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December 17, 2014 THE VILLADOM TIMES I • Page 17 Clever timesaving tips help make holiday living easy With so much on our plates between Thanksgiving and New Year’s Day, the holiday season can be hectic. Fortunately, there are many ways to save time and make the holiday season more manageable. Those who do not have plastic clips to hang lights around windows and along the eaves of their homes can try using inexpen- sive clothespins, which work just as well. Anyone who is concerned about the color of the wooden clips can paint them holiday hues before stringing the lights. Put a bath mat, rug side down and rubber side up, beneath the Christmas tree stand. Those stringing lights and hanging orna- ments will be able to spin the tree as they work without damaging the floor under- neath. It also makes it simple to undress the tree once the season is over. Use a tree skirt to hide the mat. When taking down an artificial tree, squeeze tree sections into concrete form tubes. First wrap the tree portions in twine and then slip them into the concrete sleeves. Each tube can be stowed in the attic or garage rafters, freeing up precious space. Use empty squirt bottles to make baking and cooking easier. Pancake and cookie batters can be squirted from the containers for less mess. Store one or two strings of lights in a plastic shopping bag to keep the strands from getting tangled. Hang the bags from a hook in the garage or stack them in a stor- age bin. tape around your hand. Pat over fallen pine needles that accumulate around the tree. In hard-to-reach areas, wrap the tape around a broom or a floor sweeper. When traveling for the holidays, use a brightly colored suitcase or flashy tape so the bag will stand out from others at the airport. Place hardened brown sugar in a baking dish, cover it with a moist paper towel, and microwave it on high for 20-second inter- vals. This will soften the sugar, making it easier to use to prepare favorite holiday cookie recipes. Use plastic bread ties to make tags for wires on certain devices. Such ties also can be used to organize decorating components and to keep one’s place on a roll of tape. Measure the inside of the picture window Use plastic zip ties to attach garland and lights to banisters. They are easy to assem- ble and will not damage the banisters. A paper towel holder can be screwed to the wall in a craft room to neatly hold spools of ribbon. Simply pull the needed length from the spool and cut for easy decorating. Mount a tree stand to a piece of wood with screws or glue. This prevents spills from reaching the floor while stabilizing the tree. Old maps make interesting gift wrap and are a nice change of pace from com- mercially produced paper or newsprint. Wrap duct tape or another type of sticky and construct a wooden frame to its dimen- sions. Staple holiday lights to the frame and then easily slip the frame in and out of place each year. Hang a live wreath or some evergreen boughs in the house to give it a fresh pine scent -- especially if the tree is artificial. Color-code storage containers so it is easy to find holiday decorations in the attic or basement. Pack for a holiday excursion using a col- lapsible clothing storage hanger for closets. Fold clothes on each fabric shelf and then collapse it into a suitcase. When unpacking, unfold and hang it in a closet so all of the clothes will be at the ready. Make the holidays even more enjoy- able with a variety of timesavers and clever tips.