Post-holiday cleanup, part 2
Storing ornaments throughout the year is a bit of a pain, but it is necessary if you own them. Ornament sets usually come in flimsy and not very user-friendly boxes.
A couple years ago, we finally ended up purchasing a few Christmas ornament storage boxes, very similar to the ones pictured at right. The boxes are easy to store and protect the ornaments well. The boxes are not fool proof. If you drop them, you will most likely shatter quite a few of your ornaments. So, if you have antique ornaments or fragile ones that you do not want to lose, you may want to upgrade to a container that has some padding that will protect your keepsakes a bit better.
Popularity: 10% [?]
Reader suggestion: Reduce holiday clutter and rent your Christmas tree
Reader Sillahee, in the comments to Uncluttered Holiday Decorations, tipped us off to an amazing holiday rent-a-tree program in Portland, Oregon, that we wanted to bring to everyone’s attention. From MSNBC:
“The trees are taken out of the ground, roots and all, put into pots, and delivered to families in the Portland area. Soon after New Year’s, Fogel [founder of The Original Living Christmas Tree Company] and his crew pick up the trees and deliver them to parks, school districts and other groups who pay around $10 to have the trees planted on their property.”
This is such a terrific idea! I was disheartened to read in the article about the program that this is the only known rent-a-tree company in the United States. If you’re an entrepreneur living outside of Portland, this is a definite niche that you could fill. No clutter. No mess. Good for the environment.
Thank you, Sillahee, for sharing the link!
Popularity: 13% [?]
Reader suggestion: Weeding out unused holiday decorations
Reader John sent us the following tip:
Every year, when we get out all of our Christmas decor, there are always some items that don’t get put out, and just stay in the boxes. Last year, we realized that if it’s not worth setting out, it’s not worth storing either, so it got pitched or donated. This year, we did the same as we decorated.
A terrific idea, John! Thank you for sharing it with us.
Popularity: 6% [?]
Uncluttered holiday decorations
If you decorate your home with holiday decorations, you probably have everything up already. But, if the decorating bug hasn’t yet hit, and you’d like to try and decorate without cluttering up your home, try to choose decorations that do not have to be stored away for eleven months of the year. Here are a few things to consider:
Buy real: Instead of buying an artificial wreath, tree, or garland, go for the real thing. When the holidays are over you can dispose of them instead of using up storage space. Conifers can be easily added to your compost pile.
Poinsettias: This traditional holiday plant can brighten up any room and needs zero storage space after the holidays.
Go easy on the knick-knacks: Don’t make the holidays an excuse to litter your home with dancing snowmen or a sassy Santa Claus. The holidays do not make it alright to clutter every inch of clear space. Instead, play holiday music when guests come into your home to set the mood.
Handmade: If you have children, take time to create some homemade edibles. Spending time with you children and creating something together is a good idea any time of year.
To achieve a comfortable balance during the holidays, try and keep your decorating to a minimum. If you do decorate to the fullest extent, you may spend most of your holiday season worrying about your decorations and how you will store them the rest of the year, and not enough time celebrating with loved ones.
Popularity: 8% [?]
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