Holiday Wrap Up

The new year is upon us. So that means it's time to put away all the goodies from the holidays, eat all the cookies that remain, and make the last latkes for a while. (They're good all year round).

But you're a right brainer and it's sooooo tedious to clean up when there are so many other things to do...
Time to hunker down, step up and get over to organizing. [dread, sigh]

Here's a short checklist to help you push through.
Do one thing each day and you'll be done in no time.
Get family to help of course.
Put on some rocking music or mellow thinking music.
Ready, Set, Stow!

1. Collect holiday greeting cards. Toss, put into a holiday album or a keepsake box.
Green option: cut up cards to use as gift tags next year.

2. Grab the return addresses from the holiday cards and enter the new ones into your address list.

3. Wrap up ornaments and decorations and put into containers.
If you have many, make separate containers for:
Tree ornaments, indoor lights, outdoor lights, indoor decorations,
outdoor decorations, holiday wrapping paper.
**Label the bins!

4. Before you put all the decorations away, look over the items you did NOT use.
Give away or toss the items that you don't love any longer.

5. Put Hanukkah dreidles and menorah's into a bin with anything else you have for the holiday.
**Label the bin!
Keep extra candles handy to put on birthday cakes!

6. Gather all the instructions from your new gifts.
File them in a "manuals" file box.
Make categories such as: Toys, Electronics, Appliances, etc.
** Label the files!

7. Save gift receipts for one month to be sure the item continues to work properly.
Save original boxes for warrantied items until the warranty expires.
Then you can safely recycle them.

8. For the tracker: Keep track of gifts you have given and received, wish lists, send thank you cards and more at http://www.giftboxhome.com - no cost.

9. What's your best tip for wrapping up the holidays?