It is fall, one of my favorite times of year. The days are shorter and some of the heat goes away. I start thinking about the holidays that are coming. I get to take out the fall/Halloween decorations and join the seasonal change.

I live in Southern California, inland a bit, and our seasons fall behind the calendar seasonal change by a season. Our Fall is November thru January, Winter February thru April, Spring May thru July, and Summer August thru October.

Regardless of the season I live in, I follow the lunar calendar. My son and I share the joy in changing the decor in our home. He brings the tubs down from the attic to begin displaying our treasures. We inventory our decorations every year. We pare down, organize and declutter our storage tubs.

One of the challenges of the seasons throughout the year is storing and displaying seasonal or holiday decorations. DIPS is a 4-part strategy for displaying, inventorying,

packing and storing seasonal decoration. SK Simple Solutions has a service to specifically inventory your decorations and help organize your decorations for the end of the year. As we saw with the K of SK Simple Solutions, Kim, it is a journey to declutter, but we are here to help!

1. Display Decorations

If I could, I would change my furniture by the season! But I can’t so I won’t! Instead I change my treasured decorations, towels, shower curtains, bath rugs, and kitchen towels.

I also include candle and books in my displays. I am a retired teacher and have many children’s books. I add books to various bookshelves or areas that have other decorations.

Teachers, SK Simple Solutions has worked with teachers this year to organize their arts & crafts, classroom supplies, filing system, and room environment. We can help organize your room or home office!

Holiday Displays

1. Show off your collections in all rooms, hallways, and bathrooms.

2. Keep it festive!

3. Engage your kids in these traditions. Let them decide where to put decor.

4. Set aside some of the decorations that are for “the kids.”

5. They can decide where to display their treasures.

6. At the end of the season show your kids how to organize their own decorations.

2. Inventory your decorations

Inventory the season at hand. At the end of the year you will have inventoried every

season/holiday. Remember you don't have to organize alone. SK Simple Solutions' team can guide you through the ornament inventory!

1. The joy factor.

When you take the decor out of the container and hold it in your hand does it bring you joy or blah! A smile or an humph!

1. If Blah! or humph these are signals that it is time to retire that decoration. It is hard to let go of seasonal decorations especially if it is a gift. However, you can still honor the sentiment of the gift giver while giving it away.

2. Place unused or joyless decor into a giveaway bag immediately.

3. Take bag to garage or hall closet.

Reassess the joy factor as you collect decorations to organize and put away at the end of the season/holiday. If there isn’t a spark, then let it join the give away bag permanently!

2. Yes joy, keep & pack it!

3. No joy let it go!

4. Welcome the new holiday/season.

5. Repeat

3. Packing

1. Pack carefully and efficiently

2. Take time to wrap delicate treasures.

3. Pack your treasures carefully with bubble wrap, paper, seasonal towels etc.

4. Pack the tub better than when you unpacked it.

5. Label and/or color code your containers by season, holiday, or event.

4. Storage

Storage, packing, and caring for you decorations is crucial to keeping delight in the season. Arrange storage strategically to allow you to quickly get to the next season’s decorations.

Match decoration with appropriate storage type.

Bags-wreaths

Tubs- cups, towels, ceramics

Use towels of the season to wrap & pack the treasures.

Remaining bath towels, shower curtains, hand towels, soaps, etc. that

cannot fit in the tub container go into my linen closets.

These are also stored by season/holiday.

Shower curtains, hand towels, or bath rugs are stacked in the order of the

seasons so that I can get to them quickly.

1. Orange/Black = Fall/Halloween

2. Clear with brown lid = Thanksgiving

3. Green/Red Advent/Christmas

4. Yellow or light blue = Spring/Easter

5. Red/Blue = Summer/4th of July

Good luck and have fun this year with your holiday decorating and inventorying. Remember take it one season/holiday at a time. And don’t stop once the year has passed, keep going every year.

Inevitably you will receive gifts from others to add to your home decor. Use the philosophy of “one in, one out” and you will always find joy in your home throughout the year! And if in doubt contact us, SK Simple Solutions, to help organize your way through the season!

SK out! Have a great week! Be Happy!