Posts Tagged by Christmas Organization

There was a time that most of us displayed our CDs and videos with pride. Big media collections were equated with cool. Media towers took up space in every nook, cranny, and corner of our homes. Bigger was better. More was king.

Time and advancing technology hasn’t necessarily changed the desire for large media collections. But a big wobbly media tree in the corner of the living room threatening to topple over onto little Johnny is no longer considered a fashion statement. And a room that appears wallpapered but is really filled with hundreds of media cases is just plain tacky.

Sleek and simple is the new rule. Organization is the new king.

So what do we do with the piles of DVDs and CDs that take up space and clutter our homes? How do we solve the age-old problem of finding the movie that was sitting on that shelf just a few days ago?

There are plenty of furniture options. Most entertainment centers come with shelves for storage. But they are expensive, and have limited space. Media storage boxes can take care of the clutter and protect discs for long-term storage. But they’re not terribly attractive, and still take up quite a bit of space.

If space is your concern, perhaps the best solution is media cases. A collection of 200 dvds would completely fill a typical eight-shelf media tree, but would fit in three or four binders—which wouldn’t even fill half of one of those shelves. Case Logic sells dozens of cases that offer great protection for your collection. The Bellagio-Italia DVD binders made by HandStands are perhaps the most attractive on the market, with a leather-look binding that replicate high-end books.

Whatever your choice, just please protect little Johnny from the media tree. Remember sleek and simple. Now how easy is that?

If you don’t struggle with holiday weight gain, you’re in the minority—and possibly secretly hated by many. That’s a problem I’m not qualified to address. For the rest of us, it’s a safe guess to say that the past month has been a daily struggle of choosing which of the many delicacies presented to us should be indulged in, and which we should pass up.
Unfortunately, this week is possibly the hardest of all: many of those Christmas goodies are still sitting around taunting us; we still have New Year’s festivities to look forward to; and our grand resolutions of healthy eating won’t begin for another week. Why not live it up? We’ve got an entire week before our self-enforced deprivation begins!
Well, for one thing, the more weight we pile on, the harder it will be to take it off. And face it, we’ve got enough of a challenge as it is. Following are some tips to keep you from tipping the scale even more this week.

1. Remember that aging food doesn’t lose calories the way it loses nutrients and flavor. It would be nice if that stale old sweet roll or dried out brownie sitting on the counter was lacking in calories as much as it is in taste, but it doesn’t work that way. Ask yourself before picking up that once-delicious goody if it’s still worth the full impact of calories. Chances are it will be easier to walk away.

2. Select special days for splurging. We’ve been conditioned to believe that feeling deprived will ruin our holidays. And to a large measure that could be true. But you don’t have to splurge non-stop in order to feel Christmas cheer. Select a few days—in this case possibly just New Year’s Eve—as your holiday. Treat the rest of the days like any other, with the exception of maybe one goodie per day.

3. Cut back on regular foods in order to indulge on the luscious ones. In a perfect world, we’d just eat a diet of healthy foods. But living in the real world, we know that’s not going to happen, especially during the holidays. So if you know you’re going to eat a piece of cheese cake with dinner, trade it for half a sandwich at lunch, or half your entrée at dinner. Sure, nutrition-wise we’re better off with a full healthy sandwich and no cheesecake, but in the end your body doesn’t care where the calories come from. So cut back overall if you know you’re doing to indulge in low-nutrient high-fat foods.

4. Watch the grazing. Do you find it hard to resist that plate of fudge, the box or chocolate or candy dish? Join the club. It’s those extra little bites that can send a regular diet over the edge. Pick a snack that you consider a treat, but will keep your mouth filled with some healthy: pistachio nuts, cashews, a vegetable platter with a cheese ball or dip are healthy diversions from the goodies surrounding us.

5. Finally, don’t plan a big-grand once-in-a-lifetime diet for the New Year.The suspense will only make it easier to come up with excuses to indulge this week. And it has been proven time and again that the most successful diets are common sense changes of healthy eating combined with exercise that you can stick with for the long-term—even next year’s holiday season.

Enjoy the season without weight gain or dieting.

There’s nothing like an advent calendar—joyfully updated by young children—to add stress to the parents of those little tots. The calendar at my house has the number 3 on it. Yikes. As in just 3 days to Christmas! And there are sooo many things that haven’t been done: card in the mail? Nope. Gifts for the neighbors? Uh uh. Gift for the boss? Nada.

So what’s a person to do when the holiday is almost here and you’re not prepared?
First and very foremost—relax. Christmas will come whether you have every bit of mistletoe in its place or not, and the only thing that will truly ruin it is if the Grinch moves into your house.

I know this because he was there this morning. In the form of me. And it was not pretty. I was making that list, checking it twice, and it was much too long. There was just too much to do in three days time and I was not going to make it. So when my little one approached me with two cheap snow globes in his hand and a broad grin on his face, I told him to throw them away. “I’m done decorating and those are just cheap and ugly.”

Ho, Ho, Ho.

Yep, that little smile disappeared in an instant. “My teacher gave me this one,” he said, deflated. And that’s when it hit me. I am not Santa. Or even Santa’s helper. I am Grinch, green and true. And that’s also when I started to put together this list.

Which leads to tip number two: Prioritize. There are some things that just have to get done, but lots of it will pass without the world collapsing. Figure out which is which. The boss probably should get a gift if you want a job next year, but it can be as simple as a note of gratitude. If cards haven’t been mailed, send an email with a promise to do better next year; or make it a New Year’s greeting. Send out a text to the neighbors and tell them much you appreciate them. They’ll remember that even more than a plate of cookies. It’s amazing how many things can get crossed off your list, or at least made simpler, when you prioritize and use a little creativity.

