Organize + Energize: 7 Ways to Organize Your Holiday Decorations

Tuesday, December 02, 2014

Kristin MacRae, GoLocalProv Organizing Expert

Christmas is probably the most popular holiday you decorate for and is probably the holiday with the most decorations. As you begin to take out your holiday decorations, this is a great time to declutter and get them organized. You probably wouldn’t even think about doing this in the off season and it’s probably very low on your list of organizing priorities. This is the perfect time to tackle this project!

Here are 7 tips to help you with the process:

Declutter. When was the last time you took inventory of all your decorations? As you start to take out your decorations, take everything out of the bins. Are there boxes of decorations you haven’t opened in years? Now is the time to go through everything and decide whether to toss, donate or keep.

Itemize, Categorize, and Organize. Once the holidays are over, grab your empty bins. There are 2 ways you can approach this. Depending on how you function, decide whether you want to organize the bins by rooms or by style of decorations. Do you want to keep all of your wreaths together, all of your table decorations together, or do you want to organize the bins by room? Think about the most efficient and productive way and then create your organizing system from there.

Storing lights. If you have an assortment of lights, keep them wrapped and labeled in their own bins. If there are any sets of lights that aren’t working or are on their way out, be sure to throw them out now. Do you have certain types for certain areas of your home? Organize the types of lights you have and be sure to label.

Containers. Get rid of the cardboard boxes that you are holding the decorations in and purchase weather resistant bins to keep out the mold and mildew. If you are purchasing new bins, be sure they accommodate what you need them to hold. Maximize the space inside the bins. Don’t waste money purchasing bins that are too small or too big. Also be sure they are going to fit in the space that they are being stored in. We get excited when we see holiday sales and end up purchasing random containers only to get home and realize they aren’t right for what we need.

Make a list. Think about what you need for next year as you start packing things away. Make a list of decorations you want to purchase for next year. Do you need more lights, decorations, or table settings? Make a list now and place it in your calendar for next year. Don’t waste time and money next year purchasing duplicates or things you don’t need. Your list will contain exactly what you need to buy and the list will be available when you need it.

Gift wrap. Don’t forget about your wrapping materials. Organize by holiday, birthday, and other special occasions. You want to be as efficient as possible and when you need something, you want it to be at your fingertips with no time wasted. Keep all bags, tissue, wrapping contained to one area, categorized and organized in bins.

Label. Be sure to label your bins. If you don’t want to label you could use colors to distinguish holidays. You could you red for Christmas, blue for Hanukah, orange for Halloween, brown for Thanksgiving, pastels for Easter and so on. Nothing is worse than looking at a bunch of bins in the basement or attic and having no idea what is in them.

So remember, as you take out your decorations this holiday season, take the extra time to declutter, itemize, categorize, and organize your decorations. Next year you will be ahead of the game. You will be organized, efficient and more productive. You will also save money by not purchasing duplicate items and you will have a handy list of everything you need to purchase next year!

Kristin Carcieri-MacRae, the founder and owner of Organizing in RI, has always enjoyed finding creative ways to streamline the environment around her. She has appeared on air on Patricia Raskin's Positive Business Radio and her articles have been published in the Rhode Island Small Business Journal and New England Home Life. Kristin's CD, Organizing Basics, is a 1-hour guide for the person who wants to get organized but doesn't know where to start. She is also available for organizing workshops. Tune in to her radio show, Organize, Energize! on http://www.talkstreamradio.com.