We’re in the midst of a frenzy of Christmas activity so many of you are not thinking about organizing. That’s something most people think about in January. But I want you to know there are some things you can do right now to get a fresh start to the New Year and make next Christmas season a little easier.
What to do with all those Christmas Cards:
Cut out the pictures that you want to save, like those from family and close friends, and put them in a photo album. This can be your regular chronological photo album or a special one just for Christmas pictures. Looking back over the years is fun to do especially at holiday time.
If you like to scrapbook, save beautiful holiday cards to decorate your pages.
Save return addresses for new people who are sending you cards and for those who have moved.
If you don’t already have one, make a Word document set up for mailing labels. Keep all your family and close friends on this file and you can use it all year. Party invites, birthday cards and thank you notes will be much easier to send. If you have one, update it as the cards come in.
If you really want to be organized, sort the cards as they come in using a three pocket mail sorter that hangs on your wall. Photo cards, cards & envelopes, and Christmas letters can be the categories.
Get your decorations under control:
Take a look at all those decorations that DIDN’T get put up this year. Discard the broken or really old ones and donate any that are in good shape. Places to donate include: schools, community theatres, nursing homes, libraries, or any charitable organization.
Take time to wrap up your lights when putting them away. A cable wrap can be found for about $2 at a hardware store. It’s certainly worth it not to have to detangle next December!
Put your decorations away in categories such as: outside, inside, and tree ornaments. Lots of home stores carry red & green plastic bins now. These make it easy to identify in your attic or basement especially if you have decorations for several seasons. For ornament dividers, you can use the cardboard ones found inside of a case of beer or wine.
Use your time between Christmas and New Year’s wisely:
With all those leftovers it’s a great time to clean out the fridge. Have a “use it or lose it” night and have your family pick a dinner from the leftovers. Take stock of your plastic containers and make sure they all have matching lids or else toss them! Clear and square are the best.
Something fun to keep away the post-Christmas blues is to plan vacations for the upcoming year. Our family likes to brainstorm on a white board. Parents have the final say about where and when but it’s fun for the kids to come up with unique ideas each year. A couple weekend trips can really break up the year instead of waiting for one week off in the summer!
End of the year also marks a good time to clear out catalogs and magazines. Designate a magazine rack or basket for each and every time the container is full – purge the oldest copies.
Debbie Lillard Professional Organizer NAPO-GPC Professional Development Director Author of "Absolutely Organized" www.spacetospare.com
