Happy New Year! I hope your holidays were as joy-filled as mine! It’s always wonderful when spent with the people you love.
Once the craziness of Christmas Eve and Christmas Day have passed, my thoughts usually turn to getting organized for the upcoming year– the storage and organization of my Christmas decorations being at the top of the list. Now, before you pack all the decorations away till next year is the time to go through it all and keep only what you use.
When I unpacked my decorations this year, I really went through and took a hard look at what I had. I had way too much, and really needed to pare it down and only keep the things that i actually use and have meaning to us. Over the course of nearly 40 years of marriage I had amassed quite a collection, plus add to it all of my Mom’s decorations!! My brother and sister had already taken the items of my mother’s that had meaning to them. What was left was given away or donated. Hopefully, the decorations that gave us so much happiness over the years made other families happy too!
For me, clutter, whether its an overabundance of clothing, papers, decorations or any items that aren’t used any longer or on a regular basis creates a kind of chaos that makes it difficult to function efficiently. Having things neat and organized not only un-clutters your house, it un-clutters your mind . It removes distractions, reduces anxiety and increases your ability to focus.
How I Organized and De-Cluttered Christmas
I have totally reorganized my Christmas decorations this year and I thought I would share how I did it.
- First, I went through all of my decorations, emptying one box or container at a time and putting items into “like” piles–wreaths all together, ornaments together, garlands, etc. You get the drift.
- Then as I was decorating I weeded out the items I didn’t use.
- From that pile of items I didn’t use I then made the decision whether it was something I wanted to keep or no longer wanted to use.
- The “keep” items that weren’t used in this year’s Christmas decor went into a box to be organized when then holidays were over and the decorations were all taken down. The items I no longer wanted went into another container (or three). Then I called my daughters and had them take a look to see if they wanted anything.
- After they went through and took what they wanted, I donated or gave away the rest.
Once I accomplished this, I knew what I had and could take a good look at my storage containers and decide how I wanted to store things and what I would need to do it.
I’ve used quite a few different storage options over the last 39 years and pretty much have it down to a science now. Although it does seem that ever year they come out with something fabulous in the way of storage to make my life easier. Here are the storage options that I like best.
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My Top 10 Favorite Christmas Decoration Storage Ideas
Ornament Storage
There are a few options here–cardboard reinforced fabric cubes, plain old plastic containers and more. My favorite is the hard plastic container like the one shown below. I have a some vintage glass ornaments that belonged to each of our grandparents and parents and I’m especially careful with them. I like that each ornament gets it own “slot” and is prevented from rolling all over the place and possible breakage! If the ornament is especially small, I wrap it in bubble wrap before placing it in the slot! This one even has a red top to make it easy to distinguish as a Christmas storage container!
Compartmented Container for Ornaments
Wreath Storage
I like to store my wreaths in a hard plastic container as well. There’s nothing worse than opening your wreaths and finding them flattened! A hard storage option keeps them pristine! I also like that it stands up so it fits easily into tight storage areas!
There’s also an option for Wreaths & Garland with many different sizes available.
Gift Wrap Storage
I have one of this type container in my hall closet holding all my gift bags & gift wraps for birthdays and other gift-giving events, and another for Christmas Wraps and bags. It’s perfect for Christmas Wrap because its extra tall and I can fit plenty of rolls plus bags, boxes, and tissue paper!
Here’s a hanging option if you store your wraps in a closet!
Hanging Wrap Station & Storage
And, here’s another type for under the bed!
This is a great option as well. It holds all of your wrapping supplies and slides easily under the bed! There’s an option for whatever type of storage space you have in your home!
Got Bows?
Gather them up and store them is this compact and sturdy container!
Clear Plastic Storage Containers for Bows & Ribbons (set of 3 not pictured)
Light Storage
For me, the single most frustrating thing about Christmas decorating is untangling lights. At least it used to be. I purchased some of these reels last year and I can’t believe how fast and simple it made hanging lights this year! Just wind them up to store and unwind as you walk around your tree or hang them in your home!
The Rest of the Decorations
Last, but certainly not least, plastic containers to hold all of your other Christmas Decorations. I wrap glass and ceramic items in bubble wrap first. Sturdier items on the bottom with more delicate items on top. Don’t overload them, make them light enough to easily transfer to an attic, closet, basement–where ever you store your holiday decorations. Ours go in one section of the attic. We keep them all together in one area so they are easy to locate.
You can buy these individually or in sets of different sizes and they are available with colored tops as well!
Of course, if you use solid color containers it helps if you label what’s inside!
These are the labels that I use on my containers. It makes finding things so much easier. I made a page of 6 labels that can be printed out for your containers. All you have to do is click the label image and it will take you to the page. Print it out on regular paper, fill it in as you pack up and tape it to your container. Or, you can purchase “full sheet labels
I hope this helps you organize you holiday decorations to make next holiday season a little less stressful.
This year I am adding “Organizing” to the blog. I think it’s something we can all benefit from. Stay tuned as we conquer our clutter-one area at a time!
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