Pain-Free Holiday Decorating: Get Organized!
by Joey Pebble

Description: Tips for organizing and storing your Christmas decorations after the holidays.

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At the end of the holiday season, you gather up all your decorations and put them in a big box. Perhaps you need to use several boxes to hold all of the Halloween or Thanksgiving or Christmas decorations you've accumulated through the years. You put them away with a touch of regret, remembering all the time and trouble involved in getting them out and deciding where to put them. You carry them to the attic or spare bedroom and pull out the boxes for the next season.

Where do you start? You try to remember which box held which decorations, or where you put the tree stand because it wouldn't fit back in the box with the Christmas tree. Where is that lighted piece that fit so nicely in the bay window? Sighing, you give up, resigned to opening each box, pulling out the contents, and trying to remember what wreath or wrap best fit above the mantle or on the front door. "Surely there has to be an easier way," you mumble as you sort.

There is! Before you put last season's decorations away, stop to consider where each ornament or centerpiece is at its best in your home. Develop a system for reminding yourself where each piece goes. Use a small piece of tape on the bottom, or put a colored piece of string on the item to remind you that it belongs in the living room or the family room.

Store like items together, so that you can save space and avoid crushing delicate items such as glass or porcelain. Again, be sure to label where each one goes, or you will find yourself sorting it out again next Christmas.

When you do put items away, consider in what order you prefer to decorate. Then mark the boxes 1, 2, 3, and so on, so that you will be able to get them out in the order that you prefer. For example, if you like to fill your home with holiday scented candles and music to get you in the mood while you start decorating, put these in the first box so that you can find them first.

Consider using clear plastic tubs instead of cardboard boxes. You can still write on the lids, but the clear tubs allow you to see the contents without taking everything out. Plastic is more durable too. After a few years, you'll need to find new cardboard boxes, but the plastic ones will last for many more years. These tubs are a small, but very worthwhile investment.

Think about how you like to decorate, and what else you can do to help yourself get organized. It takes a little longer to put things away the first time that you do this, but once you establish a system, it will take much less time. You may be surprised at just how easily it does go - and how much less painful decorating can be as a result of just a small amount of preparation and organization!

This article was provided by PebbleZ's unique line of decorative clocks and furnishings, and was penned by author and artist Joey Pebble.

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