Gift Wrap ... Contained

This week's post is written by Professional Organizer Monica Friel, president of Chaos to Order based in Chicago and Atlanta. They have been featured on The Oprah Winfrey Show and Hoarding: Buried Alive, as well as in Better Homes and Gardens, just to name a few. You can find them on the web at www.chaostoorder.com

It's no wonder people are stressed out around the holidays, there are so many more things to think about, to do and to organize during the month of December. Gift wrapping is one of many tasks: you need to purchase gift wrap, store it and have it accessible for wrapping gifts quickly. Some people wrap gifts as they bring them in, others store them all up and have one big wrapping session once all the gifts are purchased.

However you prefer to do the wrapping, having a good place to store the tubes of holiday paper is a must. Storing tubes upright is especially nice if you do a lot of wrapping because you can easily access what you need. This vertical wrap box from Sterilite is sturdy and durable. If you want to tuck the gift wrap out of the way and under a bed, try the 41 quart underbed box. If you don't keep too many rolls, you can also make room in the box for bows, gift bags, tags, tape etc. To keep paper from unraveling or tearing, wrap a rubber band around the roll.

However you choose to store your wrapping paper, having an organized place to contain it will help make the time you spend gift wrapping a bit more peaceful.