Boxing Day

Former procrastinators, I hope you thoroughly enjoyed Christmas Day! The pressure’s off. Take a break! Maybe crumpled gift wrap, stray bows, and toy parts litter the floor. Maybe the tree is listing a bit to port. Just prop your feet up and watch the kiddos play or start the new book.

Maybe you are one of those women who can’t wait to take the tree down pronto and return the house to “normal.” Whenever you do it, the task looms large. But when the time comes, no delay!

I’ll call it “Boxing Day” – not to be confused with English Boxing Day, December 26 which has another meaning. My “Boxing Day” means corralling the decorations, putting them in their boxes, and returning them to storage.

These tips make returning to “normal” lots easier for me. I can clean up without being wiped out.

• First, take care of food. Be prepared to meet the need to eat and others’ expectation that they will be fed. Pull out the slow cooker or plan ahead for leftovers.
• Use color coded boxes. My husband had this idea and started buying one or two plastic storage bins each year. They are red or green with good fitting lids. Since they’re stored among other boxes, it simplifies finding all the Christmas ones. You could do the same thing with a swath or two of red or green duct tape on any box.
• Box up room by room. I read this hint in a magazine. It has made decorating – and undecorating – MUCH easier, faster, neater. Whatever decorations go in the living room go in boxes labelled “living room.” At decorating time, each room’s box goes right where it’s needed. When I boxed by categories – all the garlands in one box, all the candles – odd items were a hassle. Plus, it took a lot longer to go around the house placing things. This way, the garland that best fits on the mantle is always in a living room box; I don’t have to sort through the whole lot. It’s easier to decorate a room at a time – and easier to pack up. If I want to change things around, I can do that while still having “staples” in their proper room. My husband really likes room-labelled boxes.
• Label boxes – “Christmas” on all sides especially if you are not color-coded. Label by room if you choose to. I also label key things like ornaments, manger scene.
• Take pictures of what you’d like to repeat, print them, and box. I’ll reuse this year’s dining room centerpiece idea.
• Pack seasonal items with decorations – napkins, dish towels, place mats, etc. Avoid giving them valuable shelf space or working around them all year.
• Host an UNdecorating party. No, I’ve never done this, but it sounds fun! It might work with good friends and advance planning – an UNtrim the Tree Party! Exchange the favor.

What tips do you have for “Boxing Day”?