The holidays are over and it's time to un-decorate and pack away your decorations. The best way to make your next Christmas more stress-free is to label away all boxes you are using for storage while you are taking out your decorations. That way, you will make sure that you find everything easily and conveniently after 11 months, i.e. for next Christmas. A little time spent in labeling this year will make things much easier next year!

If possible, assign one place for all Christmas items. For e.g. a shelf or a chest. Place all boxes in it so that you can find them in a single place next year. Label this chest separately and then, label individual boxes inside it. You never know just what you might need from inside it.

Some things which will need proper storage, handling and labeling are lights, ornaments, decorations, candles, wrapping paper, bows, gift tags, unused cards, paper snowflakes, holiday craft supplies etc.

You can group some items together. For e.g., all tree decorations, all centerpiece decorations, wrapping and craft supplies etc. can be grouped and put in single box. If they require more than one box, you can name them 'XYZ Decorations - 1' and so on. Store glass ornaments in their original containers or in a divided storage box. Wrap keepsake ornaments individually to preserve their shine and then store them in one box.

If keeping different items in one box, record the items on a separate sheet or on the box. For e.g. if you are placing all Wrapping material in one box, do write down wrapping paper, bows, strings, tape, gift tags etc. Sounds tedious, but will be well worth the effort.

If the boxes are plain, you can write on them directly. If they are printed, don't bother searching for proper colors and writing and re-writing. Use thick paper cards and glue them on the top. Use such a writing medium which will not fade away soon to keep the writing visible till next year.

After properly labeling the boxes, store them in a cool, dry and safe place and make your next Christmas stress-free!

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