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Party Consultant Michelle Hylton

Storage Tips for Making Holiday Decorating Easier

Written By: Michelle Hylton

Do you dread pulling out the holiday boxes to decorate? Did you forget which box you put that new decoration you bought in the after holiday sales?

Follow these helpful holiday storage tips, so next year's decorating will be pleasant and easy!

• Start now by purchasing plastic storage tubs that are on sale.   You may need various sizes, depending on your decorations.  You will need at least one tub for each room you decorate. Some rooms may require more than one tub.  Don't forget to count the foyer, mud room, loft or other nooks around the house that your decorate. 

• Using your computer or hand printing, create holiday labels for your tubs. Each label should list the holiday, then the room or area that it will hold contents for.  You may want to make 3 labels per tub. Place one top and the other's on the two sides.

• After decorating your home this year, take visual inventory of what you decorated with.  Estimate how many tubs will be needed for each space and if necessary, purchase additional tubs. 

• When it's time to take down your decorations, pack them up by room and place labels on the tub.  If you purchased any new after holiday sale decorations, add them to the tubs for the room in which you plan to use them next year. 

• Store tubs in basement or attic with side label facing outward and try to place room tubs together. 

• Next year when you are ready to decorate for the holidays, you can do it by room. No more lugging all the boxes up to find what your looking for.  After decorating a room, you move the tubs back into storage, no mess left all over the house. You can plan out what day to decorate which room.  If you only have time on weekends, then do 2 or 3 rooms on Saturday and another 2-3 rooms on Sunday.

• If you decorate a tree for the holidays, plan on separate storage for all your tree items. Use ornament tubs, a tub for tree lights, tree topper, and tree skirt.  Clearly label tubs "Tree Ornaments" or "Tree Lights & Accessories."  If you decorate your porch area or outside, you can also organize them into tubs, all to make next year's decorating easier.  

Now, take this same idea into other holidays throughout the year and before you know it, holiday decorating will be easier.