Keeping It Together on Thanksgiving Day

Having people over Thanksgiving Day?  Feeling a bit overwhelmed by agreeing to host the family this year?  If you spend just a little extra time today and tomorrow, you’ll be ready to relax and enjoy your company.

Today, the Tuesday before Thanksgiving is the ideal day to make sure you have all ingredients on hand (and if you don’t have a menu yet, well, don’t despair-- just hurry and get that order in at the gourmet grocery!).  It’s the day to make sure that those food assignments you parceled out last week are, indeed, going to show up.  It’s the day to pull out the right number of dishes, serving pieces, and linens – if you are missing anything, there’s still time to borrow a place setting from your sister.  It’s the day to make that pumpkin cheesecake and roast the chestnuts for the stuffing.  Prepare those dishes that can be made a few days ahead.  And, today is the day to make sure the house is clean.  If it’s not, just do a quick pick-up, wipe-down, and vacuum.  It’ll do.  Oh, and if the turkey isn’t defrosting yet, you better head to the store to buy a fresh bird.

The day before Thanksgiving is the day to set your table and, if you are serving buffet-style, set up the sideboard.  Arrange serving dishes how you will want them set for dinner.  Then, take the serving spoon (or tongs or fork…) for that dish, label its purpose with a tiny piece of masking tape on the back, and lay the spoon down where the dish will be.  All organized, and no scrambling at dinnertime when the peas have no spoon.  The day before is also the ideal day to finish as much food prep as possible, so come morning it’s just a matter of roasting the turkey, tossing the salad, and heating up the mashed potato casserole.  If you planned well and passed out food assignments covering everything but the turkey, take a few minutes and create a Thanksgiving soundtrack for dinner, including favorites from each family member.  Then play Guess Who Loves This Song during dinner.

Just remember, Thanksgiving is a time to enjoy each other’s company, to take the time to be grateful for all we are given.  The only thing needed for a perfect Thanksgiving is a grateful heart and people to share the Thanksgiving spirit with.  Those burned orange rolls will be the hilarious story next year.  No shame in that.

Storing Holiday Ornaments And Keeping Them Safe

The holiday season usually seems to end as quickly as it begins. The excitement of and time spent unpacking holiday decorations and placing them around the house is expeditiously replaced with the need to take them down and pack them away for the next 11 months. Taking them down amidst returning to work, school, and requests from some to leave them up a little while longer however can make the task a bit daunting. When taking holiday decorations down you're also faced with the task of storing them safety for use next year.

The storage of Christmas and other holiday ornaments however isn't as simple as one might think. There is of course not just packing ornaments away but the matter in which they are stored too. The types of ornament storage containers you place ornaments and decorations in also affects their durability and ability to be used for years upon years. Even individuals that use top of the line storage boxes however will find that the location in which holiday ornaments are stored play a huge role in the caducity of the ornaments and can determine whether or not they're usable after a year of storage.

There are many things an individual can do to safely store their ornaments and precious holiday keepsakes for another years use and a number of things people should be conscience of when packing them away. Keeping the following things in mind can protect your ornaments and keep them safe for a lifetime and reduce the wear and tear then normally receive while in storage.

Tender loving care: Giving your ornaments plenty of TLC goes a long way in preserving their color, durability, and even prolonging their lifespan. When taking down holiday ornaments treat them as you would perishables or items of the most sensitive nature. Removing them from trees, stairwells, and the exteriors of homes with great care, being careful not to snag them on surrounding hooks and permanent fixtures can keep them intact and ready them for storage without any type of damage.

Sterling Pear Keepsake Ornament Storage Chest is durable keeping all your precious ornaments safe until you use them next year.

Invest in your ornaments: Many people view their holiday ornaments as family keepsakes, many of which have been in the family for years. Sadly however many of these same people simply pack their ornaments away into cardboard or even generic plastic boxes. Even more alarming is that these boxes are then placed into crowded garages, attics, and closets all of which tend to damage ornaments and cause the lose of heirlooms and holiday favorites. Fortunately for those who look at their ornaments and see more than mere decorations, there are plenty of ornament storage chests available from online vendors. The majority of these are affordable, convenient, and stylish, allowing for the safe and secure storage of holiday decorations. Buying an ornament storage bin should be the first thing people do, well before taking decorations down.

Sterling Pear offers 2 types of ornament storage boxes:

• Keepsake Ornament Storage Chest
• Signature Ornament Storage Box
  

Be Creative: Pulling holiday decorations down after the season concludes doesn't mean that any and all reminders of the holidays need to be put away for another year. Many of the ornament storage boxes for sale not only protect your ornaments and keepsakes from damage but they're designed to be part of your home decor and fit nicely into tight spaces for convenient and tidy storage. Many of these boxes boast holiday themed designs themselves while others are designed to fit naturally into any home's natural decorum. This means that ornaments can be safely stored out in the open all year giving you quick access to them when the holidays roll around once more.

Purchase Your Ornament Storage Box Today!