Finished with Holiday Decorations?

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Have you put away all your holiday decorations yet? Most of you probably have by now, but just in case you are still working on it, here are a few ideas.

Use plastic bins for most of your storage. These will handle temperature changes better than cardboard, and will help protect from dew or wetness if things are stored in garages or sheds.

Use similar size bins, if possible. If you want to be really organized, use the same size bin for all your storage. This may or may not be realistic for you. I just throw it out there for consideration. Some people even use particular color bins for particular holidays or seasons.

Keep all holidays/seasonal stuff in one place. We use an unused coat closet to store all these items in once place. That way we don't miss something by having it elsewhere, and it is a good way to limit yourself from having too much. (For example, you can tell yourself that holiday items are ONLY stored on "this side of the garage" and you will not accumulate any more than will reasonably fit in that area.)

Consider getting special containers. If you can afford it, there are many customized containers for Christmas lights, bulbs and decorations available. One of the best decisions I made in recent years was to get boxes for tree ornaments that had dividers. Our tree tells a story because we have at least one new ornament a year comemorating something from that year. I was able to store these ornaments in year order when I put them away, being assured of a complete set. But the picture above recycles a wine box for the same purpose.

Divide seasonal from holiday decor. I like to put out seasonal items separately from holidays. For example, I keep winter items like snowmen out through December, January and February, while Christmas, New Year's and Valentines' Day items only are out in the few weeks surrounding that particular holiday. Thus I box them separately.

Purge. As you take down items from a holiday, pick one or two things that you don't really need to keep and get rid of them (donate or discard.) We all have extra ornaments that we may never use, wreaths that have worn out, etc. Unless it has special sentimental value, think about keeping your decorations under control, especially if you happened to have bought anything new this year.

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