Organized Holiday Decorating

It's that time of year - holidays lights, lawn decorations, and festive trees have popped up all around us. But all those holiday decorations can be a bit of a nightmare to keep organized if you don't have good systems and storage in place. 

I'm not an expert decorator myself and in fact don't have a very large stash, so I turned to our Organizing Boston resident expert, Kate Altieri, for some organized holiday decorating tips. Kate loves to decorate for the holidays and has a self-proclaimed rather large festive supply. Here's what she suggests to keep holiday decorating fun and spirited rather than cluttered and chaotic: 

• As you unpack, take note of what needs better or new containers; purchase these as you do your holiday shopping.
• Donate or throw away unused or broken items. Gather unused holiday cards from previous years; make a complete set for donation.
• Take inventory of gift wrap, tags, ribbon, etc. before you purchase more. Be sure to have paper and gift boxes the size to fit odd shaped or large items.
• If you have space, save some boxes from catalog/on-line shopping for shipping gifts or storing your decorations.
• Before shopping for decorations, make a list of areas indoors and outdoors that you want to include. Choose a theme to keep you on track.
• Remember to have proper hooks, ties and mounting tape on hand for attaching decorations inside and outside. This will reduce damage to walls and woodwork after they are taken down. 
• Consider how you will store certain items off-season (i.e. large and delicate items) so that they will last from year to year. 
• Take pictures of the current decorations while they are up so that you can repeat or change things for next year; especially outdoor window boxes, containers, and lights. 
• As you put things away, be sure they are clearly labeled to eliminate blind searching next year.

I don't know about you, but I'm feeling inspired already. Thanks, Kate! 

Bottom Line: Being organized for the holidays doesn't mean shunning all decorations and festive traditions; it just means having systems in place and some annual maintenance so you can keep things festive, not frustrating!

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