A Extra Minutes = A Lot of Saved Time

A few years ago, I decided to make coordinating wired bows for my staircase banisters, mantle, grandfather clock, etc. So I took the financial plunge (with coupons, of course) of purchasing quite a lot of good quality ribbon and got busy with my floral wire. Several evenings (and sore fingers) later I was pretty proud of my accomplishment.

So I think it's understandable that I take a bit of extra care in storing them. Each year, when I take them down ("boo" to putting away Christmas decorations!) I stuff them with fresh tissue paper. Any that were made in special sizes (a bit larger for the mantle and clock) are marked with paper tags labeling where they are to be placed the next year. Not as OCD as you might think, really.

I also have numerous garlands that swag up two levels of staircase, and overlook bannister, mantle, playroom windows...you get the idea.
I tag these with placement in the same way as the bows. Long slips of paper slipped through loops or around branches with reminders about where they go. Last year, I even marked the tops of each "swag point" with a colored paper clip. Wow, I loved not having to measure those lengths this year.

I can't tell you how fun it is to open these boxes each fall to find nice, fluffy bows and ready-to-go decorations. It doesn't take much more time than just packing them the old-fashioned way...but it makes them a LOT more fun to open and use the next year!