Undeck the Halls: 7 Tips to Undecorate from the "Holidaze"

This article is so good, I have to share it.... visit Lori at clutterdiet for more of her great tips.

Are you kidding me? Did the holidays just flash by? I can't believe it's all over.

It's time to "undecorate." Here are some guidelines:

Set a deadline. My husband is from Puerto Rico, where they celebrate Three Kings Day on January 6th-- it's kind of a big deal. Each year we use this date as a guideline for our undecorating, typically the weekend after that day. Another good guideline is the weekend after the New Year celebrations. Choose something that works for you and stick with it year after year. Having decisions already made means it's simpler... and you avoid the risk of procrastinating and being the person with the dead tree on the curb at Valentine's Day.

Take a photo before you take it all down. If you are really happy with how your decor looked this year, take some photos of your rooms so you can remember how you did it. If you want to be super-organized, you can even try putting all of the decor for one room in bins together with the pictures stored inside for reference.

Choose a space-- a dining room is really effective-- where you quickly grab everything holiday-related from around the house and put it all together in one spot. Dining room tables provide a large flat surface that makes it easy to sort and pack. It feels more manageable this way, and the rest of the house gets back to normal quickly.

Look for deals on bins and other containers right now. We all know about those wonderful post-holiday sales... if you need containers for your decorations, it's a great time to get some. Don't forget Goodwill and other thrift stores for even better deals. There are dozens of great specialty products out there for storing ornaments and lights-- but good ol' bins are just fine too. I do really like getting a special bag to hold artificial trees. You can find those at amazon.com.

Don't keep anything that is broken beyond repair or that you have not used in two years or more. It's easy to fall into the trap of just packing everything quickly without thinking, but pay attention to what you are keeping. It might make some of those boxes easier to haul down from the attic next year! Remember also to store candles and other temperature-sensitive items in a climate-controlled area.

Remember this process next year. When you are feeling all festive and decking the halls, remember that you will have to undecorate later when you feel less festive. Don't get carried away. Sometimes less is more!

Reward yourself for your good work with some fresh flowers-- maybe more than one bouquet, just from the grocery store if you like. Sometimes the house looks really sparse after having been decorated (possibly since Halloween).