For this past Christmas, I bought some items in early November as I saw them and then put them in the closet. By the time Christmas was here, those early items made there way so far back in the closet, I couldn't see them. I forgot about them and then bought more.
In January, I did a full kitchen and pantry deep cleaning. I found a number of things I was going to use at Christmas. It was very frustrating. Now that everything has a place and I can see non-perishables in one fell swoop, I am hoping that helps me with keeping up so that I don't over buy or under buy. This also means that I have to keep up with organizing that closet every week.
I haven't kept a list of "special foods that I bought early and stored" mostly because I haven't really done that in the past. This year I purposely went out shopping looking for "impulsive" fall and Christmas foods such as Christmas tree shaped marshmallows and special seasonal blends of teas and sodas. If I do that again, I will be making a list and/or placing them in a special storage box which would make it easier to find all at one time.
