The Christmas Morning Cleanup Plan

Christmas morning goes something like this. Seven minutes of pure, wide-eyed joy. Then you look up, and the living room is waist-deep in wrapping paper.

There's ribbon wrapped around the cat. A tiny screw from the new toy has vanished into the carpet. Somebody is asking for batteries you don't have. And somewhere in that mountain of paper is the gift card from Grandma, about to go out with the trash.

The fix takes ten minutes on Christmas Eve. Set up the cleanup before the chaos starts, and on Christmas morning, the mess goes straight into the right bag instead of all over the house.

Here's how to plan the Christmas morning cleanup, keep the pine needles under control, and save the gift cards while you're at it.

Christmas Eve: The 10-Minute Setup

After the kids are asleep and the stockings are filled, take ten minutes for Future You.

1. Empty the dishwasher. Christmas breakfast dishes need somewhere to go.
2. Set up the bag station next to the tree (details below).
3. Put out the keep box, for anything that shouldn't get thrown away.
4. Stock the toolkit: scissors, a small screwdriver, and batteries in every size the gifts need.
5. Vacuum the pine needles under and around the tree.
6. Water the tree.
7. Clear a spot on a table or shelf for each person's gifts.

Set Up the Bag Station

Put three containers right next to the tree and label them with sticky notes. Different-colored bags make it even easier.

• Trash: A big contractor bag for foil and glitter paper, plastic packaging, twist ties and anything that isn't recyclable.
• Recycling: A bin or clear bag for plain wrapping paper, tissue, cards and small cardboard.
• Save: A bag for bows, ribbon, gift bags and tissue in good shape. They go right back into your gift-wrap station for next year.

Set the big boxes aside in a stack by the door. You'll break them down later.

Is Wrapping Paper Recyclable?

Some is, some isn't. Try the scrunch test: crumple a piece in your hand. If it stays scrunched in a ball, it can usually go in the recycling. If it springs back open, it probably has plastic in it, and it goes in the trash. Foil, glitter, metallic and velvety paper also go in the trash, and so does tape-heavy paper and ribbon. Recycling rules vary by town, so check your city's guidelines.

Want less waste next year? Try eco-friendly gift wrap.

Set Up the Keep Box

• Gift cards, cash and checks
• Gift receipts
• Instruction booklets and warranty cards
• Small parts, screws, chargers and remote controls
• Cards with notes you want to keep, and a list of who gave what for the thank-you notes

The gift card sweep: Before any bag gets tied up and carried out, one grown-up takes a quick look through the paper. Cards and cash get tucked into wrapping all the time, and it's much easier to find them now than at the bottom of a recycling bin on December 27.

Christmas Morning: Keep It Under Control

• Appoint a Chief Elf of Recycling. Give one kid the job of holding the bag and collecting paper as it comes off. It's an official title, and some kids take it very seriously.
• Open gifts one at a time. The paper goes into the bag before the next gift gets opened. It's slower, it's more fun, and you'll actually know who gave what.
• Keep the packaging with the gift until you're sure all the parts are out. Toy parts hide in cardboard inserts.
• Use scissors on packaging, not your teeth or a kitchen knife. Clamshell packaging is sharp, and twist ties are designed by elves who hate parents.
• Each person's gifts go in their spot as they're opened, so nothing gets lost under the paper.

Keep Pets and Toddlers Safe

Ribbon, string and tinsel are dangerous if a cat or dog swallows them, so get them into the save bag fast. Small parts, button batteries and chocolate need to stay out of reach of toddlers and dogs. And button batteries are especially dangerous if swallowed, so put any loose ones straight into the keep box.

How to Deal With Pine Needles

Keep Them on the Tree

A thirsty tree drops needles like it's paid by the needle. Check the water every day, and never let the water level fall below the base of the trunk. A fresh tree can drink a surprising amount, especially the first week. Here's how to keep it fresh: Christmas tree care tips.

Also, put a tree skirt or an old sheet under the tree before it goes up. It catches the needles, and you can shake it out outside.

