Tis the season to be exhausted, y’all. I know that may seem a little out of character, considering I normally rival Buddy the Elf in Christmas spirit, but between our travel schedule and filming our show, I’m feeling (and probably look) more like a tired mall Santa who’s ready to clock out. With that said, it still doesn’t change the fact that I’m solely responsible for making sure we don’t forget anyone on our gift list.
To simplify the upcoming holiday season, my first order of business was to update my gifting closet, starting with an edit. I tossed any wrapping paper that was ripped or bows that were damaged. If a gift tag was bent, I tossed that too. Since I was able to clear out some valuable real estate, it gave me even more of a reason to head to the store and buy the new wrapping paper I’ve had my eye on along with a lot of other holiday gifting supplies I need this year.
Another way I’m simplifying the season and checking some things off the to-do list is by using my Capital One Quicksilver card, which lets me earn unlimited 1.5% cash back on every purchase I make, everywhere I shop so I don’t have to spend time thinking about which card to use. So yeah, I decided to buy the wrapping paper…and the ribbon…and the gift tags, too.
A designated gifting station in your home is a gift that keeps on giving. For starters, there’s nothing better than opening a closet door and seeing all the fun colors and prints, especially in rainbow order. It’s also functional: You can store all of your supplies, as well as your gifts, in the same place. And since gifting isn’t reserved for just the holidays, you can swap out the seasonal items and utilize the station for any occasion.
The space you need is dependent on the items you have, so it’s important to edit your items before deciding on a system. If you don’t have an entire closet to spare, a simple over-the-door rack can be just as functional.
For my gifting
station, I took advantage of every square inch with stackable bins on the
shelves, large baskets on the floor and top shelf, and an over-the-door
rack.
I always suggest utilizing an over-the-door rack because you can customize it to your needs. Mine includes baskets for ribbon, gift tags, and cards, a utility board with a hook for my scissors, and a deep basket for gift wrap, with a holder to store the rolls upright.
Within each clear stackable bin, I used cups in various sizes to contain the items in categories. Instead of designating bins per item category (Ribbons, Tissue, Gift Tags) in bins, I chose to categorize by occasion. This makes it easier to find what I’m looking for, rather than having to file through items I don’t need.
As I mentioned
before, I made my gifting closet into a multi-purpose space that also holds any
seasonal decor that I plan to use for photoshoots or parties. I used the same
clear stackable bins, which help to maximize space and can be easily moved to a
less-accessible location when the holidays are over.
The open baskets
on the floor are designated for the gifts that I’ve already wrapped and are
ready to give. The baskets on the top shelf are for the gifts that need to be
wrapped or any items that I want to gift at some point in the future. This
system works really well because it gives a place for these items to live and
provides me a visual to-do list.
All in all, a
gifting station, whether it’s an entire closet or a multi-purpose space, is a
way to simplify a task that plagues many of us all-year-round. And that, my
friends, is the definition of a Christmas miracle.
xo, clea
Thoughts welcome!