Somehow, while juggling busy schedules, endless notifications, and trying to find a little peace in our digital AI world, the holiday season arrived. Am I the only one who’s confused about how it’s practically Thanksgiving? Did we even have seasonal changes? Christmas lights already went up in October. KPop Demon Hunters seemed to be the IT Halloween costume this year. Before you blink, it’ll be time to organize your holiday decorations and place them back into storage. Uff Da, it’s been a fast, yet also never-ending year.

Regardless of how you spent the last 11 months, fall brings with it many holidays: Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas, Fall, All Saints Day, Day of the Dead, All Souls Day (three different holidays), Veterans Day, Chanukah, Winter Solstice, Festivus, Kwanzaa, Boxing Day, and New Years Eve! Who knew there were so many holidays in the fall? Which to me only means one thing: organization time! 

Could you imagine how much storage you would need if you went all out for every one of those holidays? An outdoor she-shed at the very least. Thankfully (hopefully?), you only decorate for a few of the above holidays. 

So, why should you take time to organize your Thanksgiving and Christmas decorations (and other holidays)? Storing your decorations in an organized fashion:

• • protects the decorations
  • makes it easier to set up next year
  • preserves your favorites for many years to come

Keep reading to discover how to decorate for the holidays and store the decorations afterwards.

How to Decorate for the Holidays

Follow these steps:

1. Pull out every bin, decoration, tub, sign, tote, or container that contains decorations for the upcoming holiday. AKA: create the chaos.

2. Place hands on every item and decide where it will be displayed in the house. Take it there.

3. If you decide that there isn’t a place for it this year, a decision must be made!

• Do you place it back in a bin and store it for next year? Ask yourself if you will actually USE it again. Dig deep and listen to the answer.
• Could you donate it? Rather than collect dust in the attic, grandma’s lawn ornament may prefer to go to a donation center so that someone else will love it, buy it, and actually use it for what’s it meant to be used for…spreading joy in the neighborhood.
• If it’s broken, destroyed, or not working properly, recycle or trash it.

The key takeaway: do NOT put items back in the bin to waste away, gathering dust, and feeling rejected because you never let it live up to its holiday décor potential.

4. Decorate for the holidays!

5. Put items away in an organized and protective fashion so that the decorations are ready for next year.

How to Organize Your Holiday Decorations

The beautifully organized holiday decorations dream: there are shelves that line every wall in the garage, attic, spare bedroom, etc. and each holiday bin has an assigned spot with a beautiful label. However, in our realistic world, bins are tossed up the attic steps and left where they fit. So, to make holiday bin access as organized as possible, and your life easier each holiday, follow these guidelines:

Use Shelving Units to Store Decorations

Utilize shelving units if you have the space. These ones are heavy duty, and maximize the height at 71.3″H. If you have the space (and extra cash), these Gladiator units are my favorite because it’s wider and deeper. You may also buy at Lowe’s. View photos below.

Give yourself plenty of space to maneuver around the storage area by placing the shelving units on the perimeter.

Weatherproof Bins for Storing Holiday Decorations

Utilize weatherproof bins and stack on the shelving units (as we’re in Texas and you’re combating the heat, plus the bugs, you want the extra seal, clamp down bins such as this solid color or these clear bins).

Remember to compare bin dimensions (width and depth) to the shelving unit you decide to buy. Ideally, you’re able to have the bins go in depth wise to maximize width space. The great aspect of most shelving units is that you can set the height to match your bin height.

Tip: heavy items on the bottom, lighter or smaller items higher.

Group and Organize Christmas Decorations by Holiday or Season

Place each holiday with its mates so all Easter bins and decor are stacked together on a shelf (or two shelves), all Valentine’s Day together, etc. You can also store seasonally. So, all fall holidays on one shelving unit, all spring holidays on a second shelving unit, and so forth.

Fun Holiday Suggestions

Store Christmas Lights and Ornaments Without Damage

• Wrap those holiday lights around a piece of cardboard so they don’t tangle and are easy to stack in a bin (or buy a few of these beauties).

• Egg cartons work great for storing Christmas bulbs or smaller ornaments (or this fancier bin).

• One trick on Good Housekeeping: glue red solo cups to a piece of cardboard that fits flat inside a bin. Place ornaments or small decorations inside to protect. You can layer two or three, depending on the size of the bin. Just don’t tip it over! (or buy a storage box like this).

• Separate your themes by bin. That way if you decide to go with a pink theme, you only need to grab the bin labeled pink ornaments and leave the purple for next year.

Protect Fragile Christmas Decorations like Wreaths & Trees

• Holiday Wreath Plastic Storage Box: huge fan of crush-proof wreath bins made of a solid material (such as this one below).

• Definitely need a tree bag. They’re cumbersome trying to get up the attic steps (especially the larger trees!), but it protects your tree and lights. I love the idea of this one that stores upright or even better, upright on a cart (ideal if storing on the same level as you display).

Organize Christmas Fabrics and Wrapping Paper for Next Year

• Wash and store all your cloth (tree skirts, napkins, blankets, stockings, sweaters, etc.) in vacuum sealed bags to keep safe and fresh for the following year.

• Wrapping paper always gets destroyed…it’s like an unwritten rule. Protect it with a hanging in the closet or over the door organizer or under the bed organizer. Do you want ease of access or hidden until needed?

Storing Fragile Christmas Decorations and Keepsakes Safely

• Keep the original boxes and packaging for your more fragile villages, Santa’s, or irreplaceable items. These take up more room, but you’re assured they’re protected.

• When you’re unwrapping and taking items out of boxes, place the bubble wrap and boxes in the same bin it came out of. That will make putting everything away go much faster and smoother for you. Plus, if your bins are labeled, you won’t have to change the label!

Store and Label All Christmas Decorations Clearly

• Store all Christmas decorations together. Overhead racks (or two!) are amazing in the garage. I recommend having a professional install it.
• Final piece of advice….LABEL EVERYTHING! Vitally important. If you don’t have a label maker, painters tape and a sharpie works great. Write what room the decorations go in and write what’s in the bin. It makes decorating go faster, knowing where to take each bin (and where to put it back after the holidays).

When did you decorate your home for the holidays this year? October? November? Or were you holding out for December 1st? I typically wait until after Thanksgiving to decorate, but this year, I was more than ready for 2+ months of Christmas Joy. Just remember, when January arrives (or February or March), take an extra bit of time to properly store your holiday decorations!

Happy Holidays!

Stephanie

If you want to dive into the often-overlooked but highly impactful habit of regularly throwing away trash, listen to Podcast: ‘T’ is for Throwing Away the Trash.

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