I was looking around my kitchen to see what I could do to make it sparkle a bit more, knowing we had another dinner party coming up. I had already put a lot of miscellaneous stuff away, canning jars that needed to go out into the garage, white platters that belonged in their own spaces, and then my eyes met the messy fridge.
I knew I had to clean it off!
So all the Christmas pictures came down.
I used Windex to make the front shine!
And then I realized having a clean fridge front actually made my kitchen feel larger.
I always put pictures on my fridge after Christmas. And we enjoy our friends for a few months. But then they start to feel cluttered (sorry, friends!) and it’s time to put them away.
When’s the last time you’ve cleaned off the front of your fridge? Do you like the fresher feel?
And tell me what you do with all the wonderful Christmas pictures that you get in the mail every year?
Hi, I'm Sandy. Five years ago I stocked up on beautiful glasses from the Dollar Store. As I started writing about dinner parties, I realized that this “icon” portrays a great message. 
I do that same thing! But mine is friends and the kids’ drawings. But I don’t throw away, I file away, in my desk. I have a folder for both boys. I love it when my fridge looks uncluttered!!
HUGS!
.-= Kim @ Homesteader’s Heart´s last blog ..Coconut Flour Giveaway! This stuff is GOOD! =-.
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I leave a few photos on the fridge along with a responsive reading selection from church in 2000 (God will make a way…). It serves as a good reminder and I like to look at it each day.
For years, I saved each year’s worth of Christmas photos in a large ziploc with the year on it. Recently, I weeded through each bag and saved the very special ones and got rid of the rest. This is my new plan while on a quest to simplify.
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I’m not a frig-clutter person. I like it clean!
.-= betsy´s last blog ..Wind =-.
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I think I’m in need of a good fridge de-clutter! Thanks for the reminder!
.-= LoveFeast Table´s last blog ..Tickled Pink Tropical “Iced Tea” =-.
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Great post! When my children were little my frig was packed with pictures, shedules etc. Now it is clean.
I love getting those Christmas cards. If they are family members or extra loved friends I cut out the picture and put them in a little frame. I keep them in a grouping in my living room. When someone comes to visit for an overnight and I have their Christmas card picture I move the frame to their guest bedroom. They seem to love the gesture.
Yvonne
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Think I need to do that soon! Not sure where to put my macaroni heart from Mothers Day though…..
.-= Janice´s last blog ..Sugar & Spice =-.
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Awwww! But I love having my friends on my fridge!!!
Okay, I know you’re probably right. De-cluttering the outside of my fridge would make my tiny kitchen look a lot bigger! But what should I do with those pictures??
.-= Mary @ Giving Up on Perfect´s last blog ..Giveaway: The Pioneer Woman Cookbook =-.
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Laughing about this a little. I’ve never liked stuff all on the fridge. I’m an anti-clutter kind of girl. Over the years, I’ve struggled with it because it always felt like my kids things should be there…but it just made me uncomfortable. I always put things there for a few days then take them down. We have lots of pictures around the house and framed artwork from when the kids were little.
.-= Stacey´s last blog ..It’s Time! =-.
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Our fridge here has wooden cupboard doors that aren’t magnetic, so it stays clean (hooray!). I put the Christmas cards in a basket during the holidays and keep a few to put on the fridge, but throw the rest away. I know that sounds horrible- I’m just not a pack rat and I can’t stand clutter. I would like to get a fancier cork board that I can put up in the kitchen that I can put them on so I can pray when I see the faces.
.-= Tara G.´s last blog ..Oh. My. Word. =-.
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I’d love ideas on what to do with those pictures! I just shove them in a drawer after Christmas because I feel just so bad about tossing them. Most of the pictures are posed anyway, I prefer candid shots of my loved ones when I display pictures, it makes the person behind the face stand out!
~Kelli @ Smidgens
.-= Kelli´s last blog ..Garage Sale Season! =-.
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I put all of the photo cards we receive at Christmas in a “red” photo album and label the pages with the year. I only bring it out at Christmas time and put it on the coffee table–we all love looking back at how everyone has changed throughout the years. I also include the photo card of our family which is very fun for the kids to look back on. My oldest is 20 so we have 20 years worth now–very fun!
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Way too many to put on the fridge, but a nice glass bowl on the coffee table with all of them in it gives everyone a chance to go through them all and it’s actually a pretty centerpiece and conversation starter. Hugs, Marty
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I don’t usually keep pictures on the fridge but I love postcards and when I get them they end up on the fridge. You are right tho, it looks better bare.
