Perhaps you don’t take down your Christmas tree until Twelfth Night. Or perhaps you are tired of all the red and green.   Perhaps you have boxes and bins of lights and linens, multiple Christmas trees, and way too many ornaments to store securely. The end of the holiday season may make you feel overwhelmed with holiday stuff.   Organizing Christmas decorations makes decorating that much more fun next year.

Rethink your holiday for next year by trimming down the excess this year. If you left some decorations in the box, it’s time to take that box off to donate. Top sources of Christmas clutter are that we have changed colors, our garland and greenery has become well used, and we simply don’t want to put so much out to pick up later. Start by deciding what is most important for you and then let go of the extra.

• As you are un-decorating, start grouping items together in categories. The categories can be the room the decorations are displayed in or the type of decoration it is. You can group items that go in the kitchen, living room or bedrooms. Other categories are table top decorations, linens, greenery or tree decorations. When you see your decorations in categories, they take on new meaning and new function.  Place these items as groups into boxes or bins.

 

• Many families are switching over to LED lights and want to recycle their old lights at Home Depot. Make it easy to keep your lights organized by wrapping them around newspaper or a paper towel holder.

 

• Be sure to label your boxes and bins on the top and two sides to know what is in each. Especially helpful are ornament bins to keep your ornaments from breaking.  Make it easier to store your decorations with inexpensive sturdy plastic shelving in your attic or garage.  Remember, no cardboard boxes as these attract silverfish and dust mites.

 

• Keepsake holiday decorations hold special meaning. Perhaps it’s an ornament you received as a child or from your parents home. If you keep it, be sure to take care of it. Ornament bins are a specialty item you can purchase before the holidays, but often are hard to find after. Share your keepsakes with your grown kids too. Passing these on is the true reason for keeping them.

 

• We always have those few random items that don’t get back into the boxes. Be sure to take one last trip to the attic or garage to match these up and put them away.

 

Un-decorating is the most important organizing step for your holidays. Take the team approach and have family pitch in to take down all the holiday decorations.  It’s a time to reminisce about what was most special, what foods were scrumptious and the best holiday gifts this year.