DIY Gift Wrap Organizer

In my ongoing search for clever organizing ideas, I found this ingenious way of keeping gift wrap under control: using wire closet shelving!

This is how The Family Handyman describes it:

"Propping up rolls of gift wrap in the corner of a hall closet often means wrinkled, torn or lost rolls. Here's a way to keep the rolls neatly organized and easy to reach.

Make a wrapping paper "corral" by screwing a small section of wire closet shelving vertically to the side of a closet wall. Just slide the rolls in!"

Don't you love it?

More on DIY storage:
DIY Cord  Storage:
DIY Closet Storage from Flea Market Finds
Turn Your  Clutter into Storage - DIY Ideas

Destressing Christmas Already? ... Yep!

   
If you really want to destress your holidays, start now! Twelve Tips to Destressing Christmas has a plethora of ideas to help make your celebrations meaningful and joy-filled.

Things like being intentional about your celebrations, creating memories, planning meals, smart and green gift-giving, decluttering, and much more!

Give yourself the gift of a destressed Christmas!

More on Christmas:
Labeling Storage with Digital Pictures
The Very Best Apps and Websites for Holiday Gift List Organization
Recycling My Christmas Tins into Pantry Storage

Recycling My Christmas Tins into Pantry Storage

My pantry exploded over the holidays, as it does every year. Extra ingredients for those special foods = chaos. 

In the past, I've made a bunch of cookies - everyone's favorites. But now that my husband and one daughter are gluten intolerant, my Christmas baking habits have changed drastically. And before Christmas my other daughter and son-in-law said they were going to try going gluten-free. 

So ... Christmas baking was almost nonexistent! No need to store large quantities of baked goods. We did make some gluten-free goodies, but they didn't stay around long. 

I have collected tins throughout the years in which I would store my cookie supply. We actually like fruit cake and ordered one from Collin Street Bakery for several years. And I've collected others along the way. This year, all these tins were just cluttering up my pantry! 

I had a brainstorm last week when reorganizing my pantry. Why not store things that usually live in bags in my tins? Bags are messy, unsightly, and definitely not bug-proof!! I really don't like bags! Especially those with a zip lock a few inches from the top of the bag which makes it almost impossible to pour the ingredients without making a mess. 

Tins are so much more pleasant! Ingredients are easily retrieved with no mess. I stored flour, powdered sugar, brown sugar, and chocolate chips in my tins. Then I labeled them for easy locating. 

I love how this cleaned up my pantry, getting rid of those ugly bags. I even have empty tins in which to store other items in the future. 

As you may remember, I've recycled clear plastic containers and canning jars as additional pantry storage. So a majority of my pantry storage is no cost. It may not be matchy-matchy, but the price is right and I'm oh so green! 

What do you use for pantry storage? 

More on pantry storage:
Three Steps to Organizing Your Kitchen
A No-Cost Organizing Solution for Your Pantry
Redbook: Clever Storage for Plastic Wrap, Foil, and Reclosable Bags 
 

Labeling Storage with Digital Pictures

Even though you've labeled your storage boxes, do you have trouble finding specific items? For example, if you only use part of your Christmas decorations each year and want to use a different combination each year, you may find yourself unpacking and repacking until you find what you want. Or, do you have trouble finding those items you use only once or twice a year?

Take labeling a step further! Take digital pictures of what is inside each box. If you have several levels in a box such as Christmas ornaments, take a picture of each level.

You can either tape the pictures to the side of the box or lay them in the top of the box. You can also store them in a file, labeling each picture with the corresponding box number. Or save the pictures on your computer with the box number noted for each.

Now you can locate exactly what you want without having to rummage through several boxes!

(BTW - I noticed my Walmart still has red and green clear plastic storage boxes on sale for a great price.)

More on labeling storage:
Color-Coding Your Storage
Storage and Moving Boxes - Thinking Outside the Box
Organizing, Purging, and Storing Christmas Decorations

Get Organized Month - Update Your Christmas Card List

     
Now that you have probably received all your Christmas cards, it's a great time to update your Christmas card list. Whether you use an address book, Outlook, Yahoo, your phone, an online mailing list, or a written list, let's get started!

Compare the address of your Christmas cards with the address you have on your list. You may want to add in any personal info you want to remember about your friends and family. For those addresses that disagree with your list, change the pertinent information.

If you received Christmas cards from people not on your list, decide if you want to add them to your list.

If you are revamping your list this year, like we are, it's easier to do it with another person. One person to read the address and the other to write or type. It also serves as a way to insure accuracy if the person writing or typing repeats it back to the first person.

