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The words “filing system” probably do not put you immediately in a festive mood—but maybe they should, because they are the key to an organized season of giving. In fact, putting together a filing system for gifts, parties and more is one of the simplest and most powerful holiday organization tips you are going to find.

Why? Well, think about it. You probably already have an informal filing system for the holidays. But it likely takes the form of a bunch of catalogs, magazine clippings, printables, recipes, and notes stashed away in a drawer somewhere. All these printouts and clippings can quickly mount out of control. Before you know it, they are no longer serving their purpose, because you cannot actually find anything.

Get organized for Christmas, Hanukkah, Yule, or any other winter holiday you celebrate by creating a real filing system.

As with any project to get organized for the Christmas season, this one will take some time—but it is ultimately going to save you a lot more of it, so it is totally worth it. Thankfully you do not need a whole lot in the way of supplies. Just one quick round of shopping at your local department store or online will give you what you need.

Here is how you create an organized filing system:

1. Begin by purchasing plastic containers for file storage. You do not need to get fancy with this. Just buy a basic plastic box with a lid and you will be all set. It does not need to be huge; just large enough to store papers (and possibly a few catalogs).

2. Next, get some dividers or file folders and label them. You can of course use any categories you want, but some ideas would include: Gift Ideas, Holiday Crafts, Party Planning, Recipes, Décor Ideas, Full Catalogs, and perhaps Next Year.

3. Now start filing everything you have for the holidays—everything important at any rate. This is a good time to cull out what you do not really need or want cluttering up your files. Store everything important behind the right divider.

Now you are ready to find what you need at the drop of a hat! Need to remind yourself of the gifts that your kids circled in this year’s holiday catalogs? Just check “Gift Ideas” for the pages you tore out. Can’t remember that brilliant idea you had for this year’s party? Check “Party Planning.” Continue to file new ideas as you go along. Already exceeded your gift budget, but just figured out an awesome gift for your daughter? File it under “Next Year,” and gift giving will be that much easier next holiday season.

As you can see, this is a simple but genius concept. You eliminate all that holiday planning clutter, and you have a working system which makes it much easier to actually get everything ready for the holidays. This same system will make your life simpler year after year. Before you know it, you’ll have more ideas than you know what to do with—but at least you’ll have them all sorted so you can find them!