Every year I am responsible for setting up my mother-in-laws Christmas tree.  She has a really beautiful, older, artificial tree that has to be put together piece by piece and lit up each year.  Definitely not a pre-lit, pull out of the box, ready to go tree.  Although, it sounds like a lot of work to put up this tree, I’m always pleasantly surprised by how well she takes down her Christmas tree each year.  She takes the time to wind up each strand of lights so it creates a small bundle that is easy to hold in one hand.  This makes it super simple for me to put the lights on the tree.  She also has all the branches organized, within the tree box, according to size and color coded.  Because she takes a little extra time to keep things so organized at the end of the holiday season, it makes my job of putting up the tree very simple and enjoyable.

Decorating for the holidays can be a very time consuming task, so here are a few other tips to help you save time for the next holiday season. 

– Take a picture of how each room is decorated this year.  As you take down your decorations pack all the items from each room, with the picture of how that room was decorated, into separate boxes.  This should help to create a simple set up for the next season.

– Be sure to wind up, tie up, or roll up your strands of lights as you take them down.  There is nothing more time consuming, and frustrating, then trying to untangle your Christmas lights.  This should also help protect the bulbs, saving you money on replacements.

 – Be sure to keep extension cords and timers with your outdoor decoration so you don’t waste time looking for them.  Also, try to label where your outdoor lights go as you take them down (bread bag plastic ties are great for this).

The more time you take at the end of the holiday season to pack up and organize your decoration, the easier it will be on you the next time you have to decorate.

Happy Organizing!

Bridges