Spring Ritual for Procrastinators

Spring has sprung. It’s finally warm enough to go outside. Around my house that can only mean one thing, time to take down the Christmas lights!
If the strings of lights are not carefully stored, they will be a tangled mess when it’s time to put them back up Christmas eve.
This is my method of storing lights so they stay untangled and ready for quick action.

Lay the cord across an old magazine leaving the plug hanging slightly over the end.  You will need the plug latter, but don't want it to flop too much.  Then roll the magazine into a tube with the cord through the center of that tube..

Place the long end of the light cord back across the outside of the magazine tube.  Temporarily hold it with your thumb.  This step will make things easier when it is time to put the lights back up.

Starting at the plug end, wrap the cord around the tube.  this will secure the cord placed on the outside of the tube.

Continue wrapping, working your way down the tube.  For best unwrapping later, wrap it as a truck winch winds cable onto it's spindle.

now we're wrappin'  
Ain't never gonna catch us nappin'
'Cause we're wrappin'

When you get it all wrapped up, plug the ends together to keep it from unrolling before you are ready to re-use lights.

One is done. 
Store them like cordwood.  It will be easy, quick, and clean for re-installation next Christmas Eve.