Once the holiday season wraps up, it’s time for your Christmas decorations to be put to rest. But not without a solid plan that will keep them all safely organized for the next 11 months or so.
The better you prep them now, the easier next year’s decorating will be. The best part? All your favorite ornaments, Christmas lights and garlands will get to shine for longer.
Preparing Decorations for Storage
Time to unhang the garlands with care. In order to properly store your supply of Christmas decorations you will need to prepare. Let’s get started.
1. Gather everything in one spot
First, bring all your Christmas decorations into one central place. This could be a big table or an open area on the floor. Having everything in one spot makes it easy to see what you’re working with and decide how to best organize and store.
2. Sort decorations by type or room
Next, start sorting. Group your decorations by category — lights, garlands, ornaments — or by room if you tend to decorate specific areas of your home the same way each year. This simple step saves you from digging through mismatched bins next season.
Pro tip: Keep outdoor and indoor decorations separate to make unpacking easier.
3. Declutter while you sort
Now is a good time to get rid of everything broken and well worn. Also, take a look at the Christmas decorations that didn’t make it out of their box in a while. If some of them are still in good shape, consider donating them. Decluttering now will save space and make room for new decorations next year. This can include the latest trends or special family crafts.
4. Clean before you store
Before you pack everything up, give your holiday decorations a good clean. Dust off garlands and gently wipe down Christmas ornaments with a microfiber cloth. Ensure that you untangle the lights and check for burnt-out bulbs so that you can replace them before you store them.
Choose the Right Storage Containers
From Christmas lights to delicate ornaments, there are a lot of different containers on the market. So, what’s the best way to store Christmas decorations to keep them organized and protected? It’s not a one-size-fits-all type of situation.
Plastic bins for general decorations
For most non-delicate items, such as garlands and holiday figurines, plastic bins are tough and do a good job of keeping them safe from dust, moisture and pests.
Now, whether you go with clear or opaque bins depends on where you store them and what makes the most sense for your specific situation. Clear bins are nice because you can see what’s inside at a glance, but labeled opaque bins keep things looking tidy.
Just make sure the bins have secure, tight-fitting lids to prevent damage to your stuff.
Ornament storage boxes with dividers
Inbuilt divider storage boxes work best for fragile and very valuable Christmas ornaments to stop them from banging into each other.
Thankfully, many storage boxes have dividers with slots that are adjustable to accommodate ornaments of different shapes and sizes. That means you can reuse those same boxes when you change up your stash of Christmas decorations.
Light reels and dividers
One of the biggest problems with holiday decorating is tangled lights. The easiest way to fix this is to store them on cord reels.
If you don’t have a reel, just wrap each string of Christmas lights around a piece of cardboard or rolled up newspaper to keep them neat. Then, store them in individual plastic bags, just to be sure they don’t mingle — and get mixed up or accidentally break.
Bubble wrap for the extra fragile items
Have glass ornaments, porcelain figures or breakable heirlooms that you’d hate to see smashed or even scratched? Here’s how to store Christmas decorations that are on the fragile side for maximum protection (and shine).
Your most fragile decorations, especially glass or ceramic pieces, can benefit from bubble wrap. The cushioning helps absorb bumps or drops during storage. However, you must wrap each ornament individually to cover all sides.
Note: Bubble wrap will take up extra space. Since you can’t pack the items too tightly, you have to plan your box size accordingly, leaving a bit of space for the cushion bubble wrap provides.
Tissue paper for a softer touch
Tissue paper is the next best thing for less fragile but still delicate items. While flimsier than bubble wrap, it still provides protection from scratches and minor bumps.
All you have to do is layer tissue paper around ornaments or wrap them individually. You can also use tissue paper to fill empty spaces in storage boxes, preventing items from shifting during storage.
Use cardboard dividers
Dividers are another great way to keep fragile ornaments from knocking into each other. If you don’t have storage boxes with dividers, you can make your own. Cut old cardboard boxes into sections. Then, adjust these DIY dividers to fit your ornaments.
Pro tip: For extra fragile items, consider combining dividers with bubble wrap or tissue paper for double protection.
Soft liners and padding
For storing larger ceramic figurines or holiday mugs, use soft materials like felt or cloth liners to create a gentle cushion at the bottom of your storage bins. It’s also a great way to recycle old T-shirts.
Just place a layer of fabric at the base of the bin and between layers of items for added protection. When layering, note that heavier items should always go at the bottom of the box, with lighter, more fragile pieces on top.
Storing Christmas Trees and Wreaths
With the ornaments and lights organized, it’s time to handle larger items. This includes artificial Christmas trees and wreaths. They take up a lot of space. So, how can you manage that?
Tree storage bags
Artificial Christmas trees do not fare well being stuffed back into their flimsy box, which becomes hard to manage after the first use. What you need is a heavy-duty tree bag that protects it from dust, moisture and pests.
Do you also want to make it easy to transport and store? Look for storage bags with sturdy handles for easy carrying and consider a bag with wheels if you have a particularly large tree. If you’re tight on space, you can disassemble the tree and store it in multiple bags.
Wreath boxes or bags
Wreaths can easily get crushed or lose their shape if not stored properly, which is in a special wreath box or bag. Wondering which one works best for you?
- Wreath boxes offer more structured protection for delicate wreaths with lots of decorations.
- Wreath bags work well for simpler wreaths and are easier to store because they take up less space.
Organizing and Labeling for Next Year
The storage for christmas decorations may all be done, but the last thing you want is a guessing game when it’s time to decorate next year. Take time to label your bags and boxes to make next years decorating a breeze.
- Label every storage bin clearly with its contents. Use a label maker or painter’s tape and permanent marker to mark each bin. Mark all sides of the bins with large, visible labels so you can see the label no matter which way the bin faces. Also, be specific. Instead of just writing “decorations,” try something like “red ornaments and garlands” or “living room decor.”
- To make things even easier, organize your holiday decorations by room or type. Room-based storage is the way to go if you tend to decorate certain rooms with the same items each year. If not, go for type-based storage, as in, keep all your lights in one bin, garlands in another and ornaments in a third.
- How about color-coding your storage bins? You can assign a color to each room or decoration type, making it even faster to find what you need. For instance, you could use red bins for tree ornaments, blue for outdoor decorations and green for garlands and lights. This tip works across holidays as well!
- If you have a lot of decorations, or if you tend to forget what’s in storage, you may want to make an inventory. You can jot this down in a notebook or use an app to keep track of your holiday stash.
- Take photos of how everything was arranged this year. This way, you can quickly recreate the look or make adjustments without having to start from scratch. Store these photos with your inventory list or keep them in a folder on your phone labeled “Christmas decor ideas”.
Make Use of Climate-Controlled Self-Storage
Christmas trees and wreaths that come with delicate fabric ribbons or built-in lights are better off in a climate-controlled area. That’s because high humidity can lead to mold, mildew or rust, and extreme temperatures are not their friends either.
If you don’t have room for these bulky Christmas decorations in your closet, resist the temptation to store them in the garage, attic or basement — unless those spaces are well-insulated. It’s much safer to rent a climate-controlled storage unit instead. Since you’re only reaching for these items once a year, they are perfect to tuck away in a storage unit. Use Storage.com to find a unit in your location for a price that fits your budget.
