Holiday Decorating Tip: Pack it Up!

This past weekend we put up our Christmas decor. I think this year is the earliest I've ever had the tree and all the decorations up! Many thanks to my husband for leading the cause. He was ready to hang lights, put up the tree and do it all. I was along for the ride and happy that he had the motivation and muscle to get it done. As we were decorating, I was reminded to share with our readers how important it is to remember that when putting out all of your Holiday decorations, it's good to put away your every day knickknacks. So…when you've emptied a Holiday box, you need to then fill it with what was out, and put it back in your storage area. This way you avoid over-cluttering your space, because during the Holidays chaos can lurk in every corner.

Organize your holiday cards and enjoy them for years to Come

What do you do with all of those terrific family Christmas cards you receive each year? Do you pile them on your desk so they just add to the chaos? Do you toss them, or do you have some type of organized system to store them? I love photos and enjoy seeing the terrific pictures people send during the holidays, so I thought I'd share with you the system that I use.

During the season, I display the photo cards somewhere in my home, either hanging on the wall or in a basket so people can look through them. Once the decorations come down, I put the cards away, although sometimes I do keep them out a bit longer for the trailers. Some people send New Year cards, I even have one friend who sends out her annual family photo over Ground Hog Day so she doesn't' feel like she has to rush around about it during the holidays!
Once they do get packed up, I save only the photo cards. General cards without photos get donated to St.Jude's Ranch Recycled Card Program. I take one folded card, with the year clearly displayed on the front, and place all the photo cards inside. Then I put them an archival photo box like the one in this picture from Organize.com.

I've been using this system for 15+ years now and I have four boxes full of cards! I keep the boxes with my Christmas decorations, during the holidays I place them out on a shelf below my coffee table. My family loves to look through the cards from years past and see how families have changed and how kids have grown. This is an easy and inexpensive way to keep all of the cards organized. However you decide to keep, donate, or toss the holiday cards you receive, remember, if you have a system for dealing with them, they won't cause clutter at your desk or around the house!

Time to Put Away the Holiday Decorations

If you take the time now to put Holiday decorations away properly, you'll appreciate it next year when you have to pull it all the out again. Before you start, take photos of your decor so you can remember exactly what you did this year--if you liked it of course! Also, don't hang on to grandmothers old rusty reindeer, pitch what your not putting out. Weed through holiday decorations just like anything else…if you keep too much, you can't find what's really important. Here are a few items I especially like for storing holiday decor…

Theses boxes from Grandinroad are made from a nice sturdy canvas and also have a label on the front. Added benefit--when they're empty, they fold right up. Although the many ornament storage boxes you see out there are nice, I prefer to store ornaments in a box without the dividers. The dividers can limit your available space in the box, especially if you have ornaments of many different sizes. I suggest you wrap the ornaments in foam wrap rather than tissue, it lasts longer as you reuse it from year to year.

If you have an artificial tree, try storing in these tree storage bags from Target. Using a large box takes up tons of space and can be much harder to pull in and out. Tree storage bags are lightweight, have handles and zip up nicely to keep dust away.

Happy packing. As always, if you need help our organizers are the Holiday Pack-Up Pros!

How Bad Would it be to Give a Regift?

There has always been a curse associated with re-gifting. At Chaos To Order, we see clients who have shelves of lovely unused gifts causing clutter in their closets. Now is the time to really think about the use of these items. Is there someone on your list who would enjoy that candle you're allergic to? Take a good look at the unused gifts you have lying around causing clutter in your house. Next, look at your list and see if you can match anything up. Use the holiday season to gift away what you can, but don't cross the line and gift something that you don't consider worthwhile for the recipient. Here are a few things to keep in mind if you do decide to regift an item:

• Don't regift used or worn items.
• Do make sure it's something that you believe the receiver would enjoy and appreciate.
• Be honest. Consider letting the receiver know that it was a gift given to you and you are not going to use it.
  

Why not give the idea of proper re-gifting another chance. It can certainly help to clear the clutter!

Making a List and Checking it Twice

The Holi-daze are in full swing, and this time of year more than ever, working off of a list is a must. We have card lists, gift lists, invitation lists, and to-do lists that seem never ending. So how do we manage all of these lists and what's the best solution?

Try as I may to keep lists on the computer or phone, there's something about that paper list! A mini spiral memo book works great as a continuous to-do list. You can also keep track of past items here by simply checking them off the list. Avoid using sticky notes; they fall off and are a constant source of clutter.

I do recommend keeping shopping/gift lists on your cell phone. I use an iPhone and notes or the free application called To-Do's to keep a detailed list of what I plan to give each person on the list. When the item has been purchased, I put an x next to it to remind myself not to buy it again.

My best list-making time is early in the morning, late at night, or in the middle of the night (this is when I prefer to use my phone as a flashlight rather than a list-maker). When the day begins, I take the list and prioritize, sometimes rewriting it onto the computer or phone, but more often than not, I have that paper to-do list in my pocket.

As you can see, I remember nothing without my lists! It doesn't matter what type you keep, just that you do keep track of what needs to get done, what your going to give, who your going to invite, etc... The more you rely on your lists, the less you'll have to remember on your own!