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The holidays are over and the reality of clearing up and organising things seems pretty clear as you look at half hung decorations and pieces of tinsel on the floor. It is time to take a deep breath and get everything cleaned, cleared and stored away so that you can enter the New Year free from clutter and focused towards the future.

MAKE A LIST

Make a list of all the tasks that you have to do and tick these as you complete each one. It is good to be organised but do not let it all overwhelm you and stress you out. Take time to do things one step at a time and involve family so that everyone can share in the work rather than taking it all upon yourself to sort it all out.

RECYCLE

Keep recycling in mind and do not throw away greeting cards that you have received in the normal refuse bins but use recycling containers instead that you can find outside some large grocery stores. Make sure you break the boxes down when you dispose off old packaging from gifts that you have received to take less space. Anything that you know you will not use yourself or do not want to store for another year can be handed down to the nearest charity. Whether you have used a real Christmas tree or a plastic one there are recycling sites provided by the council that will help you dispose of it.

STORAGE BOXES

Organising starts with good storage so make sure you have boxes to put away gifts that you have received. If you do not have clear boxes it is a good idea to label the boxes so that you know exactly what is in each one and don't forget to add the name of the person who gave you the gift. This is important in case you decide to pass it on later and make the mistake of giving it back to whoever gave it to you in the first place! Have separate boxes for gifts that you want to keep for yourself or which can be passed on to others and for gifts that you might sell if you feel you cannot use them yourself. Store them in a place where there is easy access but if you decide to store them in the attic make sure that the boxes will not spoil due to very cold or damp conditions.

DECORATIONS

Decorati ons need to be taken down gently to avoid tearing them and separate them individually before putting them in either a storage box or a large plastic bag. Wrap lights and delicate decorations separately in bubble wrap or in newspapers. Wrapping paper can be folded away in a labelled box as can unused cards, gift tags or ribbons to be used again the following year.

FOOD STORAGE

Leftover food can be put in foil

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