Getting Your Organization Together For Christmas

(photo credit: Bettina R. Smith)

Christmas is just around the corner--can you believe it? Yes, it is finally here and so is the problem with that comes with this wonderful holiday--keeping up with everything that relates to Christmas.

Getting your organization together for Christmas can be one of the most exciting (and the most headache) things that you can do for yourself and of course, your family members. What is it that many family members receive for Christmas? Christmas cards, for sure, among other types of gifts!

The most difficult part with mailing off Christmas cards are remembering the addresses of the folks on the Christmas contact list. You can use an electronic device or software, such as Excel to make an address list of the people that are to receive these cards. If you are sending Christmas cards via e-mail, then you may want to organize your contact list in your email list. People on your list, email, software or just the traditional address book, sometimes have the tendency to change locations or even their names. With any of these methods, you can update their names and addresses. The list can also be printed out and be checked off when you have sent off the Christmas cards. In addition to the Christmas contact list, you can also utilize the mail merge. This allows you to make labels.

Christmas cards are not the only holiday thing that should be organized. Let's not forget that beautiful Christmas tree along with its decorations. In terms of a Christmas tree, you can opt to get an artificial one with the built-in lights. This makes it easier to store after the holiday, even with the lights.

Have issues with those pesky lights becoming tangled? We all do! Untangling Christmas lights can be a pain in the neck. My favorite thing to do with Christmas lights is to store them in a plastic gadget that is made for organizing these delicate lights, especially the big bulbs.

Christmas organization can be very, very fun--providing if you are prepared with the proper technology and organizational systems.

The Challenges of Organizing Your Home

Organizing an entire home can be very challenging. It is more difficult than organizing a workstation or an office due to the larger space and many rooms. Because of the larger space, it could take time for you to organize it and careful planning is necessary for you to succeed the first time.

However, there are a variety of resources you can utilize prior to beginning the organizing process. You should ask the help of a friend or a professional to get some insight to assist with your planning. Some other ideas are to look at interior design magazines and the Internet and see how these homes were organized.

The purpose of organizing your house is to stay clutter-free and presentable to friends and family who come over--in other words, it will not be an eyesore. The first thing you should do is to ensure that you know the areas of your home, do a visual inspection of the area. This will get you familiar with the area. It will also give you some idea on how to go about organizing every room. As a result, it will allow the room to have that great flow with the rest of the home.

Ask your friends and family to help you. When more people are helping you, work will be done in a more efficient manner. You should let people know the date they are going to help in a one to two-weeks in advance; therefore, he/she cannot make excuses and chicken out.

Get rid of clutter as in clothing that is no longer worn (and everything else in between). You should ask the items' owner prior to throwing them away. They may want to keep them. Sometimes not everyone agrees on how a room should be organized and decorated. Everyone should discuss the plans so that each person is in agreement prior to beginning the organizing process. Arguments can lead to a change of plans; as a result, it slows down the work. Ensure that each person is on the same page and sticking to the plan to get the work done faster and efficiently.

An excellent way to improve the look of your home is new furniture. Furniture can be purchased from local stores or even from the Internet. Always make sure that you know what you need and which sizes to get that would make the room have a great flow.

Organizing a home can be a joy and a great bonding experience. When you work through challenges as a team and get the work done, you can feel a sense of relief and accomplishment. An organized and a clean home brings relief to everyone that lives in it--it also more welcoming to the guest.