So it's a new year and you find yourself looking at a dried up tree and a heap of decorations. What do you do?

A. Heap it all into boxes and smash them into the attic or garage.

B. Leave them up for another month hoping they will go away.

C. None of the above.

I hope you choose "C". Ha ha ha ha! Ok but seriously decorating the house for the holidays can be fun, but the clean up is less thrilling. Not to mention that empty feeling that lingers after having all these extras around for the past month. Here is plan "D", tips for a productive and organized clean up.

• If you have children then this should be a "family" activity. No need to go at it alone when you have a household who enjoyed the heap as well.
• Make sure you have bins with lids that fit that stack together and match. This makes finding them in the attic next year much simpler.
• Purge any items that you didn't use this holiday that you may be ready to retire. Make sure there is no trash, broken balls, or damaged items lurking in the bottom of the bins.  
• Categorize items as you put them away.  Large items like wreaths, stockings, and strings of lights can live together. Breakables and ornaments should be together in a separate bin. 
• Be sure to wrap breakables appropriately and avoid tossing the lights in the bin in a tangled heap.
• Scour the house to make sure no random holiday items get left out of the packing. 
• Now that the house feels empty, consider rearranging the furniture, adding fresh throw pillows, and changing out accessories.  Your space will feel fresh rather than empty and sad.

So there are your tips for the month on getting holiday goodies squared away. You will thank me next year when you crack open those tidy bins.