A GON Reader Asks:

Hi Maria,

I have stored holiday decorations (Christmas, Valentine's Day, Easter, Birthday, Independence day, Halloween, Diwali) in different boxes and am looking for the best way to label them. Any suggestions other than the usual sticky labels?

This fabulous GON reader 'Ask Maria' question was submitted by:

Sharmila Pandith
New York, NY

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Maria Gracia responds:

Hi Sharmila,

Excellent question! To begin, I use large, see-through Rubbermaid boxes with lids to keep holidays separate. My categories are: New Year's, Valentine's Day, St. Patrick's Day, Easter/Spring, Patriotic/Summer, Halloween/Fall, Thanksgiving, and Christmas. I have one box for each and all the holidays are stored in one basement closet...except Christmas (I have quite a few Christmas boxes...and they're all stored in their own separate basement closet).

I don't use the sticky labels for this purpose, although you certainly could if you wanted to. However, if I went this route, I would choose removable chalkboard labels and a chalkboard marker. This way, if you want to change the label, you can do so easily without leaving sticky residue behind on your box. Or, if you just want to change the category, you can just erase and re-write it.

I actually don't use sticky labels at all. Instead, I print (NEW YEAR'S, VALENTINE'S DAY, etc.) on full sheets of 8-1/2 x 11 inch paper and tape it to the inside of the box so the words show through the box. There is less of a chance of the paper getting ripped off the box if it's on the inside. Plus, if I place the box on the floor when I bring it upstairs from the basement, our pet bunny won't be able to nibble on the paper.

That being said, if you're using opaque boxes, you'd have to stick the paper on the outside and tape around the entire sheet so it doesn't catch on anything.

I like to give folks options, so another possibility is using a 'key coding system.' In this case, you'd stick something on the outside of the box, like a red circle sticker on one, a green circle sticker on another, etc. and then keep a 'key' or reference printed out in that storage area/room so you can identify which boxes go with which stickers.

One more thought is using ribbons around whatever boxes or baskets you're using along with decorative tags as labels...if you're looking for something that is functional and looks pretty.

A final tip that I'd like to share is that I stack the boxes in my decorations closet so that the holiday coming up is the quickest and easiest to grab. I have mine organized in two stacks. When the holiday is over, it goes to the bottom of that stack (as you can see in this case with New Year's) and the upcoming holiday is always on top.:

STACK ONE
Valentine's Day
St. Patrick's Day
Easter/Spring
Patriotic/Summer

STACK TWO
Halloween/Fall
Thanksgiving
New Year's

...and remember, I keep Christmas decorations in a separate closet in my case, because I have quite a bit.

Hope this helps!

Maria

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