7 Essential Tips to Store and Organize Holiday Decorations

The holiday season is in full swing and you may be wondering how to store seasonal decorations once the holiday is over? I have seven holiday storage ideas and tips for you to help get all of your decorations decluttered, stored and organized. From where to store holiday decorations to how best to store wreaths, there is sure to be a tip to help you save your sanity and keep the fun in decorating for the holidays.

Tip 1: Choose a Designated Storage Place

Wondering where to store Holiday or Christmas decorations in your house? Storing seasonal decorations in the basement or garage works great. It’s ok to store decorations in the garage, just make sure you keep any entertaining items/paper goods or linens inside the house. I’ve also had clients dedicate a spare closet to a particular holiday (i.e. Christmas). If you are need to store holiday decorations in an apartment you can get creative with a closet space or consider long storage bins for under the bed. If you lack storage space you might need to get creative with the type of decorations you purchase- something that can span multiple holidays where you could just change out a few elements to make it a new season (i.e. think a clear vase where you switch out ornaments for glass hearts).

Tip 2: Store Decor in Clear Bins

Clear bins are the best option for storing seasonal decoration. It is important to be able to see what you have. I recommend purchasing as large of a tub that will fit on your shelf while still being able to lift easily. I particularly like using the Target Room Essentials 70 quart tub or Sterilite 66quart ClearView Latch bin. I also like to use the Sterilite 32 quart ClearView Latch bin to store holiday decor if quantity doesn’t warrant a full bin. Bonus points for buying matching bins to get a clean consistent look.

Tip 3: Group and Store Decorations by Holiday

i.e. put bins of Easter next to each other on a shelf, all of Christmas together etc. Ideally trying to get all of your holiday decor on the same shelf or shelves next to each other will help you easily find what you need. If you need to store large seasonal decorations like inflatables or seasonal frames, you can place those items right on the shelf. Sometimes taking items out of a big bulky box helps you see the item better and you can wrap the item in a clear large trash bag for protection. Store lighter holiday items and bins up on higher shelves.

Tip 4: Get Specific

If you have a large quantity of decor for a particular Holiday, I find it helpful to get specific with the contents of your bins. Within a Holiday, store decor in bins either by type “i.e. pumpkins, garland, etc.” or by room (i.e. these are all the things I use to decorate my living room for Christmas). It will be that much easier to find decor and decorate for a holiday when contents of the bin are for specific purposes. If you have less than two bins for a particular holiday, it’s fine to just label the bin as a catchall Valentine’s Day or 4th of July.

When storing and organizing Christmas ornaments, it is also works to get specific here and store everything together to decorate a particular tree. Or use smaller bins to separate out “fancy ornaments” from memory type ornaments. Consider using tissue paper or bubble wrap to protect fragile items in storage bins.

Tip 5: Label

Now that you have done the work to sort and store holiday decorations in clear bins, make sure to label the outside of the bin. If you don’t have a labelmaker, use a full stick post it note on the outside of the bin. Being specific as possible will help with locating & using the item label. For example denote “Antique Christmas Decor” or “Kids Easter baskets”.

Tip 6: Say Goodbye to the Unused

As you put away decorations from a holiday, note what items never made it out of the bin. Let go of tired decor that you aren’t using. You don’t necessarily need a lot to make a room feel festive for a holiday. Try to set limits for yourself by trying to fit decor to a certain quantity of bins (i.e. only 1 bin for Valentine’s Day, only 2 bins for Thanksgiving). Then as you by new decor, practice the one in/ one out policy.

Tip 7: Store Holiday Wreaths

When storing holiday wreaths, store each with the appropriate season (lay flat on outside top of storage bin) and wrap in a clear plastic trash bag for protection. Another option if you have the space is to create a pegboard to hang all of your wreaths on. You can purchase pegboard from the hardware store, mount it to a wall, and then purchase long hooks from the hardware store to hang the wreaths from. Now you can see all your wreaths in one area. If you have an old coat rack in your basement, you could also hang wreaths from it using S hooks.