This was a life saver for me this year.
No kidding.
I'm reposting my Christmas decor organizing method from last year in hopes that it can help you too.
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Every single year, I vow and declare to myself that I will organize my Christmas decor when it comes time to put everything away.
Every single year, I only halfway do it.
Every single year, when I'm ready to decorate the mantle (or the tree or whatever), everything is never all in one box.
Every single year, I have to pull down all of the boxes to find all of the stuff for the mantle (or tree or whatever).
Every single year, my whole house is torn up for a solid three weeks while I try to get it all decorated.
And every single year, I'm tired of it all before Christmas even gets here because of how much the mess stresses me out.
Well...I hope I've come up with a way to help myself next year! It isn't rocket science or anything earth shattering. It's just a list. Let me explain.
I've tried several times to attach a list of what's in each box to the exterior, but the lists fall off before the next Christmas gets here because of the temp changes in the garage where my Christmas boxes are stored. So...I wind up having to pull all of the boxes down at one time. Chaos reigns!!!
So, in case you're looking for a way to organize your Christmas decor and in case you're interested, I'll explain my thought process.
I already have eight large storage bins, so I couldn't justify buying all new, clear boxes that I could see through. I had to come up with a way to use what I already have and figure out how to identity what's in each box without trying to attach a list to the outside (since they won't stay).
Believe it or not, the mess that you see in this picture is really an organized mess.
The coffee table holds all of the decorations out of the kitchen (not counting dishes that get stored in cabinets year round), one end of the couch holds all of the mantle decorations, the other end holds all of the tree ornaments, all of the glittery picks used on the tree and in the tree topper are on the floor, the deco mesh poufs used in the tree are in a pile on the floor, the glittery tree garland is in a pile beside the mesh on the floor, miscellaneous items used to create vignettes are in one of the chairs and a yardsale pile has been started in the other. The pile of paper beside the tree is just the packaging material that I use to re-wrap fragile items with when I put them away. Whew!
I basically wound up using a box for each pile of stuff. In some cases, more than one pile would fit in a box. As I packed a box, I wrote out of list of what was in that box. My handwriting is so sloppy that I wound up typing and printing the list.
After all of the boxes were packed and the list was typed, I laid the list on top of the items in one of the boxes. The list will be the first thing that you see when the box is opened.
How am I going to know which box the list is in???? I used a magic marker to number each one of the boxes. The list is in box #1. Next year I should be able to pull down box #1 and know exactly which box I need next without having to pull every.single.box.down. At least that's my plan! ;o)
Here are the boxes all packed and ready to be stored until next year. Pay no attention to the glitter all over the floor - this is pre-vaccumming. Oh and no comments about my dorky looking numbers!
Once everything is packed, Mr. Worthing places all of the boxes on this handy dandy shelf that he added in our garage.
Just in case you're wondering, the garland and various seasonal wreaths are all hanging on nails that we hammered into this wall.
No pretty pictures here, but hopefully my idea will help you out if you struggle with some of the same things that I do.
Sharing at:
Metamorphosis Monday at Between Naps on the Porch
Every single year, I only halfway do it.
Every single year, when I'm ready to decorate the mantle (or the tree or whatever), everything is never all in one box.
Every single year, I have to pull down all of the boxes to find all of the stuff for the mantle (or tree or whatever).
Every single year, my whole house is torn up for a solid three weeks while I try to get it all decorated.
And every single year, I'm tired of it all before Christmas even gets here because of how much the mess stresses me out.
Well...I hope I've come up with a way to help myself next year! It isn't rocket science or anything earth shattering. It's just a list. Let me explain.
I've tried several times to attach a list of what's in each box to the exterior, but the lists fall off before the next Christmas gets here because of the temp changes in the garage where my Christmas boxes are stored. So...I wind up having to pull all of the boxes down at one time. Chaos reigns!!!
So, in case you're looking for a way to organize your Christmas decor and in case you're interested, I'll explain my thought process.
