Next year, don't spend a minute sorting through tangled webs of holiday decorations. Keep lights organized by winding each strand around a piece of cardboard cut to fit inside a plastic bin.

A few minutes saved here and there can add up. Follow our guide for organized holiday shopping.

A dry-erase calendar in a convenient place, such as the back of a pantry door, gives you quick reminders of birthdays, anniversaries, and other gift-giving occasions; wrapping supplies hang neatly below.

Keep the old cardboard tubes that gift-wrap comes wound around to store large, loose sheets of paper.

Martha's favorite containers for everything except the paper are shoebox-size stackable plastic or metal bins; they are ideal for scissors and pinking shears, tape, hole punches, labels, cards, rubber stamps, embossers, pens, and cellophane bags.

Ribbon card holders descend from extra-large tuxedo bows, bound tightly in the middle for a billowing effect; cards slide into "pockets."

Hanging like ornaments from an arrangement of graceful branches, Christmas cards look wonderful.

Save scraps of holiday gift wrap, and put them to work in a festive greeting-card display.

Good-looking garden planters don't have to hibernate all winter. Arrange along a hearth with supplies for the fire.

Fashion a compact firewood tote from a piece of canvas, and collect firewood easily throughout the winter.

Keep unruly balls of twine in line with big aluminum funnels. Twine makes a great alternative to ribbon on wrapped gifts.

Protect your dearest ornaments from damage as you pack up after the holiday this year.

Loose candles can get damaged easily when stored in drawers. Use paper-towel tubes -- the perfect size and shape -- to protect them.

When deciding on which dishes to use, set out an assortment of pieces to determine which go best with the food being served as well as with the rest of your table setting. Place a slip of paper on each, noting its assigned role, and add the proper utensils. The labels will assist any host's helpers in carrying out the plans, too.