As holidays wind down, it is time for us to start with the end in mind and to unwind all the holiday spirit. The days have flown by, the festivities have been fabulous and now it is time to gather everything back and put it away for the next year. The best gift you can give yourself is the gift of an organized holiday for next year.  Here are some strategies to do just that.

 

Decisions on undecorating

The biggest factor in undecorating with energy is knowing when to undecorate. It may be before school starts again, the day of a holiday or a weekend. Make this decision based on your energy level in order to do your best work.

 

Declutter now for happy holidays

If you have not used decorations for several years, it is time to regift to those who will value the decorations. Go through and edit the bins of extra decorations to slim down your collection. If you plan a major shift in themes or colors, do this now.

 

Its a wrap

It might feel easy to dump all the exterior lights in any bin and call it a day. Wrap your lights around cardboard tubes to keep them ready to use for the next week. Start with the same end, with or without prongs, to wrap. Use tissue to wrap delicate ornaments and store groups of ornaments together by theme or room. You can also find specific organizers for holiday decorations like ornament boxes and canvas tree bags. Label the bins with the name of the theme or room on two sides and top to be able to decorate next year in manageable chunks.

 

Gather together and review

Gather your family and do a holiday review.  At the family meeting set an agenda that includes reviewing all the holiday events, calendar and more. What were the highlights to repeat next year? What added more stress but not more joy? Create a holiday notebook of hits and misses. In the notebook, either digital or paper, write your lists that works, foods that were fabulous and events most notable. This will help you more than you can imagine next year.

 

Incorporate gifts into your home

The holidays have been busy and now your gifts are sitting on the floor, waiting to have a home. Take time to incorporate these gifts into their existing spaces. Gifts belong back into closets, bath areas, or toy rooms. The next steps include consolidating and editing items that have been a long time part of your family or new gifts.

 

Starting with the end in mind and the beginning of next holiday season will be a wonderful finish to the holiday season.