Christmas Cleanup Organization Made Simple

Let’s face it: we all would love nothing more than to jam the whole Christmas tree—ornaments and all—into a closet and not have to spend time cleaning up after the holiday. But I believe that I need to be kind to my future self and put things away so that next year, when I’m filled with holiday spirit and ready to jump into the festivities, I have everything I need to get started as soon as possible. Every year, I try to put my Christmas decorations away in a manner that will afford me an easier set-up next year. Here are a few of my tricks:

1. I use plastic cups of different sizes to store those precious ornaments. Lay the flat ornaments on top. And if you’d like extra padding, wrap your ornaments in tissue paper before placing them in the cup.

2. To be sure that my baubles are evenly distributed on my tree when I’m decorating, I pack them up by color the year before. That way, I can start with the fewest colored ones first and gradually add them.

3. I write notes to myself! I cut my garland to size so it fits perfectly on my tree. But the top piece is much shorter than the bottom one. I label them when I put them away for easy decorating next year.

4. I never know what to do with those gorgeous Christmas cards I get. I make ornaments out of them for the next year! Trace circles in any size (as long as you have the same size for one ornament. Bigger circles, obviously, will make a larger bauble.) Fold the edges of the circle to make a triangle in the center. Glue the folded edges together and hold with a mini clothespin until dry. That’s it!

Happy packing and enjoy the year to come!