Gwen's Nest

Recipes, remedies, and reflections from my neck of the woods.

  • Home
  • Recipes
    • Recipe Index
    • Kitchen Tips
  • Trim & Healthy
    • Trim Healthy Mama Index
    • THM Book Review
    • THM Quick Start Guide
    • Weight Loss Before & After Series
    • THM Amazon Store
    • THM Recipes by Type
    • THM Recipes by Meal
  • Remedies & Health
    • Natural Remedy Index
    • Digestive Bitters Series
    • High Blood Calcium Series
    • Magnesium Deficiency Series
    • Plantain Herb Series
    • Rabbit Tobacco Herb Series
    • Whooping Cough
  • Reflections
  • Creative Home
    • Creative Home Index
  • Shop
    • Trim Healthy Store
    • Natural Health Remedies Store

The First Box Under My Christmas Tree Saves My Sanity

December 10, 2015 By Gwen Brown 6 Comments

The first box under my Christmas tree is my SANITY box- peek inside for my best Christmas organizing tips!The first box under my Christmas tree is my SANITY box. It’s one of the first boxes out of the attic, and I honestly don’t know how I lived without it. The idea for this struck me a couple of years ago as I was rushing around looking for the special hooks for the stockings…where did I leave those again? And the light fuses. Wait. This ornament needs a hook. And the string broke on this one. Where is the glue?

It occurred to me how nice…how ESSENTIAL it is to have all of this itty bitty critical stuff for decorating all in one spot. And what better spot than right under the tree!

Full Disclosure: This post may contain affiliate links. We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites. Disclosure Page

So I bought a pretty flip open box at my local craft store, and stocked it with the following essentials:christmas organizing tips (10 of 12)

My Christmas Tree Sanity Box Contains

  • scissors
  • glue
  • tape
  • upholstery hooks for hanging things on the drapes
  • a small hot glue gun & glue sticks
  • a light gun- more on that in a minute!
  • extra hooks
  • string and toothpicks for replacing broken loops (the toothpick lets me poke the new string down into the wooden ornaments with a dot of glue to hold it)
  • super glue
  • thin wire
  • replacement bulbs & fuses
  • command hooks

The box holds more than just decorating essentials. Since I live with a Viking spawn child, the sanity box is also a makeshift ornament hospital.

christmas organizing tips (6 of 12)

And it can even hold gift tags and tape to keep on hand for wrapping. christmas organizing tips (12 of 12)

We have a prelit tree, and last year I spent HOURS trying to tack down why several branches weren’t lighting. This year, the entire top wouldn’t light. So my son and I went out and grabbed THIS: the Lightkeeper Pro from our local craft store. As seen on TV, y’all. You can find the Lightkeeper Pro here via my affiliate Amazon link with free prime shipping!The first box under my tree is my SANITY box- peek inside for my best Christmas organizing tips!

Let me tell you, this was worth every penny. It didn’t work on one of the branches, but in just a few clicks, the top of the tree re-lit with no fussing or tinkering with testing bulbs. If you’re still dealing with the older style lights, it’s a MUST have for sanity. (For the ones that wouldn’t relight, we just stuck a new strand on them and called it a day.)

With the sanity box on hand, we’re all ready to go for a very sane and Merry Christmas!christmas organizing tips (7 of 12)

Do you have a favorite Christmas decorating or organizing tip? I’d love to hear it in the comments!

To Pin!The first box under my tree is my SANITY box- peek inside for my best Christmas organizing tips!

Follow me on Pinterest and never miss a project!
Follow Gwen’s Nest

Follow Gwen’s Nest’s board Gwen’s Nest Creative Home Ideas on Pinterest.

Filed Under: Chores-Work Smarter, Creative Home, Organizing Ideas

« Gingerbread Milkshake
Natural Scents Hot Pot »

Comments

    Leave a Reply Cancel reply

    Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

  1. bobbi dougherty says

    December 10, 2015 at 6:59 PM

    I LOVE this idea! Going to make me one for this and years to come!

    Reply
  2. Tina Dill says

    December 12, 2015 at 9:44 AM

    What a great idea! Many of your ornaments remind me of the ones my family brought back after being stationed in Germany when I was a child. My mom still has them on her tree!
    I am relatively new to THM and discovered your blog through the facebook page. Loving many of your recipes. However, I am having an issue with your blog, everytime I click on the search bar at the top, it reloads the page and won’t search. So, I have to enter your site through pinterest if I want a specific recipe. Are others having this issue or is it my wacky internet? It does this on my laptop and ipad.

    Reply
    • Gwen Brown says

      December 12, 2015 at 6:06 PM

      Thank you SO much for telling me about the problems you’re having with the search! I’ll look into it and get it fixed.

      Reply
  3. Michelle says

    December 15, 2015 at 2:07 PM

    This is so smart. I think I’ll be making one of these!

    Reply
    • Gwen Brown says

      December 15, 2015 at 3:38 PM

      Thanks, Michelle!

      Reply
  4. Cassandra Holdeman says

    December 7, 2017 at 10:50 AM

    What a brilliant idea!!!! I am going to do this so that I prepared for next year.

    Reply

follow Gwen’s Nest

  • Bloglovin
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • Twitter

Favorite Posts

I can't believe how simple this recipe is, and it looks AMAZING! Must try this one.
Get your fix of chocolate covered cherries with this amazing sugar free milkshake!
What is Trim Healthy Mama all about? I'll give you the run down and show you photos of my food and weight loss journey.
MyTHM weight loss before and after photos and journey
My favorite THM recipes sorted by type: S, E, FP, & Crossover.
Try this delicious all natural cough remedy...I have the ingredients in my cabinet!
Oh my word...this is not only delicious, but it's been amazing for knocking out colds & flu symptoms!
This household remedy is probably already in your pantry, and is the classic ear pain remedy.
How I get my kids to fight over who gets to mop the floor...
An EASY and fun DIY gift for the Catan player in your life...
This impressive makeover was done with craft paint in one afternoon...it looks great & lasts!
The true story of a gift that wasn't deserved, and the most passionate and personal giver.
My 5 minute solution to 2 good hair days.
True tales of my son...a modern day Viking child.
I ♥ PINTEREST & FACEBOOK...come follow along there too!
This site and its contents are © Gwen's Nest, 2015

I blog here because I love to help others, so please feel free to use anything here for your own home and family.
I love for you to share links from my site! But if you want to use a specific photo, recipe, or other content, please check out the terms of use below.
All the legal jazz is here:
TERMS OF USE • PRIVACY POLICY • FULL DISCLOSURE • DISCLAIMER • MEDIA KIT
CONTACT GWEN • I ♥ MY REDESIGN TEAM • FOODIE PRO THEME
We use cookies to provide social media features and to analyze our traffic. We also share information about your use of our site with our analytics partners. Your continued use of our site implies you agree to this.