More on Get Organized Month:
Get Organized Month 2009 - Organizing Your Foods to Keep Fresh
Get Organized Month 2008 - Declutter Under Your Sink
Celebrate National  Get Organized Month - Half-Priced 1-2-3 ... Get Organized Print Books

Recovering from the Holidays - Give Yourself Some Grace

   
Did you know that this week is supposed to be the most depressing week of the year? Not surprising with short days and more darkness, holiday decorations to put away, family and friends have gone home, we've had time to abandon our New Year's resolutions already, and it's cold for many of us!

But instead of getting depressed, give yourself some grace.

Our daughter left yesterday for her work in Kazakhstan, and we won't see her for another year or two. We were so happy to have the unexpected pleasure of having her here over the holidays. I wanted to savor the time she was here, and didn't want to fill it with chores like taking down the decorations.

I also wanted to wait to send out a New Year's letter (instead of a Christmas letter) because she didn't arrive until Christmas Eve and I wanted to include a family picture. I've written the letter, but didn't want to take up our valuable time sending it out. Same thing with thank you notes.

But I made my choices with my priorities in mind. And I'm sure you did, too! So if you have a stockpile of things to do, don't despair! Just give yourself some grace to get them done!

Parcel them out and put them on your calendar. If your chores are overwhelming, tackle them in 15-minute spurts. You can do anything for 15 minutes! Just getting started creates momentum!

We can also be intentional about driving out the winter blahs. Some suggestions:                        
- do something you've never done before
- go somewhere you've not been before, even if it's just a road you've never driven down
- get some exercise
- get some sun
- get lost in a good book
- listen to your favorite music
- visit or call a good friend
- volunteer.

What do you do to combat the winter blahs?

More on priorities and perspective:
Prioritizing According the Energy Level
Prioritizing Your Day
Priorities and Perspective from a Ninety-Year Old

An Intentional Christmas - Teach Your Child to Give this Holiday Season

     
I loved the following article by Jan Helson, enumerating several ways to provide giving opportunities for your child. Inspiring!

"Does your child enjoy using the computer, your smart phone, or your tablet? These new tools not only provide entertainment, but also opportunities to teach children about giving back and making the world a better place.

Since kids today live in a "wired" world, parents have the chance to expose their children to philanthropy in a very modern way, using innovative tools and games that help connect the world together. Here are five ideas for how you can use these amazing tools to provide your kiddos a personal experience with charity.

1. Connect with news sites online. News stories are a great way to teach your child about different challenges that people encounter in their lives. Selecting a few, you can ask your child what they could do to help. Try to find stories with strong visuals, like videos or pictures, or a connection with an individual person. They will provide a stronger impact and impetus for empathy.

2. Visit charity websites. Here, you can show kids what different types of charities do, and how people can help. For example, you can show how people help at the American Red Cross by donating blood, at Goodwill by donating used clothes, and at a hometown shelter by serving food to people who are hungry.

3. Take advantage of interactive games, web-based games, or game apps that show children how their contributions matter. Check out freerice.com, which donates 10 grains of rice for every correct answer. Or try Wetopia together, a Facebook game where players collect “joy”, which translates into donations for various charities. Or download Raise the Village, an iPhone game similar to Farmville.

4. Find other kids who are working with charities. Real-life examples of kids working around the world to make it a better place are proof that you don’t have to be a grown-up to do good things. The Global Game Changers book app features three real-life kids who have done what they can to make the world a better place!

5. Encourage your child to use their talents and passions to make the world a better place and utilize the Internet to get it done. There are many websites that allow you to start fundraising online for your favorite charity! Participate in a real-world event as a family, but show your kids how you can raise money from friends across the country by using online tools like raceraiser.com, for example, or the site related to your walk/run!

Using these simple ideas, you can show your children how the Internet can spark interest and get them moving toward making the world a better place!"


More on giving:
Helping Your Child Declutter Toys Before Christmas
Organizing Spring Break Days
Donate Your Bikes to Youth Bike-Refurbishing Program

The Very Best Apps and Websites for Holiday Gift List Organization

  
Believe it or not, I'm pretty much finished with my Christmas shopping and wrapping! I'm quite proud of myself and can't remember when I've been so ahead of things! It helps being empty nesters and not being in the middle of getting settled after a move, like we were last year. :)

But if you're still in the throes of Christmas shopping, here's some great advice from Jeana over at CoolMomTech.

"Yes, it's that time to start thinking about ways to organize your gift lists. The holidays will be here before we know it. Luckily, these days. there are really a lot of tech resources out there for managing the holiday shopping process, both to keep track of gifts you want to buy for others, and to keep a list of things you have your eye on (hint, hint).

