We take a short break in our posts about New Year’s resolutions to talk about the end of the Christmas season. Twelfth Night and the Epiphany have passed. That means that it’s time to think about taking down Christmas decorations. (Yes, I know some people take their decorations down before New Year’s Eve. I do not understand this.) In the Catholic Church, the liturgical season of Christmas extends through Sunday, the Feast of the Baptism of the Lord, but that feast need not be celebrated with full decorations.

As you take down decorations, here are some things to keep in mind:

• Do not store things that are broken or that you no longer wish to use. Keep the things that need to be repaired close to hand. Things that you won’t repair or use in the future should be donated, recycled, or trashed, as appropriate.
• Once all the decorations are down, give things a good sweep, dusting, and/or vacuuming. And think twice about putting everything back the way it was before Christmas. Live with the less-cluttered space for a week or two. You may find that you like it better this way!
• As you put away your Christmas presents, remove and donate/recycle/trash the things they were meant to replace. For example, I received a new set of measuring cups for baking. The old ones will come out of the closet and go into the donation box.
• Gather up all the gift cards you received and put them where you will find them. Check to make sure that none assess monthly fees. If any do, use those ASAP. Do make sure that you use the gift cards you have received. So much money is wasted in unused gift cards! If you don’t like the store, donate it, re-gift it, or sell it online.
• Take a few minutes to write down what worked well this year and what didn’t, what you’d like to try in the coming year, what decorations need to be replaced, etc. It’s not a bad idea to keep a holiday file with these ideas.
• Finally, take a look at how well you kept to your Christmas budget and adjust this year’s budget accordingly. start saving!