Christmas Storage Considerations You’Ll Love

December 27, 2021 Sherri Monte

Christmas storage. Ugh.

It always feels so bittersweet, as Christmas season comes to a close. On one hand, the holidays are such a memorable time of year –– full of joy, happiness + being surrounded by the people you love most.

From “The Great Figgy Pudding Caroling Competition” in downtown Seattle to the “Festival of Trees” + the infamous “Teddy Bear Suite” at the Fairmont Olympic Hotel.

When it comes to the holidays, John + I have so many i-n-c-r-e-d-i-b-l-e holiday traditions that we look forward to year-after-year + enjoy doing with Brooks (especially as he gets older.)

But as the clock strikes midnight and we roll into the new year, I tend to get a bit weepy when it comes time to put things away. To close a chapter so to speak.

Then again, looking full steam ahead towards the future isn’t a bad thing either. Eager to begin 2022 with fresh perspectives + a new start.

And then, I realize what the heck are we supposed to do with all that holiday cheer? The lights, the wreaths, the trees, the decorations?

Well, you want to put them away correctly because the reality is my friend in a few short months you’ll be pulling them back out + redecorating your entire home.

So, while packing up all of your holiday stuff isn’t the most fun you’ve ever had, it is imperative for you to do so with the utmost love + care. After all, you cherish the memories made with these decorations.

And if you do it the right way, you’ll not only avoid the upside-down frown + disappointment of opening up boxes only to find broken shards of decorations but instead, you’re able to enjoy (most if not all) of your holiday decorations for many years to come.

Are you ready, my love, for a comprehensive guide to Christmas storage? Let’s do it, boo!

Why You Should Organize Christmas Decorations

As you begin taking down the decorations...those irritating dried-up needles from your Christmas tree start flying everywhere (the pain is real) and then all of a sudden you just want it done!

It’s no wonder why finding the motivation to really think about storage for Christmas decorations or how your faux Christmas tree is stored during the off-season is low-low… I mean low on the priority list.

But for a moment, I need to take you on one last magical story for the year + I want you to envision yourself, 11 months from now.

You’ve got those classic Christmas tunes playing in the background.

The smell of baked cookies throughout the house.

A warm cup of hot cocoa on the stove.

And then... comes the moment when you begin rummaging through all the boxes of Christmas decorations, trying to figure out which ones you’d like to pull out for the holidays.

My question for you is… how do you want to feel?

Frustrated, or worse yet, sad because something you cherished (or maybe even something that was passed down from generation to generation) wasn’t put away properly + now is broken?

This actually happened to John + I THIS year. A handmade Christmas ornament with Brooks' baby picture on it was broken because by the time we received it as a late Christmas present we had already put our decorations away for the season. Not wanting to pull them back down or to open them up in the attic + properly stow it — John set it just inside the plastic container.

Like clockwork, it was broken. Womp. Womp. Womp. No one is perfect (even the professionals) but...

What I’m guessing you want as you unbox your Christmas decorations next year is all those warm tingles not only because you know exactly where everything is located but because all of your holiday pretties that remind you of memories past were wrapped with tlc + safely stored!

So, before you start stuffing things into boxes, tossing things into bins + putting everything back out in the garage — you first need to organize.

But Christmas storage isn’t just about having a place for everything or using special bags, bins + containers so that nothing breaks.

Like any other area of your home, organizing your Christmas decorations is about keeping everything you need + nothing more.

How To Organize Your Christmas Decorations

For simplicity sake + because I know you’re chomping at the bit to get going, here are some simple steps to follow to make organizing your Christmas storage an absolute breeze.

1 | REMOVE EVERYTHING — ESPECIALLY WHAT YOU DON’T WANT

Whether you’ve used it this holiday season or not — we need to start by looking at all your Christmas decorations collectively so we can better assess what really matters to you.

As this process unfolds, if there are things you absolutely don’t want because they are broken, don’t work or you know you don’t want to keep them, we're going to separate those items into their own “trash” or “donate” piles.

2| SORT WHAT IS LEFT

To be quite honest, the process of sorting is already underway with “trash” or “donate” piles but now you want to dig into the rest of it. With everything corralled together you’re going to sort them by type: trees, wreaths, lights, garland, ornaments, balls, etc. And this makes sense for two reasons…

We want to see what we have because sometimes our Christmas collections are vastly disproportionate, meaning maybe we have a thousand strands of lights or Christmas balls but a very small collection of ornaments. And this helps us decide if we need all of this? What do we want to add to our collection in the future?
Most of us decorate in stages (unless your Brooks who starts with the ornaments *wink*). First, it’s the lights, garland, then balls, ornaments etc. Instead of sifting through box after box of lights to find the garland, it becomes really easy to find what we need when we need it if we’ve sorted them into categories.

So, go on + sort away but keep in mind that you want separate piles for each item, be certain to keep the exterior separate from the interior + the fragile or breakable items together as well.

In our Christmas storage totes, we get fairly specific. So... another Christmas storage idea, if you want to get really granular with it, is to sort by type (like in step 2), and then by color (white, gold, red, green, etc) latstly then by fragile/breakable.

Separating them out like this one time (+ maintaining it over the years) will save dear hubby when he’s up on the ladder trying to identify what storage bins to pull down vs. what to keep for next year *wink*

Here are a few categories for you below...

Fragile or Breakable Christmas Items To Consider In Their Own Categories

Items that are made of glass whether it be lights with glass bulbs or Christmas balls
Items that are made of ceramic, porcelain or another breakable material
Items that have intricate pieces or need special wrapping or packing before storing away

Again, if there’s anything you come across that you absolutely identify as something that you no longer desire to keep — get rid of it.