We've culled through a ton of holiday shopping tech to find some the best mobile apps and online resources to make your holiday shopping just a little easier. And hey, anything that minimizes having to return things after the holidays is holly jolly in my book. -Jeana

ON YOUR SMARTPHONE

iWishfor

This handy app (above) keeps a running list of things you want for yourself and compiles the wants of friends and family. The catch is that you have to invite people to the app in order for them to be able to contribute to your lists. Once you have people in your network, they can easily add whatever they want to make it easier for you to know exactly what they want. There's also a supercool barcode scanner within the app that lets you scan your items directly onto the list. (Free, iOS)

Free Christmas List
Keep track of gifts for Mom, Dad, the cousins, the uncles, the kids and anyone else on your list with this handy app. You can separate lists by person and even keep a running budget of how much you have spent and how much you have left, for each recipient--great for those of us who sometimes go a little nutty on the stockings stuffers. This version is free, but the Pro version is ad-free and adds an option to password protect your list from spying eyes. (Free, Android)

Springpad

More than just a gift organization app, Springpad (a recent sponsor, who we totally love) is more like a personal digital assistant that lets you organize thoughts, lists, images, links, and more into "notebooks." For these purposes, you could have a "Gifts for Me" notebook, "Gifts for Mom," "Cookie Recipe Ideas for the Teachers" and so on--and they can even be made private which is a huge bonus. The visual layout is just pretty to look at and because each spring allows you to link to multiple items, links, media, coupon sites and more, the functionality goes way beyond holiday shopping. It's on the web, too and you can choose to share or not share whatever you wish. In fact, check out our editor Liz's array of awesome notebooks for inspiration!

[Presents for Sophie notebook by AllisonMorris]

ONLINE

Pinterest

We just covered Pinterest's new secret boards and of course, holidays gifts are the perfect reason to take advantage of this new feature. One drawback as opposed to a similar service like Springpad is that you're only limited to three boards that can be kept shrouded in secrecy. But if you're already spending time on the site, this could be a great way to add to whatever you've already collected and find ideas from other boards. Check out the Cool Mom Picks Cool Toys Pinterest Board for some fun inspiration!

WantWorthy

If you're going to be doing some shopping online, it only makes sense that you look for a few items for yourself, right? After all, you'd be doing everyone else a huge favor by picking out exactly what you want. And whatever you want online can be housed in one place with WantWorthy. Using a little "Want" button that you drag onto your browser toolbar, you can instantly create a list of items that are good for any gift-giving occasion at all.

Google Docs

Admittedly Google Spreadsheet is definitely not the sexiest option, but it certainly gets the job done. You can use this simple template to keep track of everyone's gifts and even share with family and friends who you want input from. This could be helpful for group gift options too where everyone can contribute their thoughts on ideas and budget. Since Google Docs is in the cloud, you (and other gifters) can always get to it without anyone needing to have an app or smartphone.

Amazon Wishlist

I'm on Amazon at least once a week and have started taking better advantage of its comprehensive Wishlist feature. With EVERYTHING available through Amazon, it's a perfect way to create lists for yourself and others, plus being able to purchase them directly. You can share these lists and just keep them going year-round, adding to them whenever you come across something that's list-worthy. I love that I can keep the lists and buy from the lists in the same place for the ultimate in convenience."

Jeana was certainly thorough, wasn't she?

More on organizing for shopping:

Organizing Your Online  Shopping
Organize Your Christmas Shopping with New Gifts HD iPad App
An Online Tool to Consolidate Wishlists

Need Christmas Cash? How to Sell Your Old Phones, Equipment and Gadgets.

  

It's a hassle to get rid of old office equipment and gadgets, isn't it? Stephanie Vozzal's article provides all you need to cash in on your unused or outdated items:

"Got a few thousand dollars lying around? If your office is similar to the average U.S. household, you just might. A survey by eBay and Nielsen Customized Research found most of us have 50 unused items around their home that, if sold, could bring in $3,100.

The printer you replaced, the cell phone you upgraded and the book you never read -- it’s time to convert that clutter into cash.

Here are several items just waiting to be turned in for money, and how to cash in.

Cell Phones and Electronic Gadgets

According to the latest e-waste study by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), 141 million cell phones and mobile devices are replaced each year and only 8% are recycled.

Donna Smallin Kuper, organizing expert and author of How to De-clutter and Make Money Now (CreateSpace, 2012) says the majority ends up in drawers, 'because most people don’t know what to do with their old phones when they get new ones.'

