Stay Organized for the Holidays! Start a Gift Closet!

Would you like to be more organized and prepared for the holidays? Would you like to have planned ahead for people's birthdays, already having a gift in hand? Would you like to take advantage of the great sales when they happen, finding what you need and not having to run out at the last minute?

I bet you said "yes" to every single one. If you did, then what you need to consider starting in your home is a gift closet. Now a gift closet does not actually need to be a closet, or an entire closet that is dedicated to gifts. It can even be a single shelf dedicated to gifts. But what you do need is a private space in your home that the children do not know about - so they don't get too curious and won't go poking about to find an early birthday or Christmas/holiday present. A gift closet can keep you organized, help you save money and relieve you of lots of gift shopping angst.

Start by clearing the area in your home where you will keep gifts. Make sure it has a door you can close, or even a blanket that you can cover things with. The key is you want to keep things hidden. This is especially important because you will probably be buying things for your immediate family.

Next make a list of the family and friends that you usually buy gifts for. Write down their birthdays next to their names. Put the list somewhere you can see it in the closet, and also write down a copy for your datebook. When you look at this list, you will probably see that several birthdays are coming up in the next three months and these gifts you will need to buy immediately - but the other gifts you can take more advantage of sales and great opportunities.

On the list of your family and friends that has their birthdays, write down some basic gift ideas. So if your mother-in-law collects turtles, write down turtles next to her name. If she also loves cashmere, write down that also. That gives you two ideas to go with right away. Your list should be with you at all times, helping you to come up with great gift ideas. The list and the gift closet work together. The list helps you target items to put in the gift closet. The gift closet of course keeps the items in it. So the list is just as critical as the gift closet, it may actually be even more important because it helps you find the very best gifts for people.

Another great idea to keep in your gift closet is gift wrapping supplies. These you can find after major holidays for fifty percent off. A great tip is to buy the colors that you like, but not to get patterns that would designate what season they were from. So if you buy gift wrapping paper after Christmas, buy red, green, purple, blue or white paper - but not with a seasonal pattern on it like Christmas trees, Santas or snowflakes. Stripes, plaid or even little dots would be much easier for you to use during any season. Buy pretty bows and ribbon to compliment the gift wrapping paper. If you also buy cards ahead of time, this can be a real time saver.

Buying gifts ahead of time when you see them and know they are perfect for your friends and family will save you a lot of time and hassle. If you find things on sale, this is even better. Keeping a gift closet is fairly easy to do and doesn't take much work once you begin the process. Soon you will be buying holiday and birthday gifts for your family, and during the holiday time you will have lots of free time. Now that's a real gift!