The holiday season has come to a close and it is time to take down all the decorations.  I will admit that every year my wife and I have the best of intentions of putting away everything in a super organized manner but end up stuffing some things into what ever box it will fit inside.  Anyone else do the same?  While we would like to have the Pinterest perfect storage solutions seen online, we are more in the “do what is realistic” camp.  Here are holiday decoration storage tips we use in our Locust Grove home.

Holiday decoration storage tip 1: Recycle the boxes

Save a couple boxes from any online orders and repurpose them when putting away decorations.  

  • Cut a strip of cardboard and wrap a single strand of lights around it.  This keeps the lights from getting tangled in the bottom of a storage bin.  Paper towel tubes work too!
  • Make your own ornament dividers.  You have probably seen these ornament storage containers, but you can make your own at home.  Cut a piece of cardboard to divide a box in half (or more) to contain ornaments.  Use the cardboard to reinforce the layers in box.

Holiday decoration storage tip 2: Color code storage containers

Plastic see through containers are nice because they let you get a peek at what is inside.  They also keep the items inside dry. (Hello, unexpected water leak in the basement storage room!)  However, most of our containers have been picked up on clearance so they are all different types of colors.  To distinguish which ones hold Christmas decorations, put a long piece of colored duct tape on the outside of the container.

Holiday decoration storage tip 3: Garment Bags

Inexpensive garment bags, like this one from IKEA, are great for wrangling bulking or odd shaped items that you want to keep clean, but don’t fit in a box.  Try putting your holiday wreaths inside.  Depending on your own home’s storage availability, you can hang the bag in a closet or from a wall.  You can also put all your wrapping paper inside the garment bag with a hanger and then hang it in a closet. 

Holiday decoration storage tip 4: Ornament Ideas

Wrapping and then unwrapping a bunch of ornaments isn’t always fun.  File this idea away for next year. 

  • Save up egg cartons, drink holders, or plastic fruit trays to create a secure spot for all your ornaments.  The cartons or fruit trays will hold the ornaments in place and a layer of bubble wrap will provide extra cushion.  
  • Another idea to keep the ornaments safe is to fill the bottom of a storage box with plastic cups.  Put the ornaments inside the cups and then add a layer of cardboard to the top.  Repeat with another row of cups until the box is full.  

Holiday decoration storage tip 5: Wrap it Up

One of our least favorite tasks is putting up and taking down our artificial tree.  If you’ve got some storage room in your house, then consider wrapping the bare tree with plastic wrap and storing it assembled until next year.  I’ve even learned that some people who have a smaller table top tree wrap the entire thing up, decorations and all, and store.

Holiday decoration storage tip 6: Take a Moment to Declutter

Before you start putting everything away, take a moment to see what you had in boxes and didn’t use.  It may be time to let go of some of the decorations that you aren’t using and don’t have any sentimental value.  The space for the things you aren’t using can be transferred to the things you want to keep.  Take everything that you want to get rid of and put it in another box.   If you don’t reach for it while decorating in 2024, donate the items to a nursing home, shelter, or other organization that will use the decorations.

Holiday decoration storage tip 6: Group Items by Location

To prevent yourself from digging through five boxes to find the garland for your tree, when putting away your holiday decorations, group the items by location.   Keep everything that goes on your tree (lights, garland, tree skirt, topper ect.) in a box.  Do you have items that go on a fireplace?  Keep these in a separate box too.  You can always place the smaller boxes inside of your larger box for storage efficiency, but having items organized this way makes decorating faster and easier.

While there is always a little sadness when putting away all the decorations, hopefully these tips for holiday decoration storage will make it a little easier.