In her book, she lists websites that pay cash for cell phones and other electronics. To sell an old phone, a good place to start is SellCell.com, a price comparison site that gets quotes from multiple buyers. Smallin Kuper also recommends Gazelle.com, a popular site that pays cash for select cell phones as well as iPads, iPods and Macbooks. According to its website, the company has purchased more than a million items, with the average device fetching $125.

Another good site is NextWorth.com, which has one of the most extensive buyback lists. This company will purchase your cell phone, laptop, camera, tablet, e-reader, GPS, television, video game console and even your calculator.

When it comes to selling electronics, digital lifestyle expert Carley Knobloch says timing is everything.

'As soon as I got the iPhone 5, I sold my iPhone 4' she says. 'I knew it was worth more at that moment than it ever would be.'

Knobloch, founder of Digitwirl.com, recommends selling electronics as soon as you upgrade or decide you don’t need it. And to help with resale value, she suggests taking good care of your gadgets, using a case when possible and skipping the custom engraving.

Books

Most entrepreneurs have a shelf full of books on the latest business trends. Turn them into quick cash by selling to a site that buys books. Start at BookScouter.com, a price comparison site with a database of more than 20 vendors.

Powells is one of the most popular book selling sites. And SellBackBooks.com is a good market for textbooks. Smallin Kuper says she likes this site because of its Android app that lets you scan the ISBN.

Office Equipment and Furnishings

If you have an iPhone, sell office furnishings using the Yardsale iPhone app. Knobloch likes the app because it lets buyers search specific neighborhoods. Other good sites for selling large furnishings include Craigslist.org and Kijiji.com, both of which offer free online classified ads.

Empty Ink Cartridges

Finally, get cash for ink and toner cartridges. TonerBuyer.com buys empty, partially used and new cartridges. Or return empty cartridges to an office supply store, such as Staples or Office Max, and get store credit of $2 per cartridge.

'In our economy, everybody’s looking to make a little extra money,' says Knobloch. 'Cleaning out the clutter and making extra cash in the process is a great way to do it.'"

More on selling your clutter:
Apps to Help Get Rid of Your Clutter
Helping Your Kids Turn Their Clutter into  Cash
Decluttering Your Electronics

My New Book is Free - Twelve Steps to Destressing Christmas!

      
I've just released my new book Twelve Tips for Destressing Christmas on Kindle! And it's free through November 7! Twelve Tips for Destressing Christmas helps you plan an intentional, meaningful, and peaceful Christmas. It's a small book for the organizationally overwhelmed, as are all my organizing books - each addressing only one topic at a time. 

So stop by Kindle and pick it up. I'd be delighted if you passed this on to your friends and family. :)

 

Destressing Christmas - Freeze-Ahead Recipes

     
As it gets closer to Christmas, life gets more hectic. It becomes harder to put a healthy meal on the table with Christmas programs, shopping, and parties added to your already busy schedule.

If you have the opportunity, double up on some freezable meals or partial meals.  Some recipes that lend themselves to doubling and freezing are: taco meat, spaghetti sauce, lasagna, chili, soup, baked ziti, and meatloaf. 

If you're making breads, make two loaves and freeze one for your family later or for gifts.  

If you make Christmas cookies, make up the cookie dough now for the kinds of cookies your family likes. Freeze it in small batches - I like to flatten the dough in gallon zip-lock bags, so they stack nicely in the freezer. Then when it's time to have fresh Christmas cookies, take out what you need, form into cookies, and bake. Most of the work is already done!

By working ahead now, your freezer recipes may save the day when life gets more hectic!

More on cookies:

Cookies, Cookies, Cookies

Time-Saving Steps For Rolled/Cut Out Cookies

Getting a Jump on Christmas Cookies

Destressing Christmas - Tackle Toy and Other Clutter Now

          
Christmas can add clutter to your home, especially to your child's room. To head it off, declutter now!

This is a great time of year to encourage your child to declutter toys before being inundated with more! Before a birthday is another good time to declutter. Even three- and four-year olds can grasp the concepts of outgrown toys, generosity, and order.

How to encourage your child to get rid of excess:

- Help your child envision giving toys to a younger friend or sibling, a disadvantaged child, your church or a charity. One of our foster daughters kept picturing her clothes making a younger child happy, which motivated her to get rid of four bags of clothes!

- Be sensitive to your child's sentimental favorites, yet help him learn to discriminate between favorites and toys that have lost their appeal.

- If your child is having difficulty, make it a two-step process. One of our daughters agreed to putting a bag of stuffed animals in the attic. After several months, she was able to part with many of them.

