Storage Week

Houseworks Holiday Plan Week Fourteen

Houseworks by Cynthia Townley EwerDecorations shine bright this week in the Houseworks Holiday Plan! 

As we remove them from storage, we'll focus on the storage space they call home the other eleven months of the year.

In holiday prep, the season moves toward full swing with the coming of Advent. It's time to complete gift shopping, mail send-away gifts and complete holiday decorating.

This Week's Focus:
Storage Space

Reading Assignments from Houseworks:

  • The rules of household storage - page 222
    Store efficiently, store right!

Inspiration from the Web:

This Week's Houseworks Checklist

  • Organize storage areas. Ransacking a crowded attic is nobody's idea of a good holiday time. This week, organize household storage areas as you bring forth holiday decorations.

    Whether it's attic, garage, closet or shed, take time to tidy up household storage. Inexpensive storage organizers can help keep clutter from creeping into corners--and a neat storage area will make it easier to return decorations to their year-round home at season's end.

This Week's Holiday Prep Checklist

  • Begin family Advent observances.  Advent begins on Sunday; consider your family's traditions carefully. New! Will a magic elf visit your home this year?
  • Complete holiday decorating.  
  • Order Christmas ham, roast or poultry.
  • Finish gift shopping.  Where you can, wrap as you go to prevent a long night with the tape and ribbons on Christmas Eve.
  • Mail domestic gifts.   Just say "no!" to lines at the post office; use USPS.Com to purchase postage, print shipping labels and arrange for carrier pick-up.
  • Check cameras and camcorders  Be ready to capture the moment.  Will you need to buy film, batteries, cassettes or storage media?  Add any needed items to the shopping list.
  • Make an under-tree "emergency box".  Use a gift-wrapped box with removable lid.  Placed under the tree, it holds extra bulbs, fuses, ornament hooks and batteries.

This Week's Christmas Planner Pages to Print

Magic Elf LetterMagic Elf Letter Magic Elf PassportMagic Elf PassportMagic Elf ReportMagic Elf Report

Holiday TraditionsHoliday Traditions

Holiday Tip of the Day:

Summer Clearance to Stocking Stuffers!

Summer's in full swing, and so are retailers' summer clearance sales! Smart holiday shoppers transform summer's clear-away products into bargain-priced stocking stuffers.

Check clearance aisles now for stocking-stuffer candidates. Children's gifts include jacks sets, bubble mix, outdoor toys, and jump ropes, while adults may enjoy seed-starting kits, gardening tools, barbeque accessories, hydration bottles and exercise equipment.