Did you know the tradition of making New Year’s resolutions dates all the way back to the ancient Babylonians? According to the History Channel website, their promises centered on repaying debts and returning borrowed objects. Commendable, indeed.
While resolutions in ancient times focused on settling up with your neighbor, now a days, New Year’s resolutions tend to focus more on self reflection and improvement of one’s self. According to Nielsen, the leading survey company, the top ten New Year’s resolutions for 2016 were:
| Stay fit and healthy | 37% |
| Lose weight | 32% |
| Enjoy life to the fullest | 28% |
| Spend less, save more | 25% |
| Spend more time with family and friends | 19% |
| Get organized | 18% |
| Will not make any resolutions | 16% |
| Learn something new/new hobby | 14% |
| Travel more | 14% |
| Read more | 12% |
Do you notice that somebody important in your life might feel left out here? That’s right, your home! While some of these resolutions may tangentially include that building that protects you from the elements, most people aren’t promising it anything special.
At Old World Stoneworks, we consider our house – especially the fireplace, naturally – as a valued place for family memories. So we like to involve our home in our resolution making. Here are a few home and hearth-centric tweaks on the above list.
Get Your Hearth Organized
Are members of your household guilty of piling stuff up around the hearth? Perhaps even fire hazards, such as old magazines and newspapers have gathered there over the past year. Time to clear that mess away. Go the extra mile by organizing your fireplace tools in a holder, and your logs in a designated box or bag. Did you know you can even get a specially made log cart so you can wheel those logs in without straining your back?
As for general household organization, January is the perfect month to prepare a survival kit for your family. Include water, canned goods, flashlight, batteries and a first aid kit. Don’t forget your can opener! A multi-tool that includes various knives and files is compact and handy.
Spend Less, Save More
Add a little chimney TLC to your New Year’s resolutions.
Prevention is cheaper than cleaning up after disasters. For around $100, a chimney inspection might prevent your house from catching fire. All it takes is one sneaky bird building its nest in your fireplace, and your house could be at risk. So resolve to get your chimney inspected ASAP.
New Year’s is also a good time to review your home insurance. The trick is to be adequately insured but not overly insured. Then your premiums will be at a happy medium.
Read More (in front of the fireplace)
Make the area in front of your fireplace as comfortable and inviting as you can. Comfortable chair? Check. Ottoman? Yup. Nearby tray for tea or snacks? Essential. Once your haven is set up, tackle your reading list, whether it’s the old classics or Spanish in 30 days.
Perfect for reading or entertaining!
Spend More Time with Family and Friends (in front of the fireplace)
You’ve probably noticed a theme here. But we’re the first to admit how crazy we are about fireplaces. And lots of people are—watch how your family and friends ooh and ahh about being entertained in front of your roaring fire. Time for an upgrade? We’re ready to help. Check out our amazing selection of mantels and together we can make your hearth the best entertainment spot in town.