- Determine beforehand how much toy storage your child's room will allow or how much storage you will allow. These may be two different things! Just because a room has space, doesn't mean it needs to be jam-packed! When you're out of storage space, toys must be discarded or put away. (We put a way two-thirds of our girls' toys and swapped out toys three times a year.)

- Create limits - so many of one type of toy. If a new one comes in, an old one goes out.

- Discard broken toys or those that have missing pieces.

If your child declutters a couple of times a year, excess will be controlled, and her room will be manageable and pleasant. 

Make sure your child has a system - a place for books, a place for larger toys (I recommend shelves), bins or boxes for toys with many parts, a place for collections or special items, and a place for papers, a trash can, and a laundry basket. In my opinion, large toy boxes create frustration - your child cannot easily find toys or tries to yank out tangled toys creating breakage. 

Don't stop decluttering until there is no clutter and the room is peaceful. When Christmas comes, there will be adequate space for your child's new toys!
 
Set aside time each day for your child to maintain the system - time to make the bed, put away toys, throw away trash, put clothes in the laundry basket, etc.

Now on to the rest of the house! Before you clutter your house with Christmas decorations, cards, extra food, etc., clear out unnecessary stuff. If you have four weeks before Thanksgiving, divide your home into four areas and tackle one area each week. If it's three weeks, divide your house into three areas, and so on.

As you comb through each area, ask yourself if you've used it recently, if it adds value to your life, if you love it, if it has a home. If not, consign it, toss it, or donate it.  

For those things you want to keep, find homes for them with similar items. Use double-duty furniture and accessories that provide storage as well as function - an ottoman with storage inside, end tables with drawers or shelves, or decorative bins or baskets that hold smaller items. Keep decluttering until your home gives you peace of mind.

What a nice way to start Christmas preparations with a lean house! 

If you need more extensive help decluttering, check out Three Steps to Decluttering or Decluttering Any Room in 3 Weeks.


More on decluttering:
Three Steps to Decluttering 

More Help - Teaching Your Kids to Declutter

Decluttering Any Room in 3 Weeks

Destressing Christmas - Christmas Card Tips

Sending out Christmas cards can seem like an overwhelming and costly task. But if you start early, it can remove some of the stress in December. Here are some ways to make sending out Christmas cards more doable.

- Send out digital Christmas cards or letters to as many people as possible. I know this offends some, but at least your message gets out. I like sending and receiving letters - catching up with our friends. When I receive a Christmas card with only a signature, I know my friends are alive, but that's about all!

You can email your letters or you can use an email service, like iContact.

If you have a blog, you can post your Christmas letter on your blog, too. If you want to get fancy, you could make a video Christmas greeting and put the link on your social networks. 

- If you write a Christmas letter, make it no longer than one side of a page. It's cheaper to print and most people won't read more than that. It forces you to be economical with your words! 

- Use your TV time or traveling time (if you're the passenger!) to address Christmas cards. You're doubling your time while enjoying yourself, too!

- Get the family involved. Your family members can help fold, stuff, seal, and stamp your cards and letters.

- In January, update your snail mail Christmas card list as you sort through your Christmas cards. Then you're set when it comes time to send out your cards next year.

However you do Christmas cards, your friends and family will love to hear from you! 

More on Destressing Christmas:

Destressing Christmas - Considering the Needs of Your Family and Friends

Destressing Christmas - Smart Gift Giving

Destressing Christmas - Planning an Intentional Christmas

Destressing Christmas - Considering the Needs of Your Family and Friends

     
I'm very excited about Christmas this year because our daughter who lives in Kazakhstan will be able to come home for Christmas, which is an unusual occurrence! And celebrating with our new granddaughter will be such fun! 

So I'll have a lot to think about in planning Christmas this year and I want to make sure that the needs of those we will include in our celebrations will be considered. By using this as a filter, we can reduce some holiday stress. 

Here are a few ideas:

- Choose with whom you want to spend time over the holidays - friends or family who refresh, encourage, and cheer you. Take the initiative to make that happen.

Do you have friends who might be alone whom you could include in your holiday plans? Have you included a healthy amount of giving to others who might otherwise be neglected? Your heart will overflow with joy as you reach out to others! It doesn't need to be expensive, just something that says you're thinking about them.

If getting together with your relatives is too painful or unhealthy, give yourself permission not to attend. If you, your spouse, or your children might be subjected to verbal, emotional or physical abuse, don't put yourselves in this unsafe place. Even if it hurts others' feelings, you cannot condone unhealthy or painful treatment by attending.

- Consider family problems when planning gatherings. Be proactive in order to minimize Uncle John's drinking problem by having a brunch rather than a dinner. If Cousin Sally's conversation is predominantly negative or a never-ending flow, plan some conversation starters or games to reduce her dominance.

