13 Things You Can Do Right Now to Start Prepping For The Holidays

Now is the time to start thinking about the holidays. As a professional organizer and concierge company, we know a thing or two about the holidays. They get insanely busy for us and we absolutely love every second of it. Below are 13 things that you can start doing now in order to prep for the holidays and get an early head start. Remember, do what you can when you can. If it is not in the cards for you right now or this year, then skip it. 

1. Create a holiday binder to keep all holiday related things together: calendars, gift lists, mailing supplies, meal plans, give back, volunteering, etc.

2. Create a holiday budget. To help with overspending during the holidays, here are some things to consider: shopping, events, giving, cards, house to-dos, meals, mailing / shipping supplies, etc. 

3. Make lists: shopping lists, gift lists, to-do lists, holiday bucket lists, Halloween to-do, Thanksgiving to-do, Hanukkah to-do, Christmas to-do, lists of all the things you need to do around, etc.

4. Print blank calendar pages and begin filling it with school commitments, holiday events, appointments, etc.

5. Book appointments: hair, house deep clean, carpet cleaners, window washers, light hangers, organizers, decorators, concierges, photographer, self-care, any other services you know you will use during the holidays.

6. Book reservations. If you know you want to go to special places during the holidays go ahead and make reservations, if you can. Book date nights, lunch or dinner with friends or any dates you know you may need a break.

7. Arrange for pet care. If you know you will be traveling make sure you have pet care all lined up. 

8. Book travel plans. Transportation, lodging, activities, and anything else related to travel.

9. Book doctors appointments. The end of the year is one of the busiest time for doctors offices, so go ahead and get those dates booked. 

10. Take advantage of sales for holiday events & experiences during the holidays.

11. Start purchasing gifts & begin wrapping. Consider experience gifts like memberships, spa treatments, things to do, etc.

12. Review your address list. Update your addresses for people you know that have moved or for people that their card came back from the previous year. 

13. Purchase gift cards for stores you know you will shop at during the holidays in order to help you budget during the holidays.

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Gift Wrapping Tips & Tricks

 

At Eco Modern Concierge we are gift wrapping experts and we help residential and business clients all over Houston and beyond with their gift wrap needs. From shopping, organizing gift wrap, organizing the gift wrap process, meeting deadlines and trying to get things done early, etc. It can be a tedious time consuming thing that many people do not want to do. So if this is something you don't like doing consider hiring a professional organizer or concierge to help you get this task done. 

• Always use excess ribbon.
• It is best to use a medium to heavy grade paper. 
• If you are doing special things to your presents like pleating the paper buy paper that has grids. 
• Buy gift wrap & ribbon at the end of the season when it is inexpensive and practice, practice, practice. 
• There are many ways to measure paper so you get the exact amount like going 2/3rds up the side, measuring 1/2 from the middle of the box, using a ruler (handy on large packages), etc. 
• Measure ribbon by getting a tail on the ribbon and measure 5x by the longest edge. You would rather have too much than too little ribbon. 
• Place the top of the package facing down when you are wrapping. 
• Use fabric scissors only on ribbon, not gift wrap.
• Use double stick tape to get the no edge look.
• Use clear twist ties to secure special bows and embellishments.

You can shop all gift wrapping essentials on the Eco Modern Concierge shop page. 

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Ribbon Favorites

 

Since we are professional organizers and a concierge company / holiday concierge experts. We wrap a ton of presents and love it. These are some client favorites and ribbon we love using. 

Ivory ribbon with gold trim: This is always a popular ribbon we use because it is actually really pretty and it a great piece for 100 yards of it.

Red silk ribbon: This is a classic that we use with client gifts every year. 

Red and white striped: I love this ribbon and think it is a classic look.

Chiffon silk ribbon with frayed edges:  I love this ribbon because it is so delicate and feminine.

White grosgrain ribbon fringe edge: This is a pretty ribbon with I love the gold fringe ribbon.

Blue chiffon silk ribbon with frayed edges: Just like the ivory one above, but in various shades of blue. So pretty.

Grey and gold ribbon: So pretty and it is wired, so you can make pretty bows with it.

Velvet ribbon: These come in various sizes, but I love velvet ribbon.

Green yarn ribbon: I have used this for years and love it. 

Baker's Twine: Always a fun, simple way to wrap up packages or layer on other ribbon.

Blue jute: Perfect for Hanukkah or just a winter wonderland theme. 

Green and ivory ribbon: We used this at a client's house recently for Christmas decorations and it looks great. 

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Houston Professional Organizer // Gift Wrap Organization

 

We love organizing gift wrap stations! As a professional organizer, I think I love them so much because you can see such fun transformations. A lot of people have their gift supplies just all mixed in with each other or it is just very chaotic, so the transformations are always awesome. Some people have a lot gift wrap, while others have hardly anything. Having your gift wrap organize is always good because you can find exactly what you need when you need it. I find that most of my clients are usually in a hurry when they need gift wrap supplies because it is usually when they are headed out the door and need to bring the gift with them. Also, with the holidays right around the corner you want to make sure everything is all organized. We love working with this client because they are the absolute sweetest, well most all of my clients are!

We did not use any product in this area and just used what they already had. So here is what we did: 

1. We sorted like items together 
2. Rainbowed the ribbon
3. Put various bags and boxes together
4. Put tissue all together and rainbowed it
5. Got rid of anything that was torn or clearly trash
6. The drawers were long enough and deep enough that we could keep all the rolls of wrapping paper together. 

