When it’s time to pack away the deocrations…

You’ll want to read this is a very helpful post from Frappuccino Fun with Amy from last year. She is so organized. Whether you pack up your tree and Christmas decorations now or later, if you do it the way she suggests, I guarantee you’ll be thankful 11 months from now! 😉 We packed ours up yesterday – earlier than we ever have in the past, but the only day everyone could be home to work on it. The house always looks empty with the tree & decorations down. But -‘m looking forward to living in our house as it will be… Normal…because 4 days after we finished unpacking, we decorated for Christmas. Once school starts back, I’ll finally feel like we are living a “normal” life here. Yea for Normal! 😉

But I digress… Here is Amy’s post. Hope you find it as helpful as I did. And may The Lord bless the last days of this year for you & your family. Much love to you~

Jennifer

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Can you believe the holidays come and go so quickly? For years, I looked around my home on December 27th and thought, “Where do I put all of this stuff?” The same things I enjoyed so much for the last month became a source of aggravation. Dread filled my body as I gazed at all of my beautiful decorations and trees. Dread, that is, until I discovered 4 organizational ideas that have changed the way I think about “what to do with all of this stuff”!

1. Pack up Room by Room.

In my younger (and dumber days), I would have rushed to stuff as many items in a box as I could. Yes… Christmas decor would get thrown in the attic in the quickest and easiest way possible, and I would forget about it for the next 11 months.

Then around November 25, I would always regret the mess and disorganization I was about to face. Items would be broken and there was no rhyme or reason as to where anything was.

It is so easy to have a “I’ll deal with it latter” attitude when it comes to storing decor. But…DON’T DO IT THAT WAY!

A few years ago, Richard (my wonderful husband who always helps put up and put away Christmas decor) and I decided to take the time to pack away our decorations room by room. This has revolutionized our decorating process. Now, as Christmas boxes come from the attic, they go straight to the room in which they belong.

2. Note to Self.

I also write myself little notes and pack them away with the decorations. You may think you will remember where something goes, or what needs to be repaired next year, but chances are… you won’t.

3. The Holiday Notebook.

My newest addition to Holiday Organization is a “Holiday Notebook.” This is an idea that I have seen succeed for my mom. Each year she has an After Christmas Open House. One year I was helping her prepare and she got out a little notebook where she had listed her menu for the party and commented on the success or failure of each food. I laughed when I read her notes – she sounded like a restaurant critic! But I realized that she had a great idea!

I have a composition book where I can write lists and comments about parties, gifts given, and decor. For example… “Cookie Swap was too late in December. Schedule it earlier.” Or “Buy new Christmas sprinkles.”, etc.

4. Use Your Pictures to Help You Next Year.

My mother-in-law lives with us, and is a scrapbooker and the family photographer. While we’re decorating the house for Christmas, she pulls out her scrapbooks and I look at all of the beautiful pictures of our last Christmas. What a motivator to get going!

I examine the placement and decor – because sometimes I can’t remember how the garland was hung, or where a certain item should be placed. Pictures jog your memory, so make sure you take ’em and save ’em. (I also use pictures for decorating for fall, 4th of July, etc!)

Taking a little extra time and organizing things with the future in mind will change your life! I’m a true believer that stress levels decrease with order!

Have a happy, organized new year! TTFN…
Amy