Christmas Decoration Storage Ideas

Christmas Decoration Storage Solution Ideas

Sometimes it’s tempting to get your decorations down and stored as quickly as possible after Christmas, so you can get your home back to normal and tidied up for the new year. However, if you put a little effort into storing your lights and ornaments in an ordered way, you’ll be sure to thank yourself when next Christmas rolls up.

A little effort now can save loads of work sorting through your decorations and untangling lights in a year’s time. Not only that, but storing your decorations and lights hastily can cause them to become damaged. Getting your Christmas stuff organized isn’t as daunting as it may seem. Here’s a handy guide to help you through the process.

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How should I organize my Christmas decorations for storage?

It’s best to separate different types of decoration and store them together, in labelled containers. Some people choose to store them by theme or color, but one of the most practical ways of doing so is to put them away grouped by where you’ll use them in your home.

Put all of the decorations for your tree together, ideally in one large box or bag. Have the decorations you usually hang in your living room together, and your outdoor lights and ornaments in the same place. This makes unpacking less of a big job. You won’t need to get everything out and sort through it every year, and it will make decorating your home seem a much more manageable task. Just get out one box at a time, decorate, and when you’re done get out the next, to save on any unnecessary clutter.

How do you declutter Christmas decorations?

If you’re about to organize your Christmas storage this is probably the best time to get rid of all those decorations you’re not fond of. It’ll make organizing things so much simpler and, after all, why waste time and space storing things you don’t like?

Here are the steps for decluttering Christmas decorations:

Decide on a limit for storage
Choose the area to store them
Decide how many boxes or bags you can comfortably fit in that area
Go through the decorations and get rid of what you don’t like or are broken

An important step when decluttering is to decide on a limit for storage . Pick a suitable area in your house to keep all your Christmas items, and decide how many boxes or bags you can comfortably fit in it. Then, aim to use just this many containers. You’ll probably end up using more than you original hope to, but doing this gives you a rough idea of how much you can get rid of when you begin.

Then it’s just a matter of going through your decorations and being brutally honest over which ones you like. There are always a few that come out every year but end up staying in the box because they don’t match your décor, there isn’t space, or you just don’t like them as much as when you bought them. If anything falls into these categories get rid of them and don’t look back.

How do you pack Christmas ornaments?

There are two main options to use for decorations- plastic storage boxes or large plastic storage bags. Bags are generally a little cheaper, easier to carry, move around, and fit into different spaces. Boxes on the other hand offer more protection to your items, and can be easily stacked.

Where any large sturdy bag or box can be suitable, there specially designed clear storage bags available that are ideal, as you can easily see the contents, and even boxes made specifically for storing baubles. Ikea’s SKUBB is perfect for storing away your Christmas wrapping paper, tags, and tape.

If you don’t want to buy purpose made holiday storage, it’s often best to use a combination of bags and boxes. For example, baubles tend to work best in a large, loose collection in a box, whereas tinsel tends to fit more easily in a bag. If your box is large enough you could store a tinsel stuffed bag inside it, and then fill the remaining space with baubles. For smaller collection of miscellaneous items, labelled zip lock bags are ideal.

How do you wrap Christmas lights in storage?

One way to neatly store Christmas lights is to wrap them around a piece of cardboard. Take some thick, sturdy card, the type larger packages are made from, and cut a rectangle about a foot long and half a foot high. Then, cut a small notch on one side of one of the long edges, big enough to tuck one end of the lights into.

Wind the lights around the piece of cardboard as neatly as you’re able, moving from one side to the other. Cut a final notch where the last bit of wire ends up after wrapping, and tuck the wire into it. This will keep your lights tidy, tangle free, and taking up as little space as possible.

Alternatively, you can wrap the lights around a spare clothes hanger. Just wind them round and use any hooks that may be on the hanger to tuck the lights in at the end. One of the advantages of this technique is that you can simply hang them on a spare hook or beam. You can also store them in a box, bag, or drawer, but if you do be sure to wrap them in tissue paper to cushion them.

How do you store odd shaped Christmas ornaments?

Odd shaped Christmas ornaments can be a bit of a headache to store. Sometimes you just have to accept that they need a little more space and won’t fit neatly into a box like other decorations will. With a little creative thinking though, you can find solutions for storing some strangely shaped items.

Wreaths are a good example of a Christmas decoration that needs a little imagination to store, especially if you have a few in your collection. One of the best ways of storing them is to pop them inside a dry cleaning bag and hang them on a clothes hanger. If you decide to use clothes hangers for your Christmas lights as we discussed earlier, then you can hang all these items neatly on the same rail.

How do you store glass Christmas storage?

