A year ago: Organizing for the holidays and other reasons

It's October all of a sudden! These are three of my best posts from late September 2009. The holidays were apparently on my mind, in a way that they aren't as much this year. This year, I've started a list of gift ideas for my family, and I thought of one thing I'm going to ask for. But the planning hasn't gone too far past that.

Pre-holiday organizing. What things should you be thinking about now to make Halloween, Thanksgiving and Christmas easier? Making travel arrangements now will help structure the rest of the season and probably save you money.

The 10 best reasons to get organized. I think 7 and 8 are my favorites.

On holiday gift getting. Ask your friends and family members what they'd like to receive as a gift, and they will probably ask what you'd like. Have a few answers for them - it helps them out, and increases the chances of you getting something you really want.

Creative Commons photo posted to flickr by D Sharon Pruitt

Lelah Baker-Rabe is a Los Angeles-based professional organizer. To discuss your organizing needs, call her at 818.269.6671 or email lelah@lelahwithanh.com