Tiny Tasks, Big Results - Preparing for Unwrapping

  Okay, I know, many of us haven't even wrapped our gifts yet and I'm already writing about unwrapping.  I was going to save this post until closer to Christmas, but all around me people are having early celebrations as friends and family get ready to head off on holiday vacations, pack up to move, or prepare for a military deployment. 
  If you're hosting the holiday, you'll be the one that misses out on the joy of unwrapping it you're constantly having to jump up and get things. 
   Make the Unwrapping event a little easier by preparing a tray of "tools" that can slide under the couch.  You can do this at any time - as long as you don't have small children around. If you do have small children, create the tray, but stash it somewhere else until after the kids are in bed on Christmas Eve.  During the Unwrap, you can pull the tray out and have easy access to anything you need.
My little tool tray includes:

1. A pair of scissors for cutting through ribbon.
2. A pen and note pad - for keeping track of who gave what to whom
3. A garbage bag or 2 - keeping the wrapping under control helps to insure that things don't get lost and/or thrown away by mistake.
4. A box cutter - for getting through those "clam shell" type packages.
5. A pair of wire cutters - So many things are packaged using zip ties or twist ties, this make getting toys out of their packaging quick and easy.
6. One reuseable shopping bag for each family member.  This provides and easy place for everyone to corral their small items together.  It also makes it much easier for everyone to haul their stuff into their rooms at the end of the day.

  How do you handle the "madness" that can often accompany unwrapping? 
Thanks so much for stopping by today!
  

Tiny Tasks, Big Results - Day 12, Holiday Decoration Swap

Do the Decoration Swap
   Empty your Christmas storage totes onto the kitchen or dining room table.  Using the now empty totes, go through the areas of your home you plan to decorate - clear coffee tables, mantles and shelves of your everyday decorative items. Put these everyday items into the Christmas totes.

Since these totes already have a home in the garage, attic or a closet, you’ll be able to store them easily.  Your holiday decorations will present themselves even more beautifully when the everyday items are gone.

After the holidays, just reverse the process.  This will make it easy to dust, and tidy up before you replace the everyday stuff.  My guess is that you probably have more Christmas stuff than you have "everyday" stuff.  This will leave you with a couple of extra empty totes. You can use these empty “decoration” totes to store/hide Christmas gifts, just don’t forget you put them in there.

Thanks so much for stopping by my blog today!  I hope your holiday season is going well.  If you have comments or ideas about holiday organization, I hope you'll take a moment to share them with me.

Tif