Decorating the house is usually the kick-off for the holiday season. However, unscrambling lights, discovering broken heirlooms and scavenging for important items can dampen anyone’s holiday spirit.  Planning for success is the key to pleasant kick-off of the holiday season!  Get your stuff organized with storage solutions that have been designed specifically for your unique needs!  Take the time to install shelves, cabinets and overhead garage racks to store your holiday treasures during the off season, so you’ll know just where to find them when it’s time.

Here are some tips to make your holidays a little happier:

• Use clear plastic storage bins to hold items for each holiday project, e.g. outdoor lights, outdoor decoration, mantle decorations, tree decorations, dinnerware, etc. This will allow you to see what’s inside, grab a bin and complete the project without having to search for odds and ends.
• Store extra light clips with your outdoor lights so you don’t have to search far to replace clips that may have fallen.  Fascia board grip clips, which are available at hardware stores, are a great way to hang lights for the winter holidays and patriotic bunting for the summer holidays. 
• Use a labeler to identify project boxes at a glance and ensure decorations get back into the appropriate box
• Store treasured, one-of-a-kind family heirlooms, like ornaments, in smaller boxes with adequate padding before storing in a large box. This will protect them in the event the large box is jostled.
• When the season is over, edit your collection to eliminate broken or unwanted items.
• Cure Knick-knack Overload by giving your regular home accessories a holiday this season! Instead of adding to your display, replace regular décor items with holiday items. The benefits to you are less dusting, your regular items will look fresh again after the holidays and the house won’t appear empty.