Merry Messy

Does anyone else find places like this scattered around their house during the holiday season?

I stick things on top of the dryer to get them out of the way until we need them. 

Some of the containers that I keep the Christmas presents in are still out until I can finish getting everything where I want it.

Presents are stashed up on top of a bookshelf to keep out of reach of little hands. This one is a first for me. I usually just throw things in my closet, but with my daughter, who is known to get into everything all.the.time, I figured I should keep gifts out of her reach.

Things that need mailed or delivered or put away piled on the counter.

This time of year is so busy that I could really use some magical elves to clean up around here or do the mundane tasks--laundry, dishes, cooking--so that I could just enjoy the fun projects and crafts with the kiddos. However, since the elves are busy working up at the North Pole, I guess I'll just keep looking past the piles! ;)

How do you keep things organized during this time if year? Or do you have messy stashes, too?