There are lots of things we can do now to make next Christmas easier. I’ve noticed quite a few people have already taken their Christmas decorations down. We usually do it in the first week of January & my wife has already been tackling some of the decorations whilst I get back on top of work.
However, last year I left all the Christmas lights in the hedges at the front of the house. This year, they must come back in as I need to sort said hedges and the rest of the front garden out properly. The boxes they came in have long since been recycled. Let’s face it, Christmas lights never go back into the box properly. So how else can you store them?
Get Wrapped
Well, a piece of cardboard (we have loads to recycle after Christmas!) with a cut in each end is ideal. Wrap the lights around the cardboard using the cuts to keep everything tight. Then pop each set of lights in it’s own carrier bag so they don’t get tangled together. For a full run down of how to do it, check this housekeeping.org page out.
Plastic Storage
We also invested in some decent plastic storage crates with lids a couple of years ago. Rather than those cardboard boxes which can go damp and out of shape, possibly damaging your Christmas decorations. It’s well worth it in my opinion. They are easier to stack on top of each other in the loft too. Cost wise, they were about £3 each from Homebase but I’m sure you can get some from bargain shops.
Get Your Money Ready
We can also get our festive funds started. Whilst we want to bring everything in from the outside and box it all up, getting ready financially is perhaps the best way to make next Christmas easier. Rather than searching around for Christmas cash in late November, how about already having the money in place? Break down the total amount that you will need into weekly or monthly chunks. It is much easier to put aside now and then than find that complete total in one go.
So, that’s what I’ll be doing later this week. Hopefully, a bit of time spent sorting now will make next Christmas easier. Sort your decorations out, get your finances straight and start planning for the Christmas ahead! It’ll be here before we know it!
Set Up A Christmas Savings Account For Year Round Festive Planning
