Your closet doesn't have to be chaotic. San Diego professional organizer Karen Brothers breaks down her complete system — purging, folding, bins, shoes, zones, and more — from her live workshop at The Container Store. Watch the full video or read the breakdown below.

When we think of seasons, we mostly think of the weather, or of sports. But there are many different seasons in our lives. Seasons of special interests and hobbies, of relationships or volunteer work. Some seasons last a long time, and some only a little while. It may be easy to see a new season beginning because it's new. But the ending of a season...well, that's harder to spot. We transition out of seasons much more gradually.

However different this year’s holidays were for each of us, they are beginning to wind down. You may have put your decorations up earlier than ever before because we all needed that extra cheer (and I hope you enjoyed a very merry season). Now it’s time to wrap things up and prepare for the new year. Here are five tips for storing and protecting your holiday items.