Week 11, already???? Time to tackle our storage areas, including the garage. It’s where I have all my holiday decor bins stored, and I know I’ll want to be able to access them right after Thanksgiving. Additionally, with the colder weather in our area, I’ll want to make sure I have my winter snow removal items on hand and ready to go, when needed. Once the garage is done, I’ll need to tackle my other storage area – the closet under the stairs in my office area. Where are your storage areas? Can you easily get to what you'll need? Time to give it some attention.
For those with a garage, begin by moving the car outside onto the garage slab, curbside, or into other parking areas that you can use. As with other areas in the house, start by sweeping down any visible cobwebs from the ceiling and walls. As you can, sweep around the exterior and look for areas that little critters may be able to enter. If you find any, time to break out the steel wool to plug them and set out any traps that may be needed. Next, tackle the garage door windows – If yours are anything like mine, they really, really need it this year!
Give the garage floor a good sweeping, and then start your organizing by stowing things in their appropriate place. Tools that were used over the summer and never made it back into their tool chest; gardening tools and extra pots, and gloves, along with seeds for next year; stow bicycles and other summer play gear until next season ... whatever needs to be put away, do so. This will help ease access to your Christmas décor.
Once everything is stored, begin staging Christmas bins in the order in which you’ll need them. I generally begin by changing the wreath on my door from autumn to Christmas and setting out my front porch décor (artificial swag and lanterns in various sizes with battery-operated red candles) first, and then I hang the garland, bows, and a wreath from my deck railing. So bins with those items will be pulled out and moved forward. Then, make your tree accessible (if you use an artificial one), and then your bins with ornaments. Lastly, pull make those misc. bins accessible. Mine house other decor items, including my angel collection, Christmas linens, including the tree skirt, in another bin, and serving pieces in a third. I’ll pull serve ware on an as-needed basis., so it doesn't necessarily need to be moved forward, just accessible from the shelf it's on, with nothing blocking it.
The key is accessibility – be sure you can easily get to what you need, when you need it. While organizing your storage area, and if you haven’t previously done so, consider taping a small paper to each box or bin (or use painter's tape) with details on what is in there, so you limit the amount of time you spend searching for holiday items or can easily direct a family member to “go get the box marked xyz.”
Lastly, check your lighting for any bulbs that may have burned out and then give your garage door a quick “tune-up” by lubricating your door wheels and any other moving parts. If it’s not something you can do yourself, contact a garage door maintenance person / company to handle that task for you.
Stand back and know that you’re ready for the holiday season.
For those with a garage, begin by moving the car outside onto the garage slab, curbside, or into other parking areas that you can use. As with other areas in the house, start by sweeping down any visible cobwebs from the ceiling and walls. As you can, sweep around the exterior and look for areas that little critters may be able to enter. If you find any, time to break out the steel wool to plug them and set out any traps that may be needed. Next, tackle the garage door windows – If yours are anything like mine, they really, really need it this year!
Give the garage floor a good sweeping, and then start your organizing by stowing things in their appropriate place. Tools that were used over the summer and never made it back into their tool chest; gardening tools and extra pots, and gloves, along with seeds for next year; stow bicycles and other summer play gear until next season ... whatever needs to be put away, do so. This will help ease access to your Christmas décor.
Once everything is stored, begin staging Christmas bins in the order in which you’ll need them. I generally begin by changing the wreath on my door from autumn to Christmas and setting out my front porch décor (artificial swag and lanterns in various sizes with battery-operated red candles) first, and then I hang the garland, bows, and a wreath from my deck railing. So bins with those items will be pulled out and moved forward. Then, make your tree accessible (if you use an artificial one), and then your bins with ornaments. Lastly, pull make those misc. bins accessible. Mine house other decor items, including my angel collection, Christmas linens, including the tree skirt, in another bin, and serving pieces in a third. I’ll pull serve ware on an as-needed basis., so it doesn't necessarily need to be moved forward, just accessible from the shelf it's on, with nothing blocking it.
The key is accessibility – be sure you can easily get to what you need, when you need it. While organizing your storage area, and if you haven’t previously done so, consider taping a small paper to each box or bin (or use painter's tape) with details on what is in there, so you limit the amount of time you spend searching for holiday items or can easily direct a family member to “go get the box marked xyz.”
Lastly, check your lighting for any bulbs that may have burned out and then give your garage door a quick “tune-up” by lubricating your door wheels and any other moving parts. If it’s not something you can do yourself, contact a garage door maintenance person / company to handle that task for you.
Stand back and know that you’re ready for the holiday season.
