Why photograph decorations in September?
Because the boxes are closed, labeled in your head, and nobody needs the tree tonight. In December the same work feels like a delay. A September evening with the camera turns next winter into fetching, not excavating.
What is worth photographing in each box?
The closed box first - that photo becomes the place photo, so every item stored there wears the same picture. Then the pieces you would actually miss: the glass birds, the lights that still work, the tablecloth that only appears in December. You do not need every bauble as its own item.
- Name the place the way you shout it: Attic / Red crate, Basement / Lights.
- Photograph lights wound on their reel, not as a tangle. Future-you will thank present-you.
- Keep breakables as their own items if they would be a pain to replace.
- When a strand dies, mark it departed so the list stays honest.
If you ever need a record for insurance after a leak in the attic, the same photos are the start of that list. Estimates on decorations are still estimates. The useful part in December is knowing which box to carry down.
FAQ
Do I have to catalog every ornament?
No. Catalog the boxes and the pieces you would go looking for. A box of identical baubles can be one item with a quantity.
What if the decorations live at a parent's house?
Give that house its own building in Your locations, then the room and the box. The hierarchy is for more than one address.
Is a place photo different from an item photo?
Yes. A place photo is the picture of the box or shelf. Item photos are the things inside. Both are free.
