Deck The Halls With Mess And Clutter...

fa la la la la...wait a minute. There is much to enjoy about the December holiday season but inevitably, at least in my house, it also creates a lot of clutter. Mind you, my "house," a townhouse by definition, is tiny, so there's no room for excess. Around Thanksgiving, as I start to accumulate shipping boxes from online retailers, wrapping paper, tissue, gift bags, bows, a stray pair of scissors, roll of Scotch tape, piles of Christmas cards received as well as those waiting to be sent, things get ugly. If I make the mistake of trying to add some decorative holiday flair to the environs, then I've really written the recipe for disaster. Looking around last night, I could scarcely recognize my home underneath all that stuff.

If you're feeling the same way, you could go to the nearest discount store and spend a fortune on plastic storage boxes to see if that helps. I went to one of the famous "big box" retailers on Sunday and they seemed to have imported an entire plastic storage box warehouse into their store, so there must be a demand. But if you long for professional advice beyond "put it in a box and stick it in the attic," the library should be your first stop. We have dozens of books on house cleaning and clutter busting, so you can get a handle on your house and start breathing a little more easily. See what's available right now by using this one-click search:

Cleaning and clutter busting books
If you see something you like, place a hold and we'll let you know when you can come by to pick it up (in other words, save a trip in this cold weather).

Happy house-organizing!  Do you have any advice for someone who needs to help getting organized and reducing clutter and mess? Let us know.