Get Your Holiday Assortment in Order

It's about that time again. Or have you already gotten out your Halloween stash and are already thinking about the next thing? Are you one of the ones still looking where you stashed your holiday assortment? Did you have a hard time getting all your Halloween things together this year? Is that scarecrow pumpkin thingy missing in action this year? There is an easier way to keep track of your holiday decorations, to include your kid's artwork and store bought items.

You know...I love bins, so here goes...

• Purchase 2-5 heavy duty Rubbermaid-type bins (check for sales, as these things frequently go on sale; I've also found good deals at Big Lots on these)

• Purchase a roll of bubble wrap (I've seen the best prices locally at Sam's Club; I've also bought them on eBay at rock bottom prices...it's always good to have a roll if you do a lot of shipping anyway)
  

• As you get out your holiday assortment from the various hiding places throughout your house, sort the items by holiday, such as Christmas, Halloween, Patriotic (4th of July), Easter, etc

• Keep the breakable items together in each holiday assortment

• Now that everything is sorted in neat piles on your floor, it's time to start packing it in

• Try to keep like items and breakable items together; use plenty of bubble wrap for the breakable items; I also try to keep the original boxes for these breakable items

• I try to keep all wall hangings in one box, books in another (for children's Christmas books, I keep them all in a colorful holiday rectangular basket that goes all in one swoop, into the bin); put the holiday pillows in with the breakables; all the foliage and faux plants together; keep all the Christmas tree ornaments in one bin (this has the added benefit in our mobile life, if we ever don't have the time or the effort in us to decorate our home, we can just get out the tree decorating bin and still have a nice Christmas)

• The kids' artwork can be put in the appropriate bin too; at holiday time, I take out the artwork, put double sided tape on the back of each piece and make a collage of the artwork over the top of a window or around a doorway
  

• I label the outside of the bin, on both short sides and on top, with the holiday; instead of 4th of July, use "Patriotic" as there may be more than one holiday that uses such items

• Since I don't have a lot of Halloween items, I just have a bin labeled "Fall" and this takes care of all my faux Fall foliage too; same goes for "Easter" and "Spring" depending on how many items you have

• I also take a strip of masking tape, put it on the short side of each bin; label with some key items; this way, you know what's in each bin at a glance plus it makes repacking so much easier
  

• Now you are going to set aside a place in the garage, basement or closet (or closets) to stack these items; mine are stacked three high and everything looks "dress right dress" and in order

• To keep from getting all the bins out, I stack the next holidays coming up on top; that way you can just rotate the items; when a holiday is just completed, that bin goes on the bottom

• I pack these items so well every year, when we move, the movers just wrap the outside of the bin with wrap, and the packing is already done
  

What do you do to keep your holiday stuff in order?