Keep in mind, Christmas is a sentimental time of year which means likely there will be a handful (or more) of things you grapple with –– should I keep this or get rid of it? Not to fret my friend, here’s a great article we created around tackling sentimental clutter… and it all applies to Christmas decorations too *wink*

3| PUT IT ALL AWAY

With everything grouped into categories (based on like items), it’s now time to start putting things back together.

Regardless of how you organize your Christmas decorations the most important thing is that in the end, everything makes sense for you + the way you use them.

In other words, if your scent impaired Christmas trees (aka an artificial tree) has its own set of ornaments or Christmas balls they could absolutely be stored alongside one another. If you have multiple trees that always get decorated the same way (they could be stored together too).

With everything sorted, you should easily be able to see the piles of stuff you need to store. This should give you a sense of what type of containers, boxes, bins make sense for what you have. But, this also is a huge indicator for how you go about labeling them to know what’s in them in the future.

But of course, if you’re feeling overwhelmed + are wanting help in terms of creating a fool-proof gameplan, download our Organizing Roadmap — don’t worry boo, we’ve got you.

Tips for Storing Holiday Decor

On top of all that we’ve discussed about Christmas storage, here are a few bonus tips for storing your holiday decor.

Labeling

It’s going to be about a year again before you jump back into the holiday spirit. So, do yourself a favor and label all of your storage bins + bags based upon the categories you sorted them into.

This way, you’ll know exactly where to go to find what you need — when you need it.

When it comes to labeling — you could label the Christmas storage itself like the bins, boxes, bags or canisters. Alternatively, if you’re putting things away on shelves you can also label the areas things are in.

For more labeling ideas, check out this article.

Storage Containers

Christmas decorations are often stored in garages, attics or basements so “pretty” containers don’t really apply here.

Most likely, you’re choosing a combination of cardboard boxes, plastic storage containers + bags.

Keep in mind, while cardboard boxes are affordable they’re less likely to protect your Christmas decorations from pests or fluctuations in temperature. That said, if you choose plastic — we recommend clear for the obvious reason of being able to see what is in it.

In fact, you can read all about the benefits of clear storage containers here.

Stacking + Storing

Speaking of containers, when it comes to Christmas storage you want to stack bins or boxes in an area that you don’t access often. In other words, keep the prime storage real estate for things you’ll use more regularly than once a year.

Also keep in mind what is fairly obvious but easy to forget: lighter boxes always go on top for two reasons. One, you won’t be caught off guard when you’re taking them down off the shelf. And two, nothing gets broken.

Lastly, if you’re storing containers or bins front to back think ahead + make those the easiest Christmas storage to access. What do you decorate first? The outside or inside? The tree or the mantel?

Take Pictures

Alright, before putting things up, up and away — we recommend snapping a picture of the items in each container. Then, organize them in a shared album on your phone/computer.

Next year, before you go deciding exactly how you want to decorate your Christmas tree or what storage containers you need to bring out you’ll find it super easy to swipe back and forth between pictures :)

Seal Up The Glitter

Whether it's frosting, faux snow, or just that funky Christmas glitter — the holiday decorations can be well, messy *wink*

We have a few of these ourselves + a couple of years ago I decided to seal up the glittery mess.

What you want to do is store these glittery holiday decorations in sealed plastic bags. And the good news is that you can reuse these bags several years in a row.

Reuse Your Supplies

Speaking of reusing for several years…

Now that we’ve talked a ton about storage for Christmas trees, Christmas decorations or even storage for Christmas decorations — reuse as much as you can.

Whether that’s tissue paper, packing paper, bubble wrap or those plastic bags don’t simply use them once + then discard them.

Each year that you reuse something you’re keeping it out of the landfill, saving yourself time finding a replacement + of course money.

With the paper packing supplies fold them + place them back in your storage containers when not in use. This way, when you go to pack things up you’ll have exactly what you need right where you need it.

Christmas Tree Storage

Each year John + I trek out into the mountains to cut down a real Christmas tree but with Brooks birthday also being in December we have a scent impaired a.k.a artificial “Birthday tree” for him *wink*

We prefer to store the tree (+ all of our Christmas decor in the attic) so for us a moisture resistant bag is perfectly fine. What we recommend if you’re storing it in a shed is actually a waterproof bag. Bags in our opinion are preferred when you’re trying to save space or have a specific opening (like an attic) that you need to squeeze things through.

However, if you need to store your Christmas tree upright in a garage then the best solution is an upright bag where you use the tree stand to or a Christmas tree box where the tree is disassembled but stowed in a moisture resistant/water proof box.

Storage For Christmas Lights

There are a couple of really effective ways to store your Christmas lights. First, the spools. You typically get these with lights you purchase that are larger in quantity (300 lights + up). However, you can purchase these spools and roll the lights up each year.

Another method that’s just as good, if not even better because it’s a huge space saver, (and also cheaper ) is to use gallon ziplock baggies. You coil the lights up into a circle then plug the ends together so it won't unwined + stick each strand of light inside the ziplock baggie. Stack all your lights in a clear storage container + you’re golden babe!

Do note that the ziplock bags will only work for lights up to about 300 lights. Anything more than that + you really do need the spools.

There you have it, boo. In the blink of an eye, Christmas is over + it’ll feel like a lifetime until the next holiday season rolls around. While you may be clinging to the joy of the holiday season — the way the house sparkles at night all lit up or the way the fire creates that cozy feeling with the mantel all decorated, the end is here, friend.

So… what are you gonna do? Put on Bad Mom’s Christmas, make yourself a cup of homemade hot chocolate + lets take back christmas (I mean….organize that Christmas storage!)

If you love this — get ready to do another happy dance. Enjoy our FREE Video Course: 4 Days To A More Beautiful + Functional Home + if you’re wanting to dive even deeper into the world of organizing or design — let’s chat.

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