It’s best to be especially careful when it comes to packing up glass items. Use one of your sturdiest storage bags and line the bottom with some thick, soft material. An old pillow is ideal. Then, wrap each ornament in bubble wrap, and put them one by one in the bag, the heaviest at the bottom, up to the lightest at the top.

Don’t over pack the bag. Leave a little room at the top of the bag, and then pack in some tissue paper or bubble wrap to make sure the contents are snug and can’t rock around and knock against each other.

As always, make sure to clearly label the contents and in this case, label it ‘fragile’. When putting the bag into storage, make sure to put it somewhere safe, where other bags won’t get stacked on top, potentially damaging the contents. It might be a good idea to store the bag clearly on a shelf, so there are no mix ups.

How do you store home-made Christmas ornaments?

Home-made Christmas are usually particularly sentimental. Maybe they’ve been made by children as Christmas gifts for family members and friends, or perhaps you have a tradition of crafting your own decorations as a family in the run up to the holidays.

It’s a good idea to store ornaments that you’re emotionally invested in separately for the bulk of your decorations. Make sure you keep them securely packed as you would any other delicate decoration, individually wrapped in tissue or even bubble wrap, and preferably keep them stored in a box just large enough to take them, so they can’t rattle around. Label the box very clearly and leave them separate to your other Christmas items.

Is it OK to store Christmas decorations in the garage?

It’s absolutely fine to store most Christmas decorations in the garage, but there are certain items it isn’t a suitable home for. Garages don’t have quite the same degree of temperature or moisture control as houses, so items that are prone to damage from excessive heat or moisture should be kept elsewhere.

Fabric based decorations can go moldy if they’re not stored in something entirely air tight. If you have some Christmas bunting or blankets that you’re particularly fond of, it’s probably best to store them somewhere a little safer.

Similarly, garages can heat up in the summer to much higher temperatures than a house. Delicate ceramic or glass ornaments can crack when subject to extreme change in temperature. Candles are prone to melt in an environment that isn’t temperature controlled. If you know where you live is prone to heat waves then it’s probably a good idea to store these items somewhere that stays cool.

How do you store outdoor Christmas decorations?

The main difference between your indoor and outdoor decorations is that outdoor decorations tend to be hardier. They’re designed to be more weather resistant, and are able to tolerate a greater range of temperatures.

As such, you can safely store them in an outbuilding, garage, or shed, without having to worry too much about temperature or humidity control. This is especially good if you’re short on space in your main Christmas storage area.

Outdoor lights can be wrapped up in the same way as indoor lights .Just make sure to store them separately and label them clearly, as indoor lights aren’t suitable for use outdoors and a mix up could cause breakage.

Can you store an artificial Christmas tree in the garage?

The garage is one of the most common places to store Christmas decorations. This is especially true of artificial Christmas trees, which can often be large and difficult or impossible to store in a cupboard, or under a bed.

If you’re planning on storing your tree in the garage make sure you don’t leave it uncovered. If it’s just left standing it’ll gather dust by next holiday season, and cleaning them really isn’t a quick job, and not one you’d want during the busy run up to Christmas.

A sensible place to pop your tree is in the box it came in. If you’re unpacking your tree for the first time make sure to take note of how you take it out of the box. Then, when it’s time to store it until next year, just try and replicate what you did, in reverse. With enough effort and patience you should be able to work it back into it’s original box.

How do you store a Christmas tree without a box?

Sometimes, the box the tree came in just isn’t suitable. Maybe you threw it away without thinking or maybe it’s degraded over time. A common problem is that, once your trees branches have been opened out, it can be really very tricky to get it back in the box. Some are more forgiving than others, but with others it’s such a tight fit you can risk damaging the branches.

For whatever reason, if the original packaging isn’t suitable there are other good options. There are Christmas tree storage bins available. They’re long flat plastic trunks that are just the right size for a Christmas tree, which is ideal as you want your tree stored as neatly as possible.

It’s a good idea to get one with wheels if you can, as sliding them into place is much easier than lugging them around. You can also get bags especially made for this purpose. They’re usually cheaper, but they don’t offer the same degree of protection as a box.

How do you store a Christmas tree without taking it apart?

One quick way to store an artificial tree without taking it off it’s base, if you have a little room, is to leave it standing and cover it with bags. All you need are two large heavy duty trash bags. Poke a hole in the bottom of one, guide the trees trunk through the hole, and pull up this bag to cover the bottom half of the tree.

Secure the bag around the trunk with a little twine or wire. Then place the other trash bag over the top of the tree. Tape around where the two bags join with a little packing tape. Then you can just leave your tree standing in your attic or garage, safe from dust, until you need it again next year.

Final Thoughts

Hopefully this advice will make the idea of decluttering and organizing your Christmas decorations less intimidating. Just follow these tips and when next Christmas comes around, getting your house in order will take no time at all.