Ribbons? Bows? Knot to worry.

You’ve done it: You survived the shopping season and are rounding the bend into the final holiday stretch. To keep the frenzy out of the festivities, consider these shortcuts to keep yourself organized.

Equipment makes all the difference
Stick to clear plastic storage bins; avoid the adorable holiday-themed ones. Because the clear ones allow you to see inside, you’ll save time digging through every patterned and colorful tub in sight. It’s also a lot easier to repurpose a clear neutral bin.  Cardboard inserts can be made or bought, but they’re invaluable when it comes to sorting decorations after the holidays.

Untangle those decorations
When taking down your holiday adornments from around the tree, house, and office, think about getting your ornaments in order. Holiday categories could be grouped by area: living room, tree, dining room, entryway. By labeling each sectioned storage container, you’ll know which box belongs to which area and set up will go much more smoothly as the years go on!

Make the most of “Naughty vs. Nice” leverage
Children are an excellent source of help - especially during the precarious holiday season. Assign tasks like unloading the dishwasher, making beds, tidying up, vacuuming around and watering the tree to save some time. Creating a paper chain counting down the days until the celebration is an art activity as much as it is a visual reminder of how much time is left to get everything done.

Bonus: By wrapping each child’s gifts in a singular color, parents can skip labels altogether. This method also allows children below reading age to help to hand out gifts!

“Green” applies to your wallet as much as the environment
There’s something to be said for the more economical and, incidentally, eco-friendly ways of the past. Be strategic when recycling wrapping and tissue paper, decorative tins, and gift bags. When faced with those oddly-shaped gifts, the container from Aunt Edna’s peppermint bark might just come in handy!
 

What was your favorite recycled wrapping or re-gifted item?