Decorating for Christmas can be so much fun, but when it comes time to put them away, it can be a bit chaotic.
After the festivities of Christmas, many of you are eager to get back to a clean and uncluttered house for the New Year.
Luckily, I’ve developed a system that’s simple and works.
I need to quickly get all my Christmas decorations stored away neatly, so that they are organized and ready when I need to start decorating again the following year.
Getting all those tree ornaments – and not to mention the tree itself – organized and stored away does not need to be a daunting task.
So we have found some ways to help you get organized and spend less time on holiday organizational chaos.
Organizing Christmas Ornaments
There’s nothing worse than being excited to decorate your Christmas tree but your favorite ornaments are nowhere to be found. Or worse, they’re shattered to pieces. at the bottom of a cardboard box.
Storage bins are your friend when it comes to organizing Christmas ornaments (and organizing most things!)
I personally like to organize all my decorations and ornaments by color where possible. This makes it a breeze to find what I need the following year. If you decorate more by “theme” than maybe that makes more sense for you. But by color works great.
Using these clear tote bins makes it easy to see what’s inside without having to go crazy with labels.
Shatterproof ornaments can just be thrown into the box, but if you plan on storing glass ornaments this way, I suggest storing them in their original box, empty egg cartons (for smaller ornaments) or wrapping them in tissue paper.
I like to place my tree skirts at the bottom of the containers first, since they act as a soft spot for the ornaments to sit on.
As you can see, I have a bin with red ornaments, white ornaments and gold ornaments. When they put away in our garage after the holidays, it’s really easy for me to see all the colors.
This is especially important since I have many bins of ornaments, and I like to switch up my color scheme every year.
So now, instead of pulling out every single bin, I can just pull the bins with the colors that I need for that year.
For ribbon, I just wind them around my hand, then slide them off and wedge the ribbon into a corner so that it stays together. You could also wrap it around a piece of cardboard.
This year, I purchased a few boxes that are made specifically for storing ornaments. While I’ve never had issues with my glass ornaments breaking in the past, I thought not having to wrap them would be a time saver. Thanks to the individual cardboard dividers for each ornament, I’m confident that any of my more fragile ornaments are safe in their new home.
I bought both the small size and extra large size. The large one has a divider down the middle so it’s basically two of the smaller ones side by side.
Storing and Organizing Christmas Lights
Don’t throw out those Christmas light reels! They are perfect for rewind lights on so that they don’t end up in a tangled mess.
The reels fit nicely into a tote box or even a storage basket on a shelf. If you threw out the reel or your lights didn’t come on one, they are cheap to purchase.
They are a lifesaver when it comes to keep the lights untangled and mess free.
For the smaller fairy lights, wrapping them around a kitchen towel holder or a toilet paper holder is a great way to ensure that they don’t become a tangled mess!
How to Store Artificial Christmas Trees
In the past, we took our tree apart and returned it to the box in which it was delivered. It rarely ever fit correctly and was always a pain to store. Plus, storing it in cardboard in a damp garage can introduce dust and mold spores. Not exactly what you want to be bringing into your living room a year from now!
These days, we store our artificial trees in Christmas tree storage bags, and just pop them up in the attic when not in use.
We’ve also used Upright Tree Storage Bags that allow you to store it upright, and keep your tree fluffed and shaped for the next year! All you have to do is pull the bag up and over the tree and you’re done! They are a good option if you have space in a basement or garage, but the regular bag is better for an attic.
Storing and Organizing Christmas Wreaths
Wreath storage bags or bins are another great option to keep the dust off your festive wreaths and garlands.
You can store them flat or hang them them on a nail to get them off the ground. I’m able to fit around 10 of my favorite 5ft norfolk pine garlands in one bag, so there’s plenty of space. I can fit about 3 wreaths without fear of them being squished.
Alternatively, you can wrap smaller wreaths in a trash bag to keep dust and bugs away, and then store them in tote bins, stacked one on top of the other. I’ve been storing my cheap artificial window wreaths this way for years!
Storing and Organizing Gift Wrap
I rarely have enough gift wrap left after Christmas to warrant storing it, but this storage solution of course works for all gift wrap that (like me) you have have stuck in the corner of a closet somewhere.
I like this smaller round version, but if you really own many rolls of wrapping paper, ribbons, bows, etc., the larger rectangular storage bag may be better for your needs.
Final Thoughts
So there you have it. You’ve got the full scoop on how I store and organize my Christmas decorations to make it easier to decorate (and undecorate) each year.
There are many storage options at various price points to fit into any budget. So spend less time packing and unpacking your Christmas decor, and more time enjoying the holidays and New Year.
