Organize to be Merry and Bright

We often think of the holidays as a time where traditions are honored.  Many of us will be celebrating a much different type of holiday this year but even in ‘normal’ times, traditions do evolve. The way we decorate for the holidays will change over time so make sure your holiday stuff is in balance with how you celebrate now.  Without editing, the stuff that goes hand-in-hand with the holidays can grow to an overwhelming level. A little extra time spent organizing and editing at the beginning of the season can pay off for years to come.

Redecorate your Decorations

Have you redecorated or moved? The decorations that were amazing in the dining room 10 years ago may not look as amazing after the dining room has been repainted and items that worked in the old house may not fit the new house. Don’t be haunted by the decorations of Christmases past!  Keep an empty box for donations handy as you unpack and identify these items. The items that are a ‘NO’ will be ready to ‘GO’.  Afterall, the best time to donate holiday decorations is at the beginning of the holiday season, not after. And, as a bonus, you will love having less to pack and store at the end of the season!

Improve the Storage you Have

Large bins are great for stacking and protecting items while stored.  However, if things go into the bins as a big pile it can be really hard to know what you have on hand. Delicate items seem to always migrate to the bottom and get crushed.  Use gift bags you’ve saved from last year, ziplocs and small bins inside large bins to create organization you can see when you open the bin.  One client recently expressed how frustrating it was to wrap gifts. She had everything on hand that she needed, including some older shopping and gift bags that were great quality but a little too rumpled to be used for gifts.  I used these bags to organize her supplies.  I stood up smaller gift bags inside one large gift bag, added all the bows to another gift bag. Tissue paper and cards went into their own bags. I placed all the bags, standing upright, in a bin she already had.  Now, when she takes the top off the bin, she can see everything she has, neatly divided into categories. Just by standing up those bags within a larger bin, we gave her the organization she craved by using what she had on hand.

Transition Decor Easier

We all have items in our homes that are holiday themed -- hand towels, cookie cutters, servingware and pillows.  The best way to enjoy those items is to improve how you transition them as the seasons change. If they are mixed in with other things and stored in out of the way places, we tend to forget we have them. The worst time to find the snowflake-theme towels is when you are pulling out the summer decor.  Give holiday themed decor a home - buffets and high kitchen cabinets are ideal for these items.  Go one step further and containerize and label those items so all seasonal things will stay visible and separate!

Pack to Unpack

When I’m coordinating a move for a client, I always tell them we ‘pack to make it easy to unpack’. This principle works great for holiday decorations, too.  After all, schlepping everything out of the basement/attic and then putting everything away can feel like a mini-move! So, before you take everything down, take a moment to think how to store things to make next year’s unpacking easier. Take pictures of decor and outdoor lighting before you take everything down.  Pack by room, for example, pack all the dining room or mantel decor together and label that box with the location.  Next year, it will be easier to decorate the dining room or mantel. Pack the tree extension cord with the tree. Label before you dismantle, especially the outdoor lighting that you’ve worked so hard to get just right. 

Document the Memories

My favorite items in my holiday collections are the ones that have come down to me from my grandparents or were special gifts. I’m sure my kids have heard those stories (more than once), but from my own work as a professional organizer I know how important it is to document those special memories. For those of us with grown children, it’s a deeply meaningful gift to add documentation to our holiday collections.  You may have told the kids that the nativity scene you put up every year was given to you by your grandmother for your first Christmas as a married couple, but it’s a lovely idea to jot down those recollections and details as a note or label that will be stored with the nativity scene for generations to come. 

I hope these ideas give you inspiration and cheer this season. Have yourself a merry (& organized) Christmas and a happy (& organized) New Year!