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Undeck The Halls
Arizona Republic Saturday December 28, 2002

Undeck -The Halls-Organize your ornaments as you pack them away

—~By Sadie Jo Smokey sadiejo.smokey@arizonarepublic.com

FYI:

• Organized Living, 157521 N. Pima Road, (480) 348-2255

• A to Z Organizing Pros Inc., (602) 674-2649 or, www.AtoZOrganizingPros.com

• Naturally Organized, (480) 816-3244

• Rubbermaid, www.rubbermaid.com

BEFORE: Don't let the annual tradition of packing away Christmas decorations tie you in knots. —The fun part of decorating the home for the holidays is over. Now Monies the real work: putting it away for next winter. An organized packer will find it much easier to unpack and let loose with stockings and garlands. Those who shove everything in a box before the tree grows legs and walks away are begging for a headache of tangled lights, broken ornaments and missing extension cords. Personal organizers and the designers at Rubbermaid know that a little planning and effort make holiday decorating easier.

AFTER: Get organized, perhaps with plastic containers. Valerie Simpson, founder of A to Z Organizing Pros Inc., prefers cardboard boxes. Not only are they readily available and easy to write on, they're inexpensive. "I have my clients use square boxes," Simpson said. "There's a lot of products on the market people think they will be able to use, but they can't use it properly, so it's junk. But if it's in your budget, use plastic containers." Julie Gram, founder of Naturally Organized, prefers plastic containers. You can view items stored in clear boxes easily. Also, plastic doesn't break down over time, like cardboard does, and color-coded lids can make packing easy.

The first step, Simpson and Gram agree is determining what to pack or throw away. "The mess is all out in front of you," Gram said. "Start sorting. If you don't like it, throw it out or give it away." Make sure you keep only what you want.

Second, gather appropriate boxes, bags and containers to store winter decorations.

"Once, you know what you have, go out and buy the containers," Gram said. "Target has nice containers. Organized Living has a great selection.” Wal-Mart and Ross also are good selections.

Third, label boxes. "I write on all four sides, Simpson said. "If you have several boxes of ornaments, categorize by room or in the order to open them."

Fourth, store like with like. “Anything with a cord or on a string should be wrapped around a piece of cardboard and stored in the same box," Simpson said. Check Christmas lights one last time before packing them. Store spare bulbs in the same container.

Store wrapping paper under the bed in specially designed flat containers, in a closet in a vertical container or removed from the card: board tube and folded flat. “Creases won’t hurt the paper," Simpson said •

Place ribbons, labels and fancy tags in food storage bags. Fill bags of bows with air to help bows keep their shape. “I have a container that's for holiday bows and tags," Gram said. "If you have a lot of materials, sort and store them by season so you use what you have before buying more."

Pack and stack special holiday dishes in zipper bags, sometimes called China Savers, Gram said. Store dishes in an unused cabinet or out-of-the-way pantry shelf.

Place suction cups and hooks in the same box as lights or ornaments. "Containers that are deep with little compartments are good for fragile ornaments,” Gram said. "I store mine in large tackle boxes. Each space holds an ornament.”

“Wrap delicate ornaments in paper towels or tissue paper to provide extra cushioning and protection,” Simpson suggested.

"I'm a Christmas ornament collector so my nice ones are wrapped in velvet,” Simpson said. "After cloth, I use whatever is on hand. “

Artificial wreaths often come in a box that's ideal for storage. Other options include Rubbermaid's flexible Wreath Storage Bag, with handles to hang in a garage or closet, or a flat under-the-bed storage box. Garbage bags are handy, but do little to protect the shape or decorations on the wreath.

Because of the summer heat, keep candles stored in a cool location, Simpson and Gram suggested.

Follow these steps and unpacking next winter should be a breeze.