Now that the holidays are over, or soon will be, the festive decorations hanging around in your home or outside will need to be put away. No matter how big or small, putting decorations away can be a challenge. Here are a couple of simple tricks to help ease the cleanup and make unpacking easier next November/December.
Consolidate, consolidate, consolidate! If I place a menorah or candlestick and fun hangings in one drawer but the candles and Hanukkah-related cookie cutters in a box stored somewhere else, it is more likely that I will forget where I placed one or the other when winter 2011 rolls around.
Storing items together in one box makes a big difference. If you need more than one box, keep the boxes stored together to make it less likely that you’ll overlook your favorite holiday gear the next time. A neat trick a friend of mine suggested is to take a picture of the items and leave the picture at the top of the box or taped on the side, so you can tell what is stored in the box without needing to unpack it. Alternately make a list of all of the items and paste it on the box.
Don’t forget to label the box and be specific. “Holiday” alone is too broad if you also have other seasonal decorations that you use throughout the year. A simple “Xmas” or “New Year’s” will help with knowing which box to take out when the time comes. You also don’t need to use a box. I remember, years ago, my family received a Hanukkah gift of a huge metal pail full of three different kinds of popcorn: caramel, plain and salty/sweet. The popcorn is long gone and the metal pail has Hanukkah written all over it, so my mother tossed out the cardboard box that she had used to store Hanukkah-related things and uses the pail instead. The distinctive pail made it easy for me, my father and siblings to find the Hanukkah supplies year after year.
I would love to hear about the best tips you’ve learned for putting away holiday articles. Feel free to post in the comments when you have a chance.