Methods for Storing and Arranging Christmas Decorations, Recommended by Professional Organizers
It's that time of year once more—the holidays are long gone, and some of us, let's be honest, me included, haven't managed to stow away our holiday decorations yet. Despite the droppings of dry pine needles all over my floor, I just can't bring myself to discard the tree, using it as my only source of light in the evenings as I unwind. But alas, the moment has arrived, and I must assemble all the ornaments and embellishments for storage. Sigh!
If you find yourself in the same situation and haven't packed away your holiday decor, here are some tried-and-true organizational suggestions from professional organizers, which will ideally prevent you from angrily tossing everything into a box, just to get it out of sight. Future you will be delighted with your well-organized and easily accessible strings of lights and ornaments.
- Jamie Hord, founder of Horderly.
- Ashley Murphy, co-founder and CEO of NEAT Method.
Gather and Evaluate Your Decor
"The conclusion of the holiday season is an excellent time to properly arrange your holiday decorations since you've already extracted everything," remarks Jamie Hord, founder of Horderly. "Having everything laid out in front of you makes it easier to see what all you have and how much of each item you have," she adds. She suggests discarding damaged ornaments and lights that are nearing their expiration date.
Acquire Suitable Bins
If you've been using a random assortment of cardboard boxes to store your decorations over the years, it's time to upgrade to matching lidded bins, suggests Ashley Murphy, co-founder and CEO of NEAT Method. "Purchase matching, stackable bins for all your holiday decorations," she advises. "If you have storage shelves, measure first to ensure they will fit," she adds. She also recommends bins with latches, to prevent the lid from accidentally popping open.
Hord suggests purchasing watertight bins as well, since decorations are often stored in basements or garages, where they could potentially be exposed to water damage.
Safeguard Fragile Items
"Whether you're storing fragile ornaments or figurines, you'll need some form of padding in your bin to protect them," clarifies Murphy. "Divided cardboard trays are a great solution for ornaments, whereas packing paper or bubble wrap is usually suitable for figurines."
Determine an Organizing System
Once you've edited, inspected, and protected your ornaments, it's time to select an organizing system. For instance, some might find it most convenient to categorize similar types of decorations together (garlands with garlands, ornaments with ornaments, etc.), while others might find it easier to categorize by room (e.g., living room decor in one bin, entryway decor in another) says Hord.
Wrap Lights Carefully
"Nothing is more frustrating than getting ready to decorate and having to untangle string lights that were haphazardly tossed into a box," says Murphy. "Prepare future you for success by carefully wrapping them until you put them away. 'You can accomplish this by wrapping them around a stiff piece of cardboard, or if you're willing to invest, you can purchase spools for them,'" she suggests.
Protect Oversized Decor
"Prevent dust from accumulating on artificial trees and wreaths by storing them in large zipper bags designed specifically for this purpose," advises Murphy. "Make sure to purchase the appropriate size for your items by measuring first and then store them near your holiday decor boxes."
Label the Containers
Hord suggests utilizing clear bins so you can easily see what's inside, and both experts agree that labeling is essential. "Label the outside of each container so that you know exactly what's inside when you need it and then you know exactly what will go back in it when it's time to dismantle your decorations next year," says Hord.
- Following Jamie Hord's advice, I decided to arrange my damaged ornaments and expiring lights separately, preparing to discard them during the evaluation process.
- RealSimple's expert, Ashley Murphy, suggested acquiring matching lidded bins for storing all my holiday decorations, ensuring they would fit perfectly on my storage shelves.
- To safeguard fragile ornaments and figurines, I used divided cardboard trays for protection, as per Murphy's recommendations, and wrapped strings of lights around stiff pieces of cardboard before placing them in the bins.
- Inspired by Hord's organizing system, I categorized similar types of decorations together to save time during next year's setup, while also labeling my containers for easy identification.
