These Christmas storage ideas will give you peace of mind and help you save time and space when the holiday season rolls around again!
It’s the end of the year and it’s time for a fresh start! But before the New Year hits us, the dreaded Christmas takedown is the first step.
Taking down all the Christmas decorations can be daunting, but with a functional storage system in place, your future self will be happy you took the time to organize everything properly.
We will explore my top tips for organizing your Christmas decorations and some of the best storage products to set you up for success.
This is a long one! I leave no stone unturned, so get ready to dive into these Christmas storage solutions, perfect for every budget and every space.
5 Tips on How to Store Christmas Decorations
01. Categorize
As you take all of your Christmas decorations down, gather everything in one area. Then you want to categorize or group similar items. This will help a ton when you begin storing them in bins and taking inventory.
Bonus Tip: If you use certain decorations in the same spot every year, you can categorize items based on the room, location, or purpose. Color code your ornaments to make it easy to decorate a tree by theme.
02. Take Inventory
After you gather and categorize your decorations you’ll want to take into account your storage needs. It may not be necessary for you to buy all the things.
Take note of what storage containers, bags, or bins you will actually need. You also want to be mindful of how much storage you have to work with.
If you can, invest in sturdy and versatile storage containers. Look for large, medium, and small bins, stackable bins, bins with wheels, long narrow bins, bags, etc. With different types of storage options, you’ll have a place for everything, even those large and awkwardly shaped decorations.
Bonus Tip: Restock your Christmas toolbox! While you’re out getting your storage items, go ahead and restock all your Christmas decorating tools. Like ornament hooks, batteries, command hooks, tape, scissors, etc and make a small toolbox to have ready for next year!
03. Purge & Donate
Now is a good time to take a look at what you did and didn’t use. As the season changes so does our taste. Go through your items and donate or give away the decorations you no longer want.
Now you have more room and an excuse to do more shopping next year (wink, wink).
Bonus Tip: Give your beloved donations to a local shelter, church, or hospital.
04. Label Everything
Once you finish decluttering and categorizing, you’ll want to label everything! Labeling your bins is not only aesthetic, but it also saves time when you have to bring them out again next season.
If you don’t have a fancy sticker-cutting machine no worries. I made these minimal Christmas storage labels for you. Just print them on regular or sticker paper. Another great option, if you choose to handwrite labels are these self-adhesive tags to put the labels in and stick to the bins.
Bonus Tips: You can use red and green totes or clear totes with red/green lids to easily identify your Christmas decor. I like a minimal look, so these white totes from The Container Store are my favorite. If you can’t afford storage bins, get some different size moving boxes, I did this for a long time and it still got the job done.
05. Store & Put Away
Place all your decorations in their respective bins, containers, or bags. Don’t overstuff your bins, especially if you’ll be storing them in high places. We don’t want them to become too heavy, making them unsafe and hard to move around.
Lastly, find a designated spot that will store all of your Christmas decorations. That way year after year you won’t have to worry about making room, especially if you don’t have a ton of space. You can store your decorations in the garage, in a small closet, or even under a bed.
Organization for Small Spaces: If you have limited space for storing your decorations consider underbed storage. These containers with wheels are perfect for storing some of your seasonal decorations.
Bonus Tip: When placing delicate decorations in totes and bins, save and reuse packaging materials, like bubble wrap, tissue, or kraft paper. For extra protection, you can get creative and repurpose things like egg cartons, drink carriers, coffee filters, etc.
Christmas Storage Ideas & Solutions
Christmas Light Storage
You have a few options when it comes to storing Christmas lights. The ultimate goal is to keep them tangle-free, so you won’t end up in a web of lights next year! Here are my suggestions:
Cardboard hack: Cut a piece of cardboard out of a leftover box. Wrap your lights around the cardboard and tape the plug or battery pack down.
Zip Ties: Wrap your lights around your hand and elbow like you would an extension cord. Use a zip tie to hold the bundle together.
I like using these light reels to wrap and store my lights and extra extension cords.
How to Store Christmas Garland & Wreaths
The easiest way to store garlands and wreaths is in a storage bin. If you want to keep the shape of your wreaths, I suggest using wreath bags, pop-up hampers, or garage hooks.
The pop-up hamper is a brilliant idea because when it’s not in use it can collapse and be tucked away.
The Best Ornament Storage
If there is anything we all have the most of, it’s ornaments! So what’s the best way to go about storing them?
These ornament bins are the safest way to store your fragile and sentimental ornaments. For all my shatterproof ornaments, I store them in a small storage bin, separated by color.
DIY Ornament Organizer: If you’re on a budget, you can create your own container with dividers. Cut some leftover cardboard into rectangle strips, making sure they fit the length and width of your desired bin. Next, make slits at equal distances and slide the strips down onto each other to make sections. For extra protection, pad each section with a little bit of tissue paper before putting in the ornament. You can place a full piece of cardboard on top to create another layer of ornaments until you reach the top of the bin.
How to Store Christmas Tree Bows & Ribbon
How do you store your beautiful bows that you spent time finding or handmaking? You want to be able to use them for a few more Christmases, the last thing you want is a smashed bow.
I suggest rolling the ribbon tails and securing them with pipe cleaners or floral wire, then stuffing tissue paper in the bow loops.
Store the bows in a bin on top of a flat surface. You can create layers with sturdy cardboard and gently place a bow between each piece.
For your tree ribbon, I always suggest keeping the roll it came on. Just re-roll the ribbon back onto it. If you don’t have its original roll, then you can use an empty toilet paper roll or just roll the ribbon pieces around your fingers and tie them off with wire.
Wrapping Paper Storage
Have all your gift-wrapping supplies in one area the next time you need to prepare a gift.
This long, narrow bag is perfect for storing all your gift wrapping items. It’s narrow enough to slide right under a bed if needed.
Another vertical storage solution, perfect for closets, is this hanging gift wrap organizer or this door organizer for all your wrapping supplies.
Budget-Friendly Hacks: You can repurpose a trash can or basket to store your wrapping paper upright. This plastic grocery bag holder is a genius hack to store wrapping paper and use up some wall space.
You also need these silicone snap wraps for your gift-wrapping station, they keep your wrapping paper from unrolling. So simple, yet effective – something you didn’t even know you needed!
Christmas Tree Storage Ideas
One of the bulkiest and heaviest Christmas decor of them all.
If you hate trying to squeeze your tree back into its original box, then I highly recommend getting a tree bag. I like to use a bag that is bigger than my tree just to be safe. Be sure to get a tree bag with wheels, thank me later. To maximize space, take advantage of the vertical space and use upright tree bags.
Shrink Wrap Hack: If you don’t have a tree bag or its original box, another alternative is to “shrink wrap” your tree. All you do is take this stretch wrap and wrap it around your tree. You can even leave the decorations on if you keep your tree pretty much the same year after year. Store the tree upright, or disassemble it and put it in a large tote.
Storing Christmas Linens
Don’t forget about all those beautiful linens you break out this time of year! From bedding to table napkins, even stockings – store them properly to give them a long life!
Store your Christmas linens, like stockings, tree skirts, placemats, throw pillows, tablecloths, etc. in compression bags. If you have vertical space you can use hanging compression bags. Another alternative is heavy-duty storage bags, like the ones below.
These are great storage solutions to keep your linens lint and dust free, plus you’ll save lots of space, whether in a bin or closet!
I hope you found these Christmas Storage Ideas helpful. If so, be sure to leave a comment below or tag me on insta! Happy organizing!
xoxo, ave
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