Shopping Cart How to keep track of your family and friends (or, making room in your brain for other stuff)
It’s that time of year when it’s fun to check the mailbox and look for season’s greetings from family and friends. As you exchange holiday cards this time of year, keep track of information about family and friends with a simple spreadsheet. It’ll help you in more ways than one:
– Update names and addresses. Whether the people in your life have moved, married, or welcomed a new addition to the family, you’ll have a place to keep the information current all year round.
– Stay on top of the little ones’ ages and everyone’s hobbies and interests. Add a column to jot notes so you’ll have a reference to go to for gift ideas that are age-appropriate and practical.
– Create a mailing shortcut. Make it easier to send post-holiday “thank you” notes by mail merging your address list onto printable Avery Labels using the free Avery Design & Print Online program. Plus, you’ll be all set for next year when it comes time to address your holiday greetings again.
How to make the most of your kitchen-time (and focus on creating fabulous holiday foods)
How convenient—as the temperature drops outside, one of the best places to be is the warm and cozy kitchen inside! Whether you’re prepping to bake for school, gifts, and parties, or even planning an elaborate holiday meal for your loved ones, these little organization tips can help make your kitchen time run smoothly.
– Flag the goodies and dishes you’ll make. Which recipes will make the cut this holiday? Mark your favorite items from your cookbooks and magazines with Avery NoteTabs®. These durable tabs make it easy to flip to pages, and they’re removable and repositionable so you can move them around from recipe to recipe as you finalize your list. The writeable surface also comes in handy so you can add notes, like when you need to double the recipe or substitute ingredients.
– Get your grocery list “to go.” Now that you’ve got your holiday menu set, it’s time to get your ingredients. As you prepare your grocery shopping list, grab a ruled pad of Avery Perforated Sticky Notes. These lined pads were meant for people who like to be organized and make lists! You can choose to leave the adhesive strip on the note so you can attach it to your grocery cart or coupon binder, or tear off the strip for a non-sticky note that won’t collect odd bits and pieces from your purse.
– Freeze now, bake later. In anticipation of the baking and cooking madness that’s to come, prep items such as cookie dough or soups early and store them in the freezer. Just mark your containers with freezer-safe Avery Durable I.D. Labels, and add the baking or reheating instructions to make it easier to whip them up later.
How to solve the holiday decorations mystery (or, what to do when the string of lights say, “let’s knot”)
Reuniting with your holiday decorations a year later can feel like a crash course in investigative work. Which box holds the tree topper? What ornaments survived from last year? And why does that tangled ball of lights get bigger (and harder to unravel) every time? Do yourself a favor with these nifty tips on getting them all organized this year, and thank yourself next year.
| – Control the crazed cord of lights. Face it, you’ve got incredible patience if you can get those holiday lights back in the box they came in. Try this instead: identify where each string of lights should go, such as the “tree,” “foyer,” or “stairway,” with customizable, heat-resistant Avery Printable Cord Tags. When it’s time to pack them up, just wrap the string around cardboard with slits on opposite sides so you can tuck in the ends, then pop each set into a bag or plastic container to keep them dry during the year.- Deck your decoration storage boxes. After your ornaments and decorations have worked hard this season, let them rest comfortably ‘til next winter. Use Avery Adhesive Pockets with Card Inserts to mark storage boxes so you’ll know what’s inside, and your ornaments won’t be disturbed during the year. And when worn out ornaments are retired, just print a card listing the new arrivals and quickly update the same box. |  |
– Save that thought. Like how your decorating endeavors turned out this year? Take a snapshot of your décor and place it in your holiday decorations box so you’ll have a jumping off point for next year.
A little organization can help you enjoy the holidays the way they’re meant to be enjoyed—happy and relaxed, not frazzled and exhausted. Make hectic holidays a thing of the past with a little help from Avery.”