I love rainbowing a lot of areas, you probably know that if you have worked with or have seen our projects. Rainbowing when it comes to ribbon and tissue is especially helpful because usually you are trying to perfect gifts with tissue, ribbons or bows based on color. 

How do you organize your gift wrap?

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My Container Store Gift Wrapping Favorites 2020

 

Being a professional organizer and holiday concierge in Houston, TX it is part of my job to stay on top of what the latest is of a lot of things, including gift wrapping since we do a ton of gift wrapping and buy a lot of gift wrapping products for clients. Below are some of my favorite gift wrapping supplies from The Container Store. This year it appears their stock is much lower than past years, but they definitely still have some great finds.

Blue Wrapping Paper: I saw this wrapping and immediately loved it for the clients I will be helping wrap Hanukkah presents for. 

Wrapping Paper Holder: This wrapping paper holder is a must for gift wrap. Always choose the tallest wrapping paper holder like this one for those large rolls. 

Red & White Grosgrain Ribbon: I love using grosgrain ribbon for so many things and I think this red and white one is a classic. 

Adhesive Roller: Makes taping down packages so much easier. 

Scandinavian Boxes: I had not seen these before and thought they were cute for the holidays.

Vintage Wrapping Paper: I love the classic vintage paper and The Container Store has a lot of them this year. 

Elf Gift Wrapping Cutter: I got this last year and was skeptical, but once you get the hang of it, it actually works really well. 

Holiday Tags: I thought these holiday tags were cute and simple. 

Gold Glitter Decorative Tape: I thought this would be fun to decorate packages with and it comes in other colors as well. 

Super Tape: If you have never used this tape, it is ultra sticky and works great for glitter wrapping paper. 

Splatter Wrapping Paper: Another fun option for my clients who celebrate Hanukkah.

Beer / Drink Bags: I thought these were so cute and perfect if you would be attending any type of gathering this year. 

Wine Bag: There is a decent selection of wine bags this year, but I liked this one. 

Grey Ribbon: I loved this ribbon with the gold edge.

Gift Wrapping Cart: Lots of clients have this and I think it is great to keep wrapping supplies organized and the bonus is you can move it easily from room to room.

Vintage Santa Wrapping Paper: Once again I loved this vintage wrapping paper. 

Gift Box: I really liked this simple brown box with a red ribbon and thought it would be perfect for a gift card or something small. 

Merry Money Holder: Simple and cute money holder for those that make gift giving easy.

Gift Tags: I guess I like simple, clean lined things like these gift tags.

Gold Seals: I liked these seals to seal envelopes or baked goods boxes and bags. 

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Holiday Tips You Can Start Doing Right Now To Get Ahead

I know it may seem early to start prepping for the holidays, but in order to relieve some stress and in an effort to get ahead of the game, I thought I would give you some tips that have worked for many of my clients and myself. We help organizing and concierge clients all the time get organized for the holidays and try to make them as stress free as possible. Here are several holiday tips of things you can do right now to prepare for the holidays.

 Start stocking up on gift cards. I know I have talked about this before, but now is a great time to start stocking up on gift cards for stores you know you will shop at during the holidays. This way when it comes to holiday shopping you have already "saved" for it and you don't feel as strapped for money. Also, many grocery stores will offer double and triple reward points throughout the year on gift cards and that is also a great time to stop up on them while getting extra points.

If you are shopping sales right now, think about your holiday gift list and stock up on items now. Even some experience gifts like museum & zoo memberships, subscription boxes, etc. are offering great deals right now. Stocking up on gifts now lessens the stress later in the holiday season.

If you already have a stockpile of gift, take inventory of what you have now. That way you are not overbuying during the holidays. Also, take inventory of your gift wrap supplies. 

If there are certain services you know you will use during the holidays, book them now before their appointments fill up. Plus, you will get a better choice on a day and time you want. Book services like photographers, carpet cleaners, caterers, house cleaners for deep cleans, organizers / concierges;), etc. 

Book your doctor appointments now if you are trying to meet your end of year deductible and spend your FSA money. If the doctor is already booked, get on their waiting list.

If you tip certain service people like lawn services, cleaning services, nannies, etc. during the holidays, start putting cash aside in envelopes for them that way you don't forget and you're ahead of the game. 

Start reviewing your holiday card list. Update addresses and take advantage of card sales when they happen in October and November. 

Paying for certain holiday services early will often give you bigger discounts. 

Many holiday light companies in Houston offer discounts anywhere from 50-75% off if you get your lights installed at the end of October versus in late November and December. Just because you have them installed doesn't mean you have to turn them on. Also, some Christmas tree companies will give you a discount if you pre-order your Christmas tree early.

Always ask stores for discounts and to price compare. Many stores will price compare, take expired coupons, discount various items if a box is damaged and sometimes you can even add on a coupon after price matching for even bigger discounts. It doesn't hurt to ask, and the worst that can happen is the manager says no.

Start decluttering your home now. Declutter areas that are often used during the holidays like kitchens, pantries, guest bedrooms, kids rooms, playrooms, etc. Donate, sell or give away your no longer needed items.

If Eco Modern Concierge can help with any organization or concierge services during the holidays feel free to call or email us, info@ecomodernconcierge.com. We'd love to help!! Visit our website to see holiday services that we often offer. 

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