Decorating for the Holidays

Today's topic is Organizing your Decorating.  No, I am not going to tell you to get out all your Christmas decorations and start putting them up (unless this is the time you normally start).  What I am going to challenge you to do is to mentally go through your decorations through pictures, room lists, and shopping lists.  You may also want to pull your items out into an area where you can look at everything and reorganize them. 

Pictures -  where are your pictures from this past Christmas season?  Are they already in a scrapbook or album; are they in a box or still on your digital camera?   Wherever they are find them and get them out so you can use them as a reference guide for the next two steps in this process.

Room Lists this is the BIG step in this process.  It has four steps.

1.  Make a list of each room you want to decorate this Christmas.  Now in your notebook, write the name of each room across a sheet of paper so you have you have plenty of room to write down decorating ideas for that room.

2.  On each page, write the theme you want to have for the room or the feel you want (example:  casual, formal, religious, etc.).

3.  Now write down the following on each room page:  tree, floor, tabletop, walls, and doors.

4.  Under each of these areas write down the decorations you plan to use in the room be as specific as you can. 

For example for my living room under tabletop I would list the following items that I place on various surfaces around the room:  right windowsill = ceramic Santa and reindeer looking out; left windowsill = small tree in front of window with lights.

Shopping List - now write down any items you may need to replace or new items you would like to add to each room. Once you have your list made, prioritize it so you know what to get first as your budget allows.