Prolong Seasons Greetings with the Proper Care and Storage of Holiday Decorations

I've always wanted some weird little product to sell on QVC. The first thing I would do--that is, after creating the product--would be to get a perfect manicure so that I might be able to point to my new, lifesaving creation and coo, "Can we get a close up on that trim, Bob? Take a look at that sheen! Oh, that's nice."

Well, I am proud to announce I have finally decided on my debut product! All I have to do now is find some financial backers, but I think this baby is going to be a big hit during all post-holidays: A neon sign that reads, "PROCRASTINATION RULES!"

The Procrastination Rules sign will easily attach to existing Christmas lights and then when neighbors drive by in April, at least there will be some sort of explanation or acknowledgment in place. My favorite procrastinators are quite adept at morphing one holiday into the next. Halloween spiders and witch hats are left up until the beginning of December and are then replaced by laughing Santa heads that are left up until Easter becoming giant blow-up bunnies that are then switched out for 4th of July flags which stay up the rest of the year until the return of Halloween. Such dedication to the holiday spirit!

Perhaps if I gifted these neighbors with some nifty storage solutions, I could save the entire community a ton of visual grief. I'd like to give these procrastinating pros the benefit of the doubt and assume that all this nonsense began one Christmas long, long ago when taking down lights, trees, ornaments and wreaths was way too arduous of a task as there was no place to put anything.

After a bit of research, Walmart and Stacks and Stacks win for most storage solutions at the lowest cost. For an initial investment of about $50 - $75, you can pack away all your Christmas Ornaments, lights and wreath in compartmentalized boxes that guard against dust and breakage. My favorite products are the Christmas light spools for under $15 that will save you hours of time and aggravation.

If your Christmas tree is artificial, your best bet for efficiency and cost effectiveness is to disassemble it and return it to its natural boxed habitat, but for the procrastinators that's never going to fly. Unfortunately, storing the artificial Christmas tree in a customized bag is about as expensive as the initial purchase of the tree itself, with the average cost at over $100. I solicited opinions from my family the day after Christmas and got the post-holiday sighs and comments like, "We don't want to think about that right now," along with varying ideas ranging from sheets to sturdy garbage bags wrapped around and clipped to the branches on each side to the "who-cares" attitude which basically means leaving it up in the garage to collect cob webs and confused insects.

Of course, if you do the math, storing an artificial tree in a fancy zip-up bag, complete with rolling stand for $180 will eventually find a return on investment in about two years when compared with the yearly cost of a real tree. Still, I can think of a lot of things to do with $100 after the holidays!

Either way, I know my little neon sign creation is going to make lots of people happy and leave them speechless, without judgment. Excuses, announcements and explanations spelled out in neon lights have always been a winning product. Just ask Vegas.