Once the holidays are over, it’s time to take down the decorations and return to everyday life. But somehow the things that were so much fun to put up are much less fun to take down. What can you do to make it more enjoyable and easier? Here are a few suggestions to make the process work better for you this year.

Get everyone involved: Do family members that were so eager to light up the house in early December suddenly disappear once the holidays are only a memory? Well, it’s time to change that. Make a list of responsibilities and ask everyone to take on one or more of them. Work shared gets done in much less time.

Build in rewards: Maybe it’s movie tickets, dinner out or something special that your whole family enjoys, but choose something special as a reward once the holiday decor is put away for another year.

Create a new tradition: You may have traditions built around your holiday decorating efforts. Now it’s time to create a tradition or two based on un-decorating. Could there be a particular type of music to listen to? Maybe a word game to play while you put things away? Or a contest to see who finishes first? Whatever it is, make it fun and in keeping with your family’s style of doing things.

Thank everyone: Be sure to show your appreciation for everyone’s help. While the effort should be a family affair, thank you goes a long way toward encouraging people to continue pitching in in future years when decorations need to come down again.