Christmas has come and gone ... or has it?
Lights are stored, the tree is down, and holiday decor rests in boxes in the storage area, waiting for next year.
Then you turn the corner and spot an overlooked Santa, shining on top of the piano.
In the refrigerator, the holiday butter dish hides the last remnants of a stick of butter. Holiday linens, napkins and kitchen towels pop up in the laundry area this week, next week and the week after.
And the stores! Wrapping paper and replacement light strands at 90% off full retail are too enticing to pass up, so you add them to your shopping cart.
Result: a house haunted by the Ghost of Christmas Past.
What to do with all these holiday hold-overs? Plan for them, by setting aside a Holiday Stragglers box.
Even after the decorations are packed away, these floating reminders of the season will be circling the home for the next few weeks--and the danger is, they may wind up in out-of-the-way places where they can't be found next year.
The simplest way to corral them is to designate an empty storage box to hold them: a Holiday Stragglers box. Use a lidded cardboard box or plastic storage container to make a home for floating holiday items.
If possible, place the Holiday Stragglers box nearest the door of your storage area. When you find the missing Santa's Magic Elf, or need to set aside that great buy from the clearance aisle, toss them in the box.
With a dedicated place to live, the Stragglers will be out of your space and off your mind. Best of all, they'll be the first things you find next year, when you're ready to kick off the season's planning.
Knowing that you're stocked with clearance-sale gift wrap, ribbons and bows means never paying full price--so be sure you can find them again with a Holiday Stragglers Box!