A Plan for December 26th

December 26th is a reckoning of sorts. If there was ever a day that should be named a national organizing holiday, it’s the day after Christmas. You don’t need to be anywhere and your living room is bursting with new items, bits of wrapping paper, and a few stray bows that made their way under the couch. Don’t have room for those new toys that Grandma bought for the boys? Santa went overboard and it looks like a bomb went off in your living room? Grab a cup of coffee and get ready to end the year on a good (and organized) note.

Here are Five Ways for Post-Holiday Tidying Up:

1. Returns.

Whether it’s the Santa sweater that your mother-in-law gave you (again) or the bubble bath gift set from your neighbor, we all get gifts that we don’t like or can’t use. Gather up all of the gifts that you can return and place them in a pile. Get organized with a plan of attack for hitting the stores (today or another day). Simply having all of your returns in one place, like the trunk of the car, means you are ten times more likely to actually get around to exchanging them for something more useful.

2. Thank You Notes.

What better way to spend the day than surrounded by gifts and a nice set of new stationery? Ok, it might not be your idea of a dream day, but if you write those thank you notes now (while the gifts, and their givers, are fresh on your mind), you’ll get one more thing crossed off your to-do list.

3. Re-gift.

Yes, that’s right. Make a pile of items that have no gift receipt, can’t be returned, and are just not something you’d want. No, it’s not a sin to re-gift an item, as long as you give it to someone who will actually enjoy it (and it’s not the person who gave it to you!). We recommend either putting a small sticker on the bottom of each item you plan to re-gift with the name of the person who gave you the gift, so that you avoid the embarrassing situation of re-gifting it to them. Just peel the sticker off once you are ready to gift it to the next person.

4. Budget.

This is a great time to review your gift and budget list and make any last minute additions or subtractions. Update your list now so you can have a clear idea next year of how much you spent and which person received which item.

5. Go Shopping!

No, that isn’t a misprint. Didn’t get what you were hoping for after all? This is a great time to hit the stores and pick up what Santa didn’t bring you. After-Christmas sales and deals are perfect for snapping up those items that just didn’t make it under the tree. Just get organized first so you don’t forget to bring those gift cards with you!