Vicki Winterton - Special to the Daily Herald Newspaper | Monday, December 29, 2008

Beginning the Holiday take down means facing the storage mess you’ve been meaning to get to for years. It doesn’t need to be so bad if you try some of my favorite organizing tips. As a professional organizer, I have years of experience in eliminating holiday clutter in basements and garages. Let me share with you my SPARK formula for keeping that holiday decor under control:

* SORT — Place similar items together. Store your Christmas, Hanukkah or Kwanzaa decorations together in the same space. Keep them categorized and separate from the other holiday decorations you own.
* PURGE — This year as you prepare to undress your tree or polish up the menorah and pack everything away for next year, think about downsizing your decorations. Decide what you no longer need or love. Do not store those for another year. Donate them to a neighbor, a child or a thrift store where they can be found by someone who might truly love them.
* ASSIGN IT TO A HOME ZONE — For many years, I stored my own Christmas decorations in any one of the 14 holiday boxes lining my garage shelves. I often felt overwhelmed at the prospect of getting all those boxes emptied before Christmas and restocked after the holidays. Then I developed a better system that now makes holiday decorating and take-down much simpler. When I decorate now, I bring in the two or three boxes I have stored for each room. The task is no longer overwhelming to me. By using this system, I avoid unnecessary clutter and disorganization. I can see progress quickly and the chore can be performed a little at a time — one room one day, another room the next. Because all boxes are labeled, I can choose which box I want to grab to decorate which room — in bite-sized pieces. I label my tree decorations separate from the room in which it sits, and I always pack an “Early Christmas Box” for the things I use to prepare for the upcoming holiday season.
* ROUND UP CONTAINERS — Because January is National Get Organized month, storage supplies go on sale each January. Watch for those sales and stock up on large, sturdy, clear plastic storage boxes for your holiday decor and other storage needs. Make sure you take height, width and depth measurements of your storage space before you shop.
* KEEP IT UP by labeling your bins. Use 3-inch by 5-inch cards, a marker and tape or buy an inexpensive labeler at any office supply store (about $30) and label your containers both front and back so no matter which end goes in first, the label is always viewable.

Professional organizer, Vicki Winterton, owns ORGANIZING Mind over Matter. She and podcasting partner, Laura Lawrence, share organizing tips and techniques on the WIN online, The Organized Woman Show.