The most wonderful time of year!?

So the song says… But I think for a lot of us, the last 3 weeks of December may be challenging. There are so many expectations on our valuable time. If we lead stressful lives 11 months out of the year, the month of December can really put a crunch on our ability to enjoy the people that we love, or the downtime we are supposed to enjoy. Aside from all the usual holiday stress, this is the time of year when mess and clutter can pile up faster than the blink of an eye. And so before the most wonderful time of year even begins – you may already be dreading the clean-up.

Erin – a professional organizer in the Midwest - has some great ideas on her website for dealing with the chaos of ornaments and decorations. Her tips include putting all of your decorations in one room to pre-sort what you’ve got so that you can make decisions about what to keep, donate, and toss, Erin’s list concludes with suggestions for storing your decorations for next year. Check her website for more idea: http://www.homeorganizeit.com/organizeholidaydecorations.html

As you shop for others over the next few days, consider shopping for yourself, too. Check out the cool stuff at http://www.spacesavers.com/christmasbox.htmlspace.savers.com. Target carries Whitney products that store everything from stemware to ornaments. You can organize wrapping paper, ribbons and bows in one handy container and can get ideas from here: http://www.improvementscatalog.com/home/diy/wrapping-paper-storage-container

Wrapping-up the end of the year by organizing all of your holiday decorations will save you a lot of time next year when you bring everything out to start all over again! And smart people know that saving time will definitely save you money. Think of it this way: when all of your decorations are neatly stored in one area, it is easy to take stock of all of your stuff. Next year, you will be able to tell as glance if you need to add to your pile of decorations. Chances are you will see that you have all you need to get you through the season. If your decorating needs are met, you will be less inclined to purchase those items that you already have. One reason why we accumulate “too much stuff” is because we don’t always know what we already have and often end up duplicating (or tripling!) our holdings!

Next time... Getting you organized for the new year!!