I already have eight large storage bins, so I couldn't justify buying all new, clear boxes that I could see through. I had to come up with a way to use what I already have and figure out how to identity what's in each box without trying to attach a list to the outside (since they won't stay).
Believe it or not, the mess that you see in this picture is really an organized mess.
The coffee table holds all of the decorations out of the kitchen (not counting dishes that get stored in cabinets year round), one end of the couch holds all of the mantle decorations, the other end holds all of the tree ornaments, all of the glittery picks used on the tree and in the tree topper are on the floor, the deco mesh poufs used in the tree are in a pile on the floor, the glittery tree garland is in a pile beside the mesh on the floor, miscellaneous items used to create vignettes are in one of the chairs and a yardsale pile has been started in the other. The pile of paper beside the tree is just the packaging material that I use to re-wrap fragile items with when I put them away. Whew!
I basically wound up using a box for each pile of stuff. In some cases, more than one pile would fit in a box. As I packed a box, I wrote out of list of what was in that box. My handwriting is so sloppy that I wound up typing and printing the list.
After all of the boxes were packed and the list was typed, I laid the list on top of the items in one of the boxes. The list will be the first thing that you see when the box is opened.
How am I going to know which box the list is in???? I used a magic marker to number each one of the boxes. The list is in box #1. Next year I should be able to pull down box #1 and know exactly which box I need next without having to pull every.single.box.down. At least that's my plan! ;o)
Here are the boxes all packed and ready to be stored until next year. Pay no attention to the glitter all over the floor - this is pre-vaccumming. Oh and no comments about my dorky looking numbers!
Once everything is packed, Mr. Worthing places all of the boxes on this handy dandy shelf that he added in our garage.
Just in case you're wondering, the garland and various seasonal wreaths are all hanging on nails that we hammered into this wall.
No pretty pictures here, but hopefully my idea will help you out if you struggle with some of the same things that I do.
Sharing at:
Metamorphosis Monday at Between Naps on the Porch
Posts
I really wanted to try this a we packed up this year, but instead hubby decided we would label each box with masking tape: stockings/stuffed decor, glass ornaments, miniature trees, beads/garlands, nutcrackers, etc.... So, that is our plan. If it doesn't work, I am definitely doing this next year!
ReplyDeleteHope you all had a very merry Christmas!
What a great idea! Packing Christmas up can be very overwhelming, but this is a great way to simplify! Thanks for sharing! :)
ReplyDeleteI think this is very organized, Suzy, I try every year, this year I really didn't unpack, and yet I still had things scattered about the storage room from last year (I am bad!). I am going to make lists. I do have some containers that are clear, some color coordinated for the holiday (like orange and black, red and green). Have a happy New year! xo
ReplyDeleteGreat job, Suzy! We haven't taken ours down yet and I keep hoping I'll get a post together before the New Year, but it's not looking too promising! I organize each room into tubs and I can't even tell you how many tubs I have (a storage building full of them) which is a lot for my small house. This year I reorganized before Christmas and I will do even more afterwards. I totally changed around my decorating so I have a couple tubs just full of misc. items waiting to find a home……for next year :)
ReplyDeleteYeah...I've got to do something...I've got such a mess. This sounds like a good idea...I need to reorganize! Label everything! ;)
ReplyDeleteSuzy, I think this is a great idea. It will work for me for some of my decor, but I also have random decor that I use from time to time but not every year. I am bound and determined to organize and do some purging this year. I think I will try to apply your method. It just might work for me. Do you keep a master list other than the one in the box to reference too before you get down the boxes?
ReplyDeleteGreat idea for organizing the Christmas decor. I haven't taken mine down yet -- having another set of visitors this coming weekend and they want to see my holiday decorations. I'm looking forward to putting it all away after that, though!
ReplyDeleteHeather - Friendshiplifeandstyle.blogspot.com
thanks for share.
ReplyDelete