For many of us, this is the weekend to pack up the Thanksgiving decorations and pull out the rest of the Christmas decorations. Which also makes it the “perfect” time to organize your holiday items for re-storage.
It’s also a great time of year to purchase bags and boxes for storing everything from your wreaths to your holiday china. Here are 5 simple steps for organizing and storing your holiday decor.
1. Gather ALL your holiday decorations together in one room.
2. Sort your decorations first by holiday and then sort each holiday into smaller categories for storage. You could sort by item (wreaths, table top displays, hanging ornaments ) or by room (dining room, front entryway, bathroom) or any other category that makes sense to you.
3. Separate any items that need repair/replacement parts and make a “fix it” date on your calendar to attend to those items. Also separate any decorations you don’t like or that are showing signs of wear and tear. These items can be trashed, recycled, or, if in good condition you can re-purpose them or pass them on to someone else to enjoy. Check out Cathy and Melissa’s postings for some great ideas using old garland and broken ornaments. 
4. Containerize. Investing in holiday storage containers will preserve your decorations for many holidays to come. If your decorations are stored indoors, cardboard or fabric containers will work just fine. If you store your decorations in the garage, attic or an unfinished basement, be sure to use plastic containers to keep your decorations dry and dust free. Make sure the lids fit snugly to deter mice and other critters. Measure your wreaths and count your ornaments etc. before you head out to purchase your containers. Make sure you have ample containers for all your decorations and ample shelf or floor space for all your containers.
5. Label your containers. I like to have a different color of bin for each holiday. If you have a large quantity of storage bins, consider numbering them as well. You can create a master list for your decorations and then note the bin # in which each decoration is stored. This is helpful not only for locating your decorations, but, if you need to, allows you to delegate the task of re-storing the items to other family members or hired help .
So, how do you organize your holiday decorations? Any tips you can share with our readers?
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1. Love these ideas Joan…you are just too organized! I just need to pull everything out and go through it all and toss half of it. Then I ‘ll be able to find what I’m looking for and save a lot of space.
Thanks for the motivation and great ways to store everything.
Your’re the best!
by Cathy — 11/29/08 at 12:56 pm #
2. These are great ideas. I also use the note book of the list of contents in the numbered boxes . I also tape clear plastic sleeves(from Staples etc)on the front of each box. Then I add an index card with the contents . It can easily be replaced or updated without damaging the plastic sleeve. I started out using an envelope taped to the box but they were not strong enough to last through several years.
Another way I store decorations is the clear plastic drawer sets that have rolllers. I label the same way. I stack these sets with the bottom set having the rollers. They can be rolled away into a closet etc or pulled out for easy use. The drawers usually come out . Easy.
by Judy — 12/4/08 at 12:02 am #
3. Judy, you sound VERY organized. Thanks for sharing your tip for keeping your content lists intact and readable from year to year. And yes, those rolling plastic drawers are fabulous — especially for anyone who has to store their decorations in a crawl space or under the stairs. Thanks so much for sharing.
And glad we could motivate you Cathy to get your decorations organized! You’ll love it when its done.
by Joan — 12/4/08 at 10:46 am #