Darla
.-= Darla´s last blog ..Garden Oddities =-.
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One day I will have a clean fridge, but for now, there are the kids’ class pictures along with some sport pics along with some artwork, sports ribbons, and one daughter’s name writting in Japanese. Too priceless to put away right now.
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Looks great!
That’s one tip I’ve given for years, is to keep the front of the fridge completely clear. It instantly makes your kitchen look cleaner and bigger! A few chosen pics on the side of the fridge are ok though.
We usually have a little corkboard we put special Christmas photos on & keep them on till the next year.
.-= Stacey @ The Blessed Nest´s last blog ..The Queen of Too Many Projects at Once =-.
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I’ve always filed those Christmas pictures into photo albums, even if I had to fold the name part back.
I have considered making one for each family and keeping them in order. I think it would make an interesting gift for the kids when those family photos stop coming in many years. Thoughtful is good, but tracking this project for so many years may be too much to handle.
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I have a policy that the front of the fridge stays empty. Which is (mostly) followed (when I break out the cattle prod.)
But as the sides of our fridge are exposed, I let one side house photos and collages and things we want to keep track of. But I have to do a culling every few months.
PIZZA COUPONS EXPIRE, YOU KNOW! Is something I shout at my family on a regular basis.
Not that it matters one bit, but I still shout. ; )
.-= Lori @ In Pursuit of Martha Points´s last blog ..I’ll take my points to go, please. =-.
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I don’t stick anything on my fridge… I can’t take the “clutter” look. My pantry has double doors that open outward so I use the inside of those doors to post things – my whiteboard, calendar, hooks with my aprons, etc. Christmas pictures are taped to another door in our house under a wreath. When the Christmas decor comes down, so do they. BUT, I put them in an accessable, small basket that I can reach for througout the year. (I also keep the Christmas cards and holiday letters we receive in there, too.) I throw away the previous year as I add to the basket.
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I have to admit, except for recently posting my daughters college acceptance letters on our fridge, mine is always clean and uncluttered. Whenever I get a great Christmas photo I want to keep or a particular card or thank you note I stick them in a random book in my library. I love opening a book and finding a reminder of a good friend or a special time.
Happy Monday!
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I cut the greeting part off the pictures and just have the picture of the couple and put it into an album every year. So, we now have an album of pictures from our friends throughout the year.
.-= Andrea Worley´s last blog ..iHeart: Magazines =-.
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I love a cleaned off fridge-it’s such a nice peaceful thing in the kitchen! Ours usually gets cluttered with the kid’s drawings and art, which they place up themselves-so I go through and edit things out often. As for the Christmas pictures-we usually crop them smaller and stick them into our scrapbook, it’s a fun way to reminiscence and all our favorite people are still easy to get to!
.-= Gina´s last blog ..Inspired by Flowers on the Front Porch =-.
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Is your fridge stainless? Must not be since photos stick….and you use Windex. Just curious
.-= Jill´s last blog ..Helloooooo Out There! =-.
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my fridge is stainless, which is a good thing because i don’t have to declutter it anymore.
i pack all the christmas cards & photos in with the christmas decorations & they are the first thing i go through the following year when it’s time to decorate. then, i usually cut up some of the cards for tags & save a few of the photos & pitch the rest.
(i love going to friends houses & looking at the photos on their refrigerators, though. you get a special glimpse of their lives that way. )
.-= randee´s last blog ..life IS good =-.
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I should probably take a few things off of our fridge. I do like a clean look:)
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I either put our pictures on the fridge or in a basket with my other cards. I’ll leave them up for a little while and then take them down. Sometimes I save them for a few months in a box or drawer to be pulled out and thought about or prayed for for. Eventually they find their way to the circular file.
I do have a friend who scrapbooks hers and she showed me her book one day. It was sorta neat to see how families had changed over the years. And I asked myself…why don’t I think of these things?
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Yes!!! I am in complete agreement! I admit, there was a time when I thought a fridge full of photos was quite charming. However, I have since gotten over that.
.-= Holly´s last blog ..Tuesday Tip – Let the Outside In! =-.
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I try to keep it cleaned off or to a minimum year round. It really changes the look of the kitchen with it cleared off and makes my life feel less cluttered if that is possible! Right now my Compassion child has sent a fabulous drawing so we are highlighting that for a bit on the fridge!
.-= Mary Jean Taylor´s last blog ..Be Still Mondays =-.
