Christmas Hacks to save you Time & Money!
It’s the Most Wonderful Time of the year! As you are Decorating, Baking and Storing away all those Christmas Memories check out this BIG list of Christmas Hacks to Simplify your life and Save you a little Money along the way!
1) Put those Amazon Boxes to Good Use
Use small boxes and cardboard as “Filler” Under Ornaments and decorations so that you don’t need as many to make a large container look full.
2) Store Ribbon Around Christmas Cards
Keep your Ribbon from getting tangled by storing it around Old Christmas Cards, it’s a great way to put something you would normally toss at the end of the season to good use, and it keeps your ribbon organized & tangle free for next year.
3) Use a Trash Can to Store Tall Wrapping Paper Rolls
Keep your Wrapping Paper Neat and Organized by storing it in an Empty Trash Can, this is a great way to keep it in an easy to grab place without having it rolling around your table.
4) Skip the Gingerbread Houses & Decorate Trees
Kids will have a ton of fun decorating Ice Cream Cones upside down, you can get creative and let them do 2 or 3 + They are a lot of fun to eat once your done with them and it’s a lot less stress than doing traditional gingerbread houses.
5) Dustbuster Your Tree Before Decorating
Get the dust out of your tree using a Dustbuster, this is a great way to remove dust or allergies that may have accumulated through the year. Just be careful to avoid getting branches or lights caught in the Dustbuster.
6) Place a Mason Jar inside Clear Vases as filler
If you are trying to fill a lot of containers it can take up a lot of candy and “Filler” Items, save a ton of money by placing Clear Mason Jars inside Clear Glass Vases to get the same full look with a smaller quantity of items.
7) Use Condiment Bottles for Icing Sugar Cookies
My kids love decorating Sugar Cookies, but the Icing can quickly turn into a mess. Use Condiment Bottles or these Wilton Decorating Bottles to keep icing mess free! It also makes writing names and initials super easy!
8) Store Glass Ornaments in Egg Cartons
Egg Cartons are designed to keep breakable things safe while being stored so they are great for small glass ornaments and other breakable items you want to protect while in storage.
9) Use Essential Oils to Keep Your Bathroom Smelling Great
Just a Few Drops of your favorite Essential Oils on the inside of the Toilet Paper Roll will help keep your bathroom smelling great all season long, the Cardboard acts as a natural diffuser and every time the roll is unrolled you will get a fresh release of the scent.
10) Use Fishing Line to Secure Decorations
If you have kids that may be pulling on things, or decorations your worried about staying in place, use Fishing Line and a small nail to help hold things in place, We used this Fishing line and small nail (Hidden behind the trim of the bookshelf) to secure garland over the mantle so that it won’t fall down if kids brush up against it.
11) Set up a Gift Wrap Station
Early in December I always set up a Gift Wrap Station with Scissors, Tape, Ribbon, Tags and more. Having everything in one easy to access place makes wrapping gifts as they arrive in the mail or are purchased super simple. It’s also easy for my Husband and Kids to find and wrap their own gifts as needed! Everything is in one easy to access spot so that gifts can be wrapped in just a few minutes time.
12) Make Your Home Smell Like Christmas with Essential Oils
You can make your own “Smell of Christmas” using Essential Oils, My favorite combination is 3 drops of Clove, 3 Drops of Cinnamon and 3 Drops of Orange.
13) Use Green Pipe Cleaners to Attach Ribbon to Trees and Garland.
Green Pipe Cleaners are really inexpensive and they hide well in trees, Cut Pipe Cleaners in half and then use them to attach Ribbon to Trees and other decorations, You won’t even notice the Green Pipe Cleaners because they blend in with the leaves on the tree.
14) Use a Necklace Ring and Hole Punch to Store Cards Neatly
Grab a Necklace Ring at a Craft Store (Similar to these) and add a few ribbons for decorations, then as your Christmas Cards come in punch a hole in the corner and add it to your ring, by the end of the season you’ll have an easy to flip through book with all your Christmas Cards stored neatly in one place!
15) Use a Hanger for Tangle Free Lights
You can use a Hanger to wrap your Christmas Lights when you store them, this keeps them tangle free and easy to use again next year!
16) Store Breakable Ornaments in Plastic Cups
You can keep breakable ornaments protected by storing them in Plastic Cups, these will stack nicely inside a box and everything will be easy to access next year, it’s much easier than individually wrapping glass ornaments.
17) Use Empty Toilet Paper Tubes to Secure Wrapping Paper
You can cut up one side of the Toilet Paper Tube to create an opening, then use the Toilet Paper Roll to secure loose ends of Wrapping Paper to keep everything neat and tidy.
18) Put your Microwave & Crockpot to Good Use
Skip the Candy Thermometer and make Traditional Favorites in the Crockpot or Microwave. This Microwave Truffle Fudge Recipe is AMAZING or check out this Microwave Peanut Brittle Recipe, it only takes a few minutes compared to the traditional version and it’s just as yummy!
