Seasonal Wrap-up

PROBLEM: The area where Chris and Dan Beard store their holiday decorations, wrapping paper and packing material didn't feel disorganized until they needed to wrap a present.

"Everything was thrown together," says Chris Beard, 40, a producer for KATU TV's "AM Northwest." Before she could wrap a Christmas gift, she had to sift through all of the recycled and new birthday, baby and special-occasion paper.

SOLUTION: Get organized. With the help of professional organizer Vicki Norris, of Portland-based Restoring Order, Beard overhauled the area.

"If you take a few steps to organize your decorations now, you will reap the rewards for many Christmases to come," says Norris, who is a regular on "AM Northwest" and HGTV's "Mission: Organization."

DETAILS: Norris and Beard began by removing everything from the area and assessing it. The result: a knee-deep pile of packing material, wrinkled tissue paper, extra boxes, and broken or outdated ornaments that were thrown away, recycled or given away. "We had stacks of things I should have gotten rid of long ago," Beard says.

Beard reorganized the area before the holidays, but Norris says the work can easily be done as you prepare to pack away this year's merriment. "It doesn't matter if you get organized at the front end or the back end of the holiday," she says. "It will help you next year."

The cleaning-out process requires getting rid of anything that doesn't add meaning to your holiday, especially if you didn't use it this year. "Decide what you really want," Norris says. "Donate anything you don't really like, and toss anything broken or in bad shape."

If it feels too special to donate, offer it to a friend or a young family member just setting up housekeeping. When Norris tired of her country-style decorations, for example, she gave them to friends she knew would appreciate them.

STORE IT: Beard decided to store all of her Christmas decorations in large, clear-plastic containers. "That way I can see what's in them," she says. Norris, however, prefers colored containers, such as red or green for Christmas. "When next December rolls around, there will be no question where the tree decorations are," she says. "They're in the red box."

Retailers from Fred Meyer to The Container Store sell containers especially made for Christmas paper and ribbon, ornaments, and other decorations and finery. The plastic crates will keep your things safe from basement moisture and rodents. Norris recommends taking advantage of January sales to buy the containers. "We're only talking $3 to $12," she says. "It's worth it in the long run."

But many people simply opt for clearly marked cardboard boxes, in good condition.

SORT IT OUT: Beard separated her tree decorations into one bin. Tableware -- including serving trays, platters and napkin rings -- goes in another. "It's easier to set up now," she says. "I'm not sorting as I go."

Another option is to separate holiday items by room. "It depends how your mind works," Norris says. "Some people are creatures of habit. They set up the village in the same place every year."

Outdoor decorations, such as lights, wreaths and yard decor, go in their own containers. "Outdoor lights are in their red or green container in the back of the garage or shed," Norris says. "When you need them, you know right where to go."

Norris' solution to the problem of tangled Christmas lights is to simply put each strand in its own plastic grocery bag. "I've tried everything," Norris says. "This system works, and it's free."

Another idea is to wrap lights around old wrapping-paper tubes and tape the string at each end.

Beard stored her ornaments in a bin with other tree decorations. She wrapped them individually because many are irregularly shaped.

Wine boxes lined with paper from the household shredder also work to store ornaments. The dividers in the box and the shredded paper will protect fragile ornaments. Egg cartons also work well for small ornaments.

Beard's holiday gift wrap is separate from the rest of her wrapping paper in its own clear bin. Bows, ribbon and raffia also are separate, as are small gift bags. "Instead of having all my bags folded together, I have one container for gift bags." Three bags, including a Christmas bag, are open and filled with other similar bags. "I can see them now that they're categorized," Beard says. "It helps a lot."

MORE TO DO: Norris also recommends scheduling time for other post-holiday projects, such as returning items to stores, writing thank-you notes, addressing next year's holiday cards and tree recycling. While you're at it, cut Christmas cards into next year's gift tags; think how easy next Christmas will be.

"De-decorating is so much less fun than decorating," she says. "It's a good time to organize. But it's not just organizing, it's life management -- changing the way you think."

Freelance writer Lori Mendoza: mendozalori@hotmail.com