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I put special pictures, papers, and schedules on the inside of cabinet doors. They are there to greet me when I open the door, but when the door is closed my kitchen is all sparkly.
.-= Annie @ astonesthrowfrominsanity´s last blog ..A Fowl Day =-.
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Report cards, coupons, pictures of my kids, a couple of magnets…all but 2 pictures need to be cleared out.
.-= Melanie Dorsey´s last blog ..MY DESK ~ It’s Under There SOMEwhere =-.
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We place the photos in a basket on the dining table. Each night we pull one out and include the person or family in our pre-meal prayer. It keeps them on our mind and in our prayers.
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I hung two ribbons in my kitchen and use double sided s-shape paper clips to hang pictures and announcements I receive throughout the year. Towards the end of January, I modify the arrangement by cutting off the “Merry Christmas” and other words around the photos and label them on the back with the year. This way I can enjoy their pictures and not feel like I’m out of season.
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Since I got stainless a few years ago, I now keep my fridge completely clean, no pictures or magnets anymore.
After the new year, each week I like to pick one Christmas picture and pray for that family all week long. If I have time, I also like to send the family a note telling them that I’ve been praying for them that week. I just keep doing this each week until I’ve gone through all of the Christmas pictures that we received that Christmas.
.-= Linda´s last blog ..Is It Monday Already!? =-.
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I have to have some photos on the refrigerator! Some of them are too funny and absolutely priceless to take down. But after Christmas I do a clean up. I take down old pics and put up the new ones. If a family member sent a family portrait Christmas card I will put those in a frame and put them on a shelf.
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Mine is covered in photos, tests from school and artwork. I try my best to keep it cleaned off but the monkeys appreciate that their accomplishments go front and center. I do need to create a separate place for the monkeys work, that way my fridge looks sparkly and they still get to take center stage
.-= Tickled Red´s last blog ..Brunch by the Beach. =-.
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I do this every once in a while too.. but the
Christmas pics and cards I put in a basket and go through them once a week to pick a new family- to have special prayers said for them that week. Whatever they are needing help in I ask God to help them.
.-= AnneMarieZ´s last blog ..breathe.love.pray. =-.
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I used to have my entire fridge covered in pictures and friends loved seeing them. Now it is all cleaned off and uncluttered. BUT, I have a feeling that next year it will have pics again as my daughter is getting married in Sept. and I won’t be able to resist putting some pics there to look at everyday!!!! XO, Pinky
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Okay I’m jumping in here a day late to say that after displaying Christmas pictures throughout the season I take a long, pretty ribbon and tie them up with a bow, and put them in a box. Every new Christmas season the kids look through them, see their cousins and friends when they were little and enjoy the photos so much. I’m so glad I started saving them the first year we sent one out – the year we ourselves became parents.
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I always put the Christmas pictures on the frig – until stainless – now they go on the pantry door. But as much as I love them in December, I love taking them down in January for a fresh “clean” look. I bought an album a few years ago and always place the photos in there. Nothing fancy – just Christmas paper and the photos. But it is fun to see the changes over 30+ years. {I am slowly going through old cards that were in boxes or whatever and adding them to the album.} This album sits on my coffee table during the holidays and we all enjoy looking at it. I ordered the album online and had Christmas through the years embossed on the cover. Each year begins with a picture of our family card and if I find some stray pictures of Christmas celebrations I add those to the appropriate year. It has turned out to be a very special book of memories for our family.
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When I clean, the fridge clutter is the first thing I look at. I, however, have created a monster! My girls feel slighted if their latest good grade paper is not posted. It is a rotating gallery. I need a bulletin board! For photo we have used a flip book and place it on a shelf to flip over to the next one on a regular basis. It can also be used as a reminder to pray for the special friends.
Got to go…clean it off!
Linda @bushel and a pickle
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This last Christmas I hit on an idea because I had an empty 8by10 photo frame lying around. I put the picture cards in it and set it up on display on my breakfast bar. It protected them from damage and also framed them, making them seem more beautiful. I overlapped some edges so about 4 fited nicely. Then when it was time I took them out and put them away. Usually I keep all Christmas cards in a stack tied with a string along with envelopes so I have any addresses if I missed recording changes to my book. I’ve sometimes used old cards for craft projects and because I have several years stored all together in one box this makes it easy to find. One of the best crafts was cutting off the front and making a square then folding them into a 3d box and hanging them on the Christmas tree. Was pretty!
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