Get Them Off the Floor

• Vacuum with the hose attachment, not the beater bar. Pine needles wrap around the brush roll and jam it.
• Empty the vacuum often. Needles fill a canister fast and clog the hose.
• Carpet: Needles weave themselves into the pile. Loosen them with a rubber broom or rubber gloves, then vacuum. A lint roller or loop of packing tape picks up the stragglers.
• Hard floors: Sweep with a soft broom, or use a vacuum on the hard-floor setting.
• Under the tree: Use the crevice tool, and work around the stand gently so you don't tip the tree.

Pine Sap

Sticky sap on your hands? Rub it with a little rubbing alcohol or hand sanitizer, then wash with soap and water. On fabric or carpet, blot with rubbing alcohol on a white cloth after testing a hidden spot, then wash or rinse. On wood floors, start with warm, soapy water, since alcohol can damage some finishes.

Christmas Breakfast Without the Dishes

• Make it the night before. A breakfast casserole or cinnamon rolls that just go into the oven in the morning.
• Bake it in one pan, lined with parchment paper.
• The dishwasher is already empty, so every plate goes straight in.
• Assign a cleanup crew. The cook doesn't do dishes. That's the rule.

The 20-Minute Afternoon Sweep

Once the gifts are open and breakfast is done, set a timer and get everybody moving:

1. Do the gift card sweep, then tie up the trash and recycling bags and take them out.
2. Break down the boxes. Flatten them for recycling. And here's a tip from the safety experts: don't put the box for a brand-new 75-inch TV on the curb. Cut it up or turn it inside out, so it doesn't advertise what's inside your house.
3. Put the bows, ribbon and gift bags away in the gift-wrap station.
4. Sort the keep box. Receipts and manuals go into one folder, gift cards into your wallet or a labeled envelope, and the thank-you list goes on the fridge.
5. Give new gifts a home. Each person carries their gifts to their room. One in, one out: an outgrown toy goes into a donation box for every new one that comes in.
6. Vacuum the living room, needles and glitter included.

Then relax. You've earned it.

Check the Trash and Recycling Schedule

Garbage and recycling pickup usually shifts around Christmas and New Year's. Check your city's holiday schedule before you haul everything to the curb, and find out if it collects Christmas trees and where to drop off extra cardboard.

Recycle used batteries properly, too. Many hardware and electronics stores collect them, and rechargeable and lithium batteries should never go in the trash.

Christmas Morning Cleanup: Quick Answers

How do you clean up wrapping paper on Christmas morning?

Set out labeled trash, recycling and save bags by the tree the night before, and collect the paper as each gift is opened. Check the paper for gift cards and small parts before tying up the bags.

Is Christmas wrapping paper recyclable?

Plain paper usually is. Try the scrunch test: if it stays crumpled in a ball, it can usually be recycled. Foil, glitter, metallic and plastic-coated paper go in the trash. Check your local recycling rules.

How do you get pine needles out of carpet?

Loosen them with a rubber broom or rubber gloves, then vacuum with the hose attachment instead of the beater bar. Pick up the stragglers with a lint roller or packing tape.

How do I keep my Christmas tree from dropping needles?

Water it every day, and never let the water level drop below the base of the trunk. Keep the tree away from heat vents, the fireplace and sunny windows.

Keep Going

Make this the merriest, least messy Christmas yet with these related guides:

• Christmas Tree Care Tips: Keep a real tree fresh longer.
• Build a Gift-Wrap Station: Corral the paper, ribbon and tape in one spot.
• Eco-Friendly Gift Wrap: Pretty packages with less waste.
• After-Holiday Cleaning: An easy green cleanup guide.
• Organize Kids' Rooms Before Christmas: Make room for the gifts.
• Donate Before You Decorate: Clear out before the holiday boxes come down.
• 20 New Christmas Traditions: Including a thank-you note party.
• Unpacking Christmas Decorations: Without losing your mind (or a weekend).