaning-for-guests boot camp, but that didn’t feel right for 2020. (Guests? What are guests? And why would they care about the grime on my baseboards? Do *I* even care about the grime on my baseboards right now?)

Turns out it’s impossible to predict what people might need this season. So I just built the program that I need right now (and I hope you like it too). Apartment Therapy’s first-ever Holiday Cure is a 20-day holiday mindfulness program—with a little bit of cleaning and decorating thrown in.

If you sign up for email updates , I will send you 20 days’ worth of daily prompts to do something to make this season bright. There’s going to be a bit of cleaning and decluttering ( I’m the cleaning editor —I couldn’t not), a bit of holiday prep (like actually getting your holiday cards out on time), and a bit of good old festive fun. Whether you’re getting ready to celebrate by yourself or in a household full of family, we’re going to make sure that no movie goes unwatched, no light display goes unseen, and no seasonal candle goes unlit. If there ever was a holiday season to unashamedly revel in the festive trimmings, this one is it.

So here we go! Today is day one of the Holiday Cure. Make sure you’re signed up, and get going on the first assignment…

Day 1: Refresh and fluff up your sofa.

The Holiday Cure is all about feeling comfortable at home. And that starts with making sure you have somewhere to lounge when you’re sipping hot drinks or watching movies or doing whatever it is that makes this season cozy and calm.

Get your sofa ready for lots of lounging: Wash your throw blanket, spot-treat stains, rotate and fluff the cushions, then use a sweater shaver tool to make the fabric look like-new.

For most of you, that lounge space is probably the living room sofa. But if you’re more likely to sit back and relax on your bed, or in a chair in the basement, or a hammock on the patio—go for that spot instead!

The goal for today is just to refresh that zone. Here’s what I’d do for my sofa today:

If all you have time to do today is fluff the pillows and fold the blankets, that’s a win too! The goal of the Holiday Cure isn’t to feel overwhelmed with home chores. I just want you to feel empowered to do one thing every day to make this season the best it can be.

If you’re signed up for email updates, I will see you again tomorrow!

More Ways to Participate in the Holiday Cure:

Sign up for email updates

Visit the 2020 Holiday Cure page and catch up on assignments

Save or print your own Holiday Cure tips workbook

Download the Holiday Cure calendar

Join the Apartment Therapy Cure Facebook group