- If it's just too difficult for you to travel during the holidays, don't let others guilt-trip you into traveling anyway. Be honest and stick to your guns for your own benefit and that of your family. Invite your relatives to visit you (if that is better for you) or suggest another time of year for a visit when life is less hectic.

- Consider the needs of your nuclear family. If you have small children who need naps and a consistent bedtime (who doesn’t qualify for that one?!!), don’t over-schedule. Make sure the events you plan to attend are age appropriate for your children. Don’t have an unrealistic idea of what they can grasp and endure.

- Study your family. Know what delights each one and what stresses each one, including yourself. Plan accordingly. When our girls were small, one of our daughters would respond to an over-planned schedule by vomiting - a pretty clear message! (Sorry to be graphic.) So I had to be careful not to pack our schedule too tightly.

One of our daughters loved to help my husband get the tree in the stand and put the lights on. The other one did not! So we did not include it as a family event, but chose other things they both liked, like the Christmas Eve service at our church.

By anticipating your needs and those of your family and friends, you can be intentional about your holidays. You’ll be able to weed out those items that don’t fit, plan around potential hazards, and create memorable experiences for those you love.

More on Christmas:

Destressing Christmas, Part 8, 2009 - An Online Tool to Consolidate Wishlists

Easy Decadent Fudge Recipe

Destressing Christmas, Part 10 - Efficient Shopping and Online Tips

 

Destressing Christmas - Smart Gift Giving

    

With the economy being so difficult, we all may need to get very creative in the gift-giving department this year. I hope the following re-post helps. 

My brother loves the crowds and the hustle and bustle of holiday shopping. I don’t know many others who do, though! I am stressed if I have to elbow my way through a store or not be able to find what I want because I waited too late. If you are smart, you can make holiday gift-giving less stressful. Here are a few ideas:

- Make a master list of gifts you need to buy or make, along with a budget for the amount you want to spend. Stick to your budget and don't buy impulsively. Don't compete with family and friends - spend what you can afford.

- Set a deadline for finishing your shopping in order to avoid crowds, the last-minute rush, and poor selection. Remember those gifts for teachers, religious teachers, extra-curricular instructors, and stocking stuffers. Buy the same gift for several people on your list, if appropriate. Take advantage of the sales after Christmas to shop for next year's list.

- Plan your shopping trips. What stores might have most of your gifts? What is the most efficient route to the stores on your list? A little planning avoids backtracking, saving time and gas.

- Consider gift certificates that can be sent to the recipients via email or U.S. mail. Or shop online and have your purchases sent directly to the recipients. You don’t have to wrap either of these gifts!

- If you're into making your own Christmas gifts, mass produce a gift and give it to as many people on your list as possible. To reduce stress, choose a gift that doesn't have to be made at the last minute. Create deadlines for each stage of production, if applicable, so you’re finished in plenty of time.

- As you buy or make gifts, wrap them so you don't have a massive pile to do at one time. Use TV time or other mindless time to wrap. How efficient - you're doubling your time!

- Your children will be bombarded with commercial after commercial during the holiday season, and they may want it all! Have a conversation with them about realistic expectations, so they won't be disappointed. Make gift suggestions to relatives who are shopping for your children.

If you want to get away from expensive or excessive gifts, consider alternative ideas:

- Instead of exchanging gifts, experience an event together: a day trip, a service project, a holiday event, etc.

- Take the money you would have spent on gifts for each other and donate it to a cause or your favorite charity or a needy family. My parents live in Oklahoma and the year of the bombing of the federal building in Oklahoma City, they asked us to donate to The Salvation Army in their names, as that organization was so instrumental in helping during the aftermath.

- Consider drawing names or doing a "nice" white elephant game with a dollar limit on the gift.

- Give gift certificates of your time or service: babysitting, cleaning, meal preparation, handyman work, running errands, etc.

- Consider a “buy nothing” Christmas. This site gives scores of ideas from people who want to leave no footprint on the earth. Last year we gave home-grown herbs from our garden to some of our family and friends.

- With some friends or family, you may want to call a moratorium on gifts, especially when you get to the point of not needing anything. If it’s the thought that counts, try writing your thoughts down and giving them a note or letter expressing your gratitude for their friendship or love.

The holidays can be a stressful time. With a little planning, you can reduce the stress of holiday shopping and enjoy blessing your friends and family - without straining your budget or your temper!


