Holiday Organization Made Easy

When it comes to Christmas decorations it’s always a fun family affair putting up all the lights, ornaments, wreaths and garlands. When it comes time to putting all of these things away it’s never easy. Forget the fact that it’s always depressing to symbolically pack up the holiday season, putting away your Christmas décor can make you want to stuff everything in one box and chuck it into the garage. Here are a few tips that will have you thanking yourself this time next year.

Wrap – Ornaments are fun to collect and hang on the tree each holiday season. One great way to keep them safe is by wrapping them in a little wrapping paper. Save your left over wrapping paper so that whenever you decide to take the tree down you have some for safe packing. Avoid using newspaper as a packing material because newspaper tends to smear black ink on everything and could easily ruin your prized collection.

Wind – Christmas lights: You ball them up as carefully as possible put them in a bag and hope for the best when you have to pull them out again. Not anymore! This year, save a box or two and cut the sides into capital “I” shapes. Wind your lights around the body of the “I” this way there is no chance of tangling. The ends of the “I” will keep the lights from sliding off. Voila, there you go, no more tangled lights. There are products you can purchase that will help you wind up your lights but this version works just the same but it’s free and you’re up-cycling, it’s a twofer!

Bag – A great way to keep your wreaths in their most festive state is to put them in a bag. Choose a bag that is a good fit for your wreath whether it’s a jumbo sized plastic shopping bag or big black garbage bag make sure your wreath isn’t squished. Tie the bag tightly and then hang the bag somewhere in your garage (preferably near the rest of your holiday stuff). The bag will prevent the buildup of dust and dirt on your wreath saving you extra work when you have to unpack everything next year hanging the wreath minimizes the chance of it getting crushed under other boxes or storage items.

Label – Label all of your boxes in detail. Don’t just write Christmas on the side, write ornaments and lights. If one box only contains your outdoor lights make sure you label it outdoor lights. You will stress less next year when you don’t have to look through every box to find the outdoor decorations, or whatever it is you’re looking for, if you pack up this year with a little bit of foresight.

The holiday season is a magical one and no one likes to see it end, but when it’s time to pack up your tree and all the trimmings, a little bit of planning and recycling can make packing up everything easier this year and unpacking even easier next year.