Ho Ho … How to Organize and Store Your Holiday Decorations!

These simple tips from the National Association of Professional Organizers in Michigan will help you organize and store your holiday decorations.

Items you will need to help you organize:

Large Containers

Preferably the strong, stackable, plastic type with a lid. They come in an assortment of sizes and colors. Cardboard boxes won’t stand the test of time.

It is recommended that you separate your indoor decorations from your outdoor decorations in different bins.  This will make decorating each area much easier.

If you select the clear (see-through style) bins, you will be able to see what’s inside. Otherwise, if you prefer to use colored bins to differentiate the holiday decorations (indoor/outdoor, etc.), simply label the outside of the container

Have a container for each room of your home that you decorate. This system will make it much easier to       locate those special items dedicated to a certain area, such as train sets or holiday villages. 

Ornament Keeper / Ornament Storage Box

These items can be purchased from many local hardware and home décor stores where organizing products are sold.  They come in a variety of sizes and shapes and will help you safely store up to 72 ornaments in bin.

Just be sure to mark them FRAGILE and put these bins on top of the stack so the ornaments don’t get crushed. 

Cardboard Tubes 

Save your empty wrapping paper tubes or paper towel tubes for storing your tree lights. Simply put a slit in one end of the tube to secure the end of the string of lights and then begin to gently wrap them around the tube to keep them from getting tangled. This is also a good time to inspect the lights and determine if they need to be replaced with a new set. Some light sets suggest replacement after 90 days use (or equal to approximately 3 holidays).

Plastic Bags

Once the tree lights have been wound on the cardboard tubes, place them in a plastic bag to protect them.

Commercial wreath storage bags can be purchased to store wreaths. The bags will help keep the shape of the wreath if stored properly. 

Other helpful hints:

Wrapping paper should be stored in a box (with scissors, tape, gift tags and ribbon) in a closet or under a bed. This way you will have everything together and it will be protected from being tattered, dusty or even moldy – depending where you may have stored it.  

This is also the best time to inspect your decorations. If they are discolored, chipped or broken, it is time to repair or toss them. Watch for post-holiday sales when items are deeply discounted to purchase the replacements to your holiday decorations.

Organizing your holiday decorations is easier than you think! 

 

For more organizing tips, visit NAPOMichigan.com. 

Article submitted by Chapter member Marilyn Sclafani. Founder of Organize-Pro.com

 

Organizing your Valentine’s Day!

When you think of the month of February, romance, flowers, and chocolates come to mind. The National Association of Professional Organizers in Michigan wants to help you plan a memorable evening for your special valentine.

Make the Holidays Stress Free

The holiday season is upon us! While this can be a joyous time of year, it is also a busy and stressful time. The preparations alone can be over-whelming from gift buying, decorating, holiday get-togethers, entertaining and many others. The National Association of Professional Organizers in Michigan offers these suggestions to help you have an enjoyable and stress free holiday season.

1. Create a Holiday Planner. No need to reinvent the wheel every holiday season. Take some time initially to create a holiday planner (either manual or electronic) to organize and document all of your holiday activities and then reap the benefits for years to follow. Set up the planner by categories that represent the activities that are important to you. Some categories are:

Gift Giving Season

It is the gift giving time of year. These simple tips from the National Association of Professional Organizers in Michigan will help your family get and stay organized as you give and receive during this season.

1. Create a central location to store gifts so that you’ll always know what you have on hand. It is okay to have 1 bin of gifts to keep in the house for special last minute gifts instead of stored around the house.

2. Keep gifts small, simple, and practical.

Organizing for a Stress-Free Holiday

A little organization can make all the difference between having a stress-full or a stress-free holiday.
The National Association of Professional Organizers in Michigan (NAPO-MI) wants to share three ways to simplify the holidays:

Holiday Planning – Week by Week

Every year you vow to get your holiday cards and shopping done early, yet inevitably end up standing in long lines on December 24th again! Make this season more joyous by simplifying and putting an end to last minute madness! The National Association of Professional Organizers, Southeast Michigan Chapter (NAPO-MI) wants to share a Weekly Check List to help you complete your holiday planning before December 20th.