More on Christmas giving:

Destressing Christmas, Part 11 - Meaningful Gifts with No Clutter

Destressing Christmas, Part 10 - Efficient Shopping and Online Tips

Destressing Christmas, Part 8, 2009 - An Online Tool to Consolidate Wishlists

 

Destressing Christmas - Planning an Intentional Christmas

Christmas is 101 days away - over three months, but it will be here before we know it! Why not be intentional about how you will spend the holidays? The result: you will be less likely to be over-committed or blindsided by the unexpected.
 

As your anticipate the holidays, think through your expectations. Talk with your family members or those with whom you will be spending the holiday season. Ask what is important to them to celebrate at Christmas - activities, traditions, food, spiritual emphasis, giving, service opportunities, etc. From your discussions, determine what is important to emphasize.  

We have one daughter coming from overseas for Christmas, and a new granddaughter who lives locally with our other daughter and son-in-law. So our Christmas will be very different this year, and we'll have to figure out what's important to everyone. In the same way, you'll need to assess what is important each year, as circumstances change.
 

Next, make a list of all your traditions, from decorating to Christmas caroling. Keep the ones you love, and cross off the ones you don't. I have a tendency to feel I needed to incorporate all we had ever done, but it's ridiculous if no one wants to do it! And it gets to be cumbersome.

Be flexible when things don't fit with your expectations. Christmas Day doesn't have to happen on December 25th. When we lived in Kenya, we worked with an expatriot medical team who usually gave their staff Christmas Day off. So we celebrated Christmas as a team on other days. With in-laws to consider, we try to be flexible to balance holiday calendars. And now that we have grown children, we must consider their family plans as well.

As you go through your holiday celebrations, enjoy the moment rather than compare it to memories or expectations. Be present and relish what is happening. And if it's not the greatest, do what you can to make it pleasant. Be other-centered instead of self-centered.

Keep a sense of humor. I like things to match and I appreciate beauty. However, my son-in-law insisted on placing a very ugly decoration on the tree one year. I did manage to resist my urge to snatch it off the tree, and we left it on the tree for giggles. It has now become a tradition.

Be realistic!!! Know what you can handle and what you cannot. Each year is different. One year we were moving right after Christmas and our holiday traditions were very few. Other years I decided to have a theme - starts, hearts, trees, etc. But after a few years, the number of decorations were getting out of hand so I stopped that tradition. Don't hesitate to limit activities so you can enjoy the season!! Make holidays fit with your priorities. 

Most of all, celebrate the season! Make sure it is meaningful to you, as you are intentional about what to include and exclude in your celebration.

More on having an intentional Christmas:

Savoring the Significance of the Season

Juggling Priorities During the Holidays

 

Finding the Perfect Storage Containers for Get Organized Month!

    
I put the last of our Christmas stuff away yesterday. I use Sterilite clear plastic containers so I can see what's inside. I also put a piece of paper down the side of the containers with the contents listed.

This morning when I looked at my email, I received one from Amazon about their best selling storage containers. So I decided to search Amazon to check out all their storage containers, since it is, after all, Get Organized Month. Included were several Sterilite containers at a good price - cheaper than at the local big box stores. And shipping is free if you spend more than $25.

In addition there are over 2000 other fun storage containers in a plethora of colors and materials. Containers to organize batteries, scrapbooking and craft supplies, shoes, pantry items and more! So if you're in the mood to organize during Get Organized Month, it's a simple and time-saving way to find the containers you need.



More on storage:

Storage and Moving Boxes - Think Outside the Box

Shoe Storage Options

Color-Coding Your Storage

Organizing and Downsizing Christmas Decorations

    
It's so much more fun decorating for Christmas than putting it all away, isn't it? While we're doing it, though, we may as well make it easier for next year.

I usually undecorate by room: I store all the decorations I use in the living room, for example, in the same box. Then when I decorate next year, the living room Christmas decorations box goes in the living room and voila! it's so simple. If your tree decorations are used in the living room, though, store them separately.

When you get your Christmas storage boxes out to return the decorations you used, are there decorations still in the boxes that you didn't use? Ask yourself why you didn't use them. If you don't really love them, you might consider getting rid of them. Donate them to a family member, someone just starting out with few decorations, or a local charity. 

If your decorations are valuable, but you don't like them, consider selling them on eBay, Craigslist, or a local consignment shop. 

If they are sentimental, but you have too many, ask family members who share the sentiment if they'd like them. Or, for example, if they belonged to your parents, see if people who cherished your parents would like some decorations in memory of them.

I store my Christmas things in large, clear plastic containers by Sterilite (you can get them at Target, Walmart, etc.). I then slip a paper labeled with the contents and location down the side of the container so it shows on the side of the box. Next year, when I bring my boxes in, I know what's in each one and to which room it goes. If you can still find them, you can buy red or green clear boxes for your Christmas items to make them even more easily identifiable.

