Storing Your Holiday Decorations
It’s (almost) the most wonderful time of the year again! It may seem early but before you know it, you’ll be pulling out your Christmas lights and putting up your tree. It’s better to be prepared now so you can decorate more efficiently when the time comes. Here are some tips and tricks on storing all your favorite holiday decorations.
What You’ll Need
If you don’t know where to start, let’s just begin with the basics. What do you need? Our secret to organizing is putting Double Hooks everywhere. Everywhere. Okay this is an exaggeration. At a minimum, put two of them on the backs of most of your doors, especially closets. Fill a tote bag with ornaments, or string lights and hang them on the wall. This will prevent anything from falling on top of them and causing damage.
Got a lot of spooky yard decorations from Halloween? Use plastic tubs to store them! This is great, especially if you’re storing them in the garage as a plastic tub will help to protect them from the environment. Even if they are clear, be sure that everything is labeled correctly so you know what exactly you’re pulling out when the time comes. Nobody wants to open a bin full of skeletons and spiderwebs when they’re getting ready to decorate their Christmas tree! Not a fan of clear bins? These Opaque bins from Amazon can work for Classics and Funs. More open transparent ones are best for Organics and Smarts. If you’re really short on space try storing smaller items inside larger items.This way you are able to pack more into each bin and it helps to secure the items so that they won’t rattle around as much.
Un-Deck the Halls
There is no holiday that comes with more decorations than Christmas. And they just accumulate every single year. You go into Target and see a couple new ornaments or lights that you want to get and before you know it, it’s taken over most of your basement, garage, or attic. You should try to purge and donate what you know you’re not going to use, but for the things you know you’ll be using again, here is how you store them.
Garlands: Once the ball drops and a new year begins, it’s officially time to take down the Christmas decorations. Let’s start with the garland you so carefully and perfectly have wrapped around your banister and hung around the fireplace. Start by gently draping it over your arm to ensure it does not get tangled. You should then store it in a clear plastic tub, keeping it wrapped so it coils inside the bin. If you have any other ornaments or decoration that pair with your garland, try to keep it all in one place. Start by wrapping them in tissue paper and keep them in the center of your plastic bin. Once you have finished, put a label on the outside of the bin indicating which room of the house the garland belongs. This will make it easier to decorate when the time comes next year.
Ornaments: Those glittery, round ornaments are beautiful when they’re hanging on your tree but can be a pain to properly store! Keep ornaments that are the same shape in boxes with compartments. You can purchase an ornament organizer from your local craft store, or repurpose an old six-pack (reduce, reuse, recycle!) You should also wrap each ornament in tissue paper and make sure it fits perfectly inside its compartment. This is crucial to keeping them intact! If your ornament that is a lot smaller than the box it will be held in, try padding it with small pieces of bubble wrap. When you’re finished putting all the ornaments in their box, place a label on the outside to help keep things in order (are you sensing a theme here? LABEL EVERYTHING!)
Wreaths: Wreaths are beautiful but can be incredibly difficult to store because they are fragile. If you have a wreath made from pine, keep in hat boxes or hung up on a hook in the back of a closet. Depending on the size of the hat box, it can store multiple wreaths. If you do decide to hang your wreath on a hook, keep it wrapped in plastic so it doesn’t collect too much dust. You can use a garment bag or just a regular plastic bag if need be.
Lights: Do you struggle to untangle your Christmas lights every year? No matter how well you coil and store them they seem to still always turn into a mess when you pull them out a year later! When taking the lights down this year, be sure to wrap around your arm so they remain untangled, and use clips or wire to hold a circular shape so the lights stay neat and organized! Again, store them in a clear bin with a label for easy sorting.
Keeping your house organized is important all year round, but it is essential during the holidays! You can purchase our book here, and be prepared when the holiday season rolls around!