Un-Decorating

Well Christmas is over for another year and although there are still lots of festivities going on as we prepare for New Years it is time to think about putting away all our Christmas and Holiday decor. I can tell you from experience that by taking the time now to put away your decorations in an organized way, will save you lots of time and frustration come next year. As a self professed Christmas nut I have 5 trees and loads of decorations that I put up every year and subsequently need to put away. By having lots of Rubbermaid containers and labelling the boxes really well it allows me to be able to easily decorate next year.

The following are a few tips for Un-Decorating this year:
• Take the time this year to put decorations away carefully. A few extra minutes this year can save you hours next year.
• Take pictures before you un-decorate and keep them in your Christmas journal for reference next year.
• Decide on a location to store seasonal decorations, large Rubbermaid containers store lots of decorations and can be stacked to use vertical space.
• Store decorations by room/category- e.g. living room décor, living room tree; Kitchen décor, Christmas baking supplies; Christmas entertaining; Outdoor décor, Outdoor lights.
• LABEL all your boxes, the more detailed the label the better.
• Store individual light sets in plastic bags to keep them from tangling together. This works well for beads and garland as well.
• Store candles in socks or nylons to prevent scratching
• When putting tree ornaments away ensure they are carefully wrapped to prevent breakage. They can be layered in boxes with heavier ones on bottom. If they are very fragile consider storing them in the boxes they came in or invest in Christmas ornament boxes, they are little more money but will safeguard those antique ornaments of your grandmothers that are priceless.
• Store Christmas music with your seasonal stuff, I always make sure the music is on top and easy to access as it is the first thing that come out (Kenny and Dolly are always the first CD to be played while decorating).

Happy Un-Decorating and if you have any suggestions or tips that help you stay organized while Un-Deocrating please leave a comment and share with us.

Kim