Okay, we all want to start the New Year fresh and on the right track, don't we? Lose weight, exercise more, be more patient and so on. What about putting those Christmas ornaments and decorations away? I don't know about you, but if I don't allow enough time to do this, I end up tossing everything in boxes, regardless of category. At that point, I just want to get it done.

So let's begin with our first resolution, shall we? Do you search for that special ornament every year? We are going to take care of that problem so we can easily find everything next year. But next year seems so far away and we'll get to those boxes before then and organize everything. So before we know it, we are putting everything in boxes, usually without labels, with the best of intentions to get it all organized before next Christmas.

We all know this isn't going to happen. All we are doing is making next year's decorating job more time consuming and much more difficult than it has to be.

To do it right, get yourself a few large boxes or large plastic storage bins with lids and some newspapers. Cushion the bottom of the box with crumpled up tissue paper, newspaper, or even recycle the wrapping paper that came off the gifts, if you still have it. Remove all heirloom or breakable ornaments from the tree and wrap them in tissue paper to protect them. Take more newspaper and make another layer and repeat the process. Label the box and you are done with the ornaments.

If you are save lights from year to year, here's a great way to store them without having a tangle next year. Take those newspapers again and roll 5 or 6 pages up to form a tube. After carefully removing each string of lights from the tree, wrap each string around a tube, put the tubes in a box, label and you are finished with that chore.

For your artificial greenery around the house, first, get a box, (but you knew that, right?) roll up each piece or section, put it in a clear plastic bag and seal it with packing tape. You won't need a lot of tape, just enough to label the bag. Repeat this until you have all the greenery packed away. Get more of those boxes, fill them with the wrapped greenery, label, and you guessed it, you're done.

Now, if you have special dishes just for the holidays, cookie jars, candy dishes, etc., you will want to do the same thing. This time you want to be extra careful because most of these things will be breakable. Pretend you are moving, and wrap each item securely and pack it in a box with cushioning, filling any gaps with crumpled paper to keep everything safe until next Christmas.

Oh, did we forget about the tree? If it is an artificial tree, hopefully you have saved the box it came in when you bought it. If not, try to find a box it will fit in, pack it neatly in the box and label it. If you can't locate a box, wrap it in plastic to protect it from dust. You can buy a large roll of painter's plastic at any home improvement store for about $10 and you will have plenty left over for any future projects you may have.

Don't you feel better? Just knowing that when it comes time for the holidays next year, you won't have to search for anything. It will all be packed away and labeled neatly, just ready for you to open up and know exactly what's in there. Merry Christmas 2009.