Author: Jordank

Editorial Coordinator

Store the Holidays Away Sensibly

Posted on by Jordank

Even the most diehard #holiday celebrators will admit that it’s finally time to take down the tree, wind up the lights and box up the tchotchkes for most of the year ahead. They’ve communicated your holiday cheer dutifully for several weeks, and it’s time to give them a rest.

A little ingenuity will help you pack away and preserve those holiday items for next Christmas. And a little judicious weeding out will save you some space so that holiday clutter can’t get the best of you next season.

First, of course, is the weeding out. As you take down the lights, toss any strings that no longer work and can’t be fixed with a simple swap of bulbs. And throw away damaged ornaments and other decorative items — the only place to stores trash is in the circular file.

You’ll want to preserve what you keep to create that winter wonderland again quickly, so take time to sort, organize and store decorations carefully. Good Housekeeping offers a number of clever ways to keep thing safe and organized for the months they’ll spend in the attic, garage or basement.

Wrap string lights around squares of notched cardboard so they can’t tangle when stored, for example, and put fragile ornaments in plastic cups or egg containers to keep them from getting crushed. Bag any artificial wreaths to keep them dust-free, and consider shrink-wrapping the tree.

Remember to label all bins and boxes with their contents, even if you opt for clear-plastic containers. If you really want to streamline 2020 decorating, The Spruce says, you can number your bins to know which ones should be reopened first.

After all, the biggest benefit of getting decorations organized as you put them away for the season is that you’ll be able to locate and use them easily next fall! The holidays are hectic enough without your having to hunt down every item or buy it again.

If there are still-useful items you just don’t want to store or display next year, bag them and contact ClothingDonations.org for a pickup. They will be resold to benefit veterans’ initiatives, and other families will be able to use them to create holiday cheer.

It can be bittersweet to take down and shelve your holiday decorations, but that’s what makes the season so special. Get #organized, and this year’s holiday season will be better — and more stress-free — than ever.

Make a List of the Things You’d Like to Change

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One way to track your progress on New Year’s #resolution can be considered a resolution in itself: Make lists. “It’s easy to forget things we need to do,” says Eat This, Not That. “Making lists not only ensures we get it all done, but it also makes us feel accomplished.” Simple suggestions you might put on that list include starting a journal, backing up your data, complaining less, finding a mantra, and cutting down on phone and TV screen time. While easy to make and keep, any of the site’s 50(!) resolution suggestions could yield substantive changes in your life.

Resolve to Cut the Crap in the New Year

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One of LifeHacker’s favorite easy-to-keep #resolutions is to keep one’s home cleaner. “Cleaning is one of the first chores we start to neglect when we start to get busy, but it doesn’t need to be difficult. Start by de-crapifying your home” to eliminate unwanted #clutter, it says, then schedule 15-minute cleaning sessions to keep everything neat and spotless. And while you’re de-crapifying, resolve to contact ClothingDonations.org to have all of that unnecessary junk whisked away with a free donation pickup. You’ll not only help yourself own the New Year, but help veterans, too!

Resolve to Improve Your Mental Discipline

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Although healthy, many common New Year’s #resolutions such as losing weight or quitting smoking are exercises in self-denial. Instead of punishing yourself with a physical task, How Stuff Works says, make a resolution that’s more about attitude and mental discipline. For example, make up your mind to trust your instincts or stop procrastinating. Forgive someone or make an effort to meet your neighbors. Resolve to take more risks or learn a new skill. Or simply use your existing talents to help others in need; helping just one person is “a good, entry-level way to become a humanitarian,” the site says.

Make Your New Year’s Resolutions Attainable

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Want to keep your New Year’s resolutions? Make them attainable! EcoWatch offers a host of health-conscious suggestions, including eating more unprocessed foods, getting more sleep, cutting down on alcohol, visiting a doctor for a checkup and — perhaps easiest of all — taking a vacation. These resolutions are so simple and sustainable that most people can find ways to satisfy them n an ongoing basis. And one of the keys to creating new-year/new-you success is to experience small successes along the way to a larger, more daunting goal such as losing weight.