Self Storage = “Santa’s Workshop�

It is that time of year again! Black Friday will be here before you know it! But as your children get bigger (and wiser!), how do you maintain the "surprise" element for Christmas morning?

Consider a self storage unit. Today, self storage facilities offer flexible leases (after all, Santa won't need his space for another 11 months!) as well as state-of the-art security and convenience. You can even choose a unit that offers climate-control capabilities, which offers a myriad of possibilities for the enterprising elf. First of all, Santa's helpers (a.k.a. Mom & Dad) will find ample space in a comfortable environment for the assembly of bicycles, doll houses, or whatever else may be on their "list" this year! Because the temperature can be regulated within the unit, self storage renters find they are the perfect escape - away from the prying eyes of curious children - when it is time to wrap the presents, too!

In many cities, self storage is strategically located within a few miles of shopping centers and/or malls, which makes it easy to swing by on the way home.

In additional to being Santa's off-site workshop, self storage can play another big part during the holidays. Whether it is a piece of furniture getting displaced because of this year's oversized Christmas tree, or a roomful "stuff" that needs to be stored because of a holiday party or out-of-town guests, self storage can be the answer to all of your "extra space" needs that may arise this holiday season!

Come January, when the festivities have subsided, you may choose to hold on to your unit to store…what else…your holiday decorations!

Perhaps your first sign that the attic was not ideal storage for the Christmas décor was the puddle of wax formerly know as a set of Nutcracker candles. Maybe you noticed that your damp basement added a layer of mold to your heirloom Nativity scene. Suffice it to say, you had some "surprises" when you retrieved your holiday decorations this year.

Self storage can address all of your decoration dilemmas. Thanks to temperature regulating in most self storage facilities (some also offer humidifiers!); extreme temperature fluctuations will have not impact on your holiday treasures…

Go online and check out the self storage locations convenient to your work or home today, because the holidays are right around the corner! In fact, Burl Ives is already teed up on Macy's Musak…

Holly Robinson (no, not Holly Robinson-Peete - the Autism advocate/actress/model/athlete's wife) works as a "staging expert" for a national real estate company, who has recently moved from a fast-paced metropolitan area to slower-paced suburbia. In her spare time she keeps an online journal of the differences in these two worlds, and how she manages to keep a toe hold in each. Her topics often include "what you can live without" and "life's must-haves," - life simplification without sacrifice - which she has learned through her profession.

Holly covers the storage industry and has recently been examining self storage in Houston.