Tip number three: Take a look at the budget. It probably won’t be pretty, and that ‘ol Grinch may flare up for a minute or two, but the last few days before Christmas are when budgets are truly blown. If you’ve been good with your credit cards, don’t mess up now. If you have dug into your credit, keep the hole as shallow as possible. It may be hard to pass up those big last-minute deals, but your bank account will thank you next month.
Tip number four: Do some service. Whether it’s making a donation, visiting someone lonely, or even spending an extra few minutes with your children; doing something good for someone else is the best way to remember the purpose of the season and bring a smile to your face.

Tip number five is akin to tip number one, but it can’t be said enough: RELAX! Follow these directions carefully: Build a fire (or flip on the gas switch next to the fireplace); light a scented candle or put some mulling spices into a pot of apple cider; make yourself a warm drink; sit down; put your feet up; inhale as deeply as you can; and then exhale, long and slow, and send any Grinch thoughts away with that breath.

Now that Thanksgiving is over, are your halls all decked with boughs of holly? The stockings hung with care? It’s a beautiful feeling isn’t, but a lot of work to get there.

Charlotte Steill, Simply Put Organizing offers this idea to make next year’s decorating a little easier: Use your camera to document your decorated home. Next year you will remember what goes with what. Photos can also be used to label bins. Use masking tape and a marker to tag garland and light strings, so you’ll remember where to place them next year.

Here’s another great idea. Take a look at HandStand’s new Bellagio-Italia ottomans. You can use them as a coffee table or foot rest in each room of the house, AND put that room’s decorations inside. Swap those out in December for the non-Christmas decor that just needs a home for the month. No more hauling boxes out of the basement or attic! Each room’s decor is hidden away in the room where it belongs! I’m feeling more relaxed just thinking about it. And I totally know what I’m asking for this year!

Happy decorating to you all!

P.S. Don’t forget to go to HandStand’s Facebook Fan Page and find the coupon tab for a 25% off coupon!

What do you do when you’ve got your eye on the perfect gift–for yourself? Do you just ask for it? drop subtle hints? keep your fingers crossed? It’s rough when you can’t just climb on Santa’s knee. CNN has asked a bunch of etiquette experts weigh in on the subject.

(CNN) — When you’re a kid, it’s easy. You write a letter to Santa. You tell your mom, dad, grandparents, friends and dog what you want for Christmas.

But as an adult, it might be considered slightly rude to march up to your spouse and say, “Hey, I’ve been really good this year… get me this.”

That said, you don’t necessarily want what your husband/brother/well-meaning great aunt is planning on getting you. (A toaster — really?)

We asked our etiquette experts if it’s OK to drop gift hints as an adult or if growing up means shutting up and just accepting what Santa brings you.

Jodi Newbern, author of ‘Regifting Revival: A Guide to Reusing Gifts Graciously’:

If making a “this is all I want” list gets ignored, I prefer the subtle “leave pictures from a catalog or magazine strategically placed throughout the house” method.

You don’t have to say a word, yet you certainly get your point across.

You could even fill out order forms, and include already stamped and addressed envelopes along with the pictures. (If you’re really keen on a specific item, you may want to also include a method of payment with your gift pick.)

If no one mentions anything to you about it, then either the message was duly noted and you’ll just have to wait and see how successful your little plan was, or they actually don’t give a hoot as to what you really want — they will get you whatever they want you to have, or what they think you really want.

Anna Getty, author of “I’m Dreaming of a Green Christmas”

This is a touchy subject in my house. In the past I have asked my mom or a friend to tell my husband what’s on my wish list, but I’ll be honest — he hates that. He feels manipulated.

I’d rather let him know outright what I need or want and if he gets it, great. If not, oh well.

Sherri Athay, author of ‘Present Perfect: Unforgettable Gifts for Every Occasion’:

Some givers welcome gift suggestions — with model numbers and stores, thank you.

Others want to surprise — some going so far as to cross off their potential gift list anything you’ve hinted you want or might expect.

If you’re dealing with the former, there’s no need to beat around the bush. But be considerate enough to include on your list suggestions in all price ranges.

If you’re dealing with the latter, your hints will need to be observable, rather than expressed (i.e., let the giver “overhear” your conversations with others or see you eyeing ads and commercials).

You might also share your preferences with friends or family members that you know the giver will turn to for suggestions.

Peggy Post, great-granddaughter-in-law of Emily Post:

A lot of it depends on who it is you’re dropping hints to. If it’s a spouse/mother/sister, you can make it very fun, saying something like, “In case you’re looking for ideas, I’d love a … ”

Or you can drop a hint through a third party. Say, “In case Sam is looking for ideas, I would love such and such.”

On the other hand, let’s say it’s a friend that you exchange gifts with or a co-worker — then it’s a bit tricky. You can certainly try, “I just really love/like Dan Brown’s books” or say “That new book is really good,” but I wouldn’t just narrow it down and say, “Here’s my wish list.”

Overall, people do love having ideas on what to get you, so help them out!

From our readers

ms38654: My wife is excellent at giving gift hints: She sends me an e-mail with links to the exact items. My task is to pick one or two which is the surprise part. I am totally happy with this method. There’s no guessing and no possibility of picking the wrong thing.

YodarCritch: One should not look at gift giving from a “personal profit” standpoint, but from a more human standpoint “Here is a person who got me something they thought I would like”. Thank them graciously and after a while get rid of the bad gift if you must

xetawindsong: We often aren’t explicit with each other about what we want, often we don’t have a wish list. But if I can tell he’s struggling to figure something out, I’ll give him a couple of suggestions. It’s nice when just the right gift falls in your lap, but there’s enough stress in the world already without adding to it.

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How do you get what you want for Christmas?