Ghosts of Christmas Past

Many of us shook off the turkey-induced lethargy and began decorating for the holidays. That was when we ran into those ghosts of Christmas past: the tangled lights, the broken nativity figure, the hastily packed boxes of decorations and the boxes of decorations that have not seen the light of day in years.

Those decorations that have not been used in a long time fall into several categories. Only a few of them are in the “oh, my gosh, I forgot I had this beautiful object!” category. Most of them fall into the “what was I thinking when I bought this?” or the “this gift is sooo not my taste!” categories. Give yourself a head start on organizing your decorating for next year by donating those unwanted things to a charity and you won’t have to keep rejecting and re-packing them.

The other possibility for unused decorations is that you have downsized your space, your decorating activity, the size of your tree, or all three. Why not share treasured items you no longer use with others who will enjoy them? There is a television commercial running now where a young mother shares with her family a box of decorations from her youth. How thoughtful her parent was to give her such a gift. Just box up those memories and put them under the tree for those you love. It is the very best kind of re-gifting.

As for the things you do use as decorations, consider putting them away in boxes grouped by the room in which they are displayed. Next year, you can just plunk the boxes down in the room and decorate at your leisure. While you are putting things away this year, also take time to make small repairs and discard broken items. That will make for merry decorating next holiday season.

Beverly & Kristen
www.KeyTransitions.net

Christmas Clean-up

This is the week most folks pack away their Christmas decorations and find a place for the Christmas gifts. In with the new crockpot; out with the old.

Here are a few suggestions to help you start the New Year with a little less clutter.

Throw away damaged ornaments, burned out bulbs and wreaths that looked bad this Christmas and will look worse next year. You will waste energy packing them and take up space you could use for other things. Don’t listen to that little voice that lists all the crafty things you will be able to do with the rejects unless you ACTUALLY do those crafty things and do not have other boxes of damaged goods waiting for your creative talents to flourish.

If you received a gift that doesn’t fit your body or your style, decide what to do with it now. Don’t stick in the closet or stuff it in a drawer just to get it out of the way. Return it, sell it, donate it or start a re-gifting box, if you are so inclined. Make the decision and act on it.

If you receive something new to replace older or outgrown possessions, find a home for the older items. Charitable organizations are grateful for winter apparel, used pots and pans, and even crockpots. Mine will be going to a local church that runs a soup kitchen.

If you discover that your closet is getting too full or your jewelry box can't hold one more pair of earrings, consider getting rid of your least favorite thing. A crowded closet or drawer is much harder to maintain than one where everything fits comfortably.

The key is to do it now. Make a decision while you are dealing with the item and carry out your decision. It is a very effective way to stem the accumulation of clutter and to maintain an organized space. What a great way to end the year!

Beverly & Kristen
www.KeyTransitions.net

Plan for Easy Holiday Decorating

I just finished going through the weekend sales fliers, trying to decide if there was a bargain or two I needed to pursue. While none of the sales tempted me, I did notice that several department stores featured storage boxes for Christmas decorations.

It really is a smart idea to let consumers know that these convenient storage tools are available at the time that many of us are hauling out our decorations and finding that we did not do such a good job of putting them away last year. Lights are tangled, pretty tree ornaments are damaged and there is a piece missing from the nativity set (guess we will have to settle for we two kings of orient are)

In a few weeks, when it is time to put those ornaments away again, give yourself a break for next year. Try these simple hints:

Store decorations in see through boxes of uniform size or clearly labeled opaque boxes. Buy those custom decoration storage boxes while they are on sale and throw away the ratty cardboard boxes as you unpack

Roll strings of lights around coffees cans or similar sized cans with lids. Store the extra lights in the can with some paper towels or other batting to keep them from rolling around and breaking.

Store decorations according to the room in which they will be displayed. Next year you can choose to do one room at a time without lugging out all the decorations.

When you put the decorations in the storage place, go by the last in, first out rule. If you put the Christmas tree up first, put that closest to the entrance so you can remove it and get it set up as your first decorating step.

Next year decorating will be a snap!

Beverly & Kristen
www.KeyTransitions.net