Look at those things that just seem to multiply like rabbits - cookie tins, Christmas platters, Christmas mugs, etc. How many are enough? Then donate the rest. Or use cookie tins for storage elsewhere in your house - they're great for sewing items. Or repurpose those Christmas platters next year - give them away with goodies loaded on them. I won't tell! :)

Get rid of all those sad looking bows and wrapping paper you think you might reuse. Tissue paper and gift bags are easily reused. Even gift tags. But unless wrapping paper has sentimental value, recycle the old stuff. It's too hard to use it without all those tape marks showing up. And besides, when you buy it after Christmas, it's a bargain! And it's much more inspiring to wrap gifts when the paper is new and crisp.

Speaking of wrapping paper, you may consider getting one of those tall gift wrap containers if you have a lot of wrapping paper on rolls. I got one yesterday at Bed, Bath and Beyond.

If you were given Christmas decorations you don't like, get rid of them, too! Getting rid of something that was given to you by someone you love, doesn't diminish your love for them. They won't even notice. And if they do, you can say, "I didn't find it this year." It's true. It's not a lie. You didn't find it because it wasn't there!! 

When I put up my Christmas decorations, I remove regular decorations and place them in my Christmas boxes. That way, I know where to find them again! When you're taking out your regular decorations again, ask yourself if you love them. You may want to purge them, too!

The moral of the story: reduce the number of Christmas boxes you must get out next Christmas by getting rid of stuff you don't like or use. You will be so proud of yourself now and you'll make life much easier next Christmas!


More on Christmas decorations:

Recovering from the Holidays - Priorities Amidst Chaos

Happy Get Organized Month!

Got Cabin Fever? Organize Something!

 

Destressing Christmas 2011, Part 8 - Give Memories, Not Clutter

   
Here's the final installment of my Destressing Christmas 2011 series. How appropriate for December 1! I hope this month is joyous,  meaningful, and destressed! 

I'm hosting a Christmas party Friday night, which I love! Cleaning, shopping and getting ready today. :) On to our topic for today:

It seems that our country is drowning in clutter! Our kids have so many toys, their rooms are overflowing. We have to rent storage units to hold our excess stuff.

This Christmas and throughout the year, consider giving memories instead of clutter. Give experiences! I've talked about some of these before, but they are worth repeating. :)

One year my parents were visiting us at Christmas when we lived in the DC area. Their gift from us: tickets for them to take our daughters to the Nutcracker at the Kennedy Center.

For one daughter's 16th birthday, we took her and her boyfriend (now husband) to see Stomp! in lieu of having a party. For our other daughter's birthday one year, we went to the play Little Women (one of her favorite books) followed by high tea, reminiscent of our time living in Kenya.

I have a dear friend who has four boys. Each time one graduates from high school, he gets to pick where in the country the family will go for vacation that year.

For my parents' 50th wedding anniversary, all four of us siblings typed out a tribute to them, framed them in gold frames, and presented them on a family vacation.

This year we celebrated their 60th and my brother created a video incorporating interviews he had done with mom and dad as well as photos throughout their lives. It was just a family affair - the four siblings and our children. We siblings each toasted my parents - what a wonderful memory and special time together!

Speaking of my parents, once when our girls stayed with them, my mom walked them around the neighborhood telling them about our neighbors who lived there when I was growing up. It included a trip to Midway Grocery, a tiny little grocery store where I and my siblings would go to buy candy. They still have fond memories of that experience!

When we lived in Kenya, my gift to the guys on our team was a dozen cookies every month for a year. Even though they were material objects, they didn't stay around long enough to create clutter!

When we visited one of our daughters this year, we decided to choose one five-star restaurant rather than several average places to eat. It made a fun and delicious memory!

Considering what your loved one or friend likes is the key. Here are some other ideas:

- If it is expensive, you may be able to team up with others. If Uncle Jim wants to celebrate his 80th birthday by sky diving or going for a hot-air balloon ride, have family members chip in.

- Share the experience. Accompany your friends or family to the event to make a joint memory.

- Give your time. Bring lunch over to auntie's and spend a couple of hours with her. Or babysit for a young mom who needs some time out of the house. 

- One of our daughters is contemplating a ski day as one of her gifts this year, since we are so close to good skiing and she'll be here for Christmas. 

Your gift experiences don't need to cost a lot. The only limit is your creativity!


More on no-clutter gifts:

A Last-Minute Clutterless Gift Idea - BookSwim

Easy Decadent Fudge Recipe

Destressing Christmas, Part 11 - Meaningful Gifts with No Clutter