How to Properly Store Seasonal Decorations & Other Christmas Ornaments

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What is the best way to store seasonal decorations so I am more organized next year?

Gathering all the decorations, you will be stored in one area is the best way to begin organizing. It is much easier to grab things and put them away when they are all within reach. It will be difficult to keep track of where everything is located when some of it is stored under the stairs, some are stored in the garage, and the rest are stowed in a self-storage unit. Shuffle the contents of your storage for Christmas ornaments if you must, but try to keep most of your decorations stored together.

Where is a good place to store your holiday decor?

The basement and the attic in your home are great storage options for things that you only use occasionally, but it is not ideal for everything. For example, delicate items like candles or antique trinkets may melt and break from extreme heat. You might want to store these items in a room where the climate will always be maintained to a specific degree.

Why not try hiding them under the bed?

You will only need to take your holiday decorations out of their storage once a year, so it is okay if they are stored somewhere a bit farther from you. Use the storage space under your bed for other things you might need more often instead.

What type of container is the best for storage use?

Choose durable containers with tight-fitting lids. Using cardboard boxes to store your holiday decorations for an extended period may not be a good idea. Insects and other pests, like silverfish and roaches, are attracted to cardboard, and you might be unpleasantly surprised to see an infestation amid your stuff. Not to mention how easy it will be for mice to get through the cardboard box and gnaw on your belongings. Nevertheless, a sturdy ornament organizer is a good investment to protect your Christmas decor.

Decorating next year will be a whole lot easier if you keep the decorations together in one box and the rest stowed in another.

Seasonal decorations storage tips

Christmas decorations storage tips include the following items to preserve your decoration storage from season to season and year after year.

Keep them out of direct sunlight.
Store them in a dry, cool place.
Hang or cover each item to keep the air from getting inside and damaging it.

Delicate ornaments

Delicate ornaments can be permanently damaged when rolling and knocking each other around. To avoid this from happening, get a container that has dividers. You can also use all the saved bubble wrap and wrapping papers from your presents to cushion delicate ornaments.

Wreaths

Christmas wreath made of artificial material will maintain their condition and shape best if you hang them. This way, they can keep looking fresh and new without needing to be fluffed or shaped up. Install a hook on a wall to have a proper place for your wreath storage to hang on to. To further protect it from damage, tuck it in a trash bag or a dry cleaner’s bag before hanging it. You can do the same for other wall decor that you need to store.

Lights

Contain each strand of light separately to keep them from getting into a giant tangled clutter. You can choose between buying a holder designed to have your Christmas lights wrapped around it or just creating your own. To create your own, take a cylindrical tool and wrap your lights around it, one strand at a time.

You can proceed to stack the wrapped lights in a plastic bag and separate any strands of lights plugged together. Longer strands tend to tangle more than shorter ones.

If you have strands of lights for a specific location, like lights that are meant to go on the tree, label them with a piece of masking tape and a permanent marker.

Garlands

Do you remember your garland when you first saw it at the store? It was most likely hanging. That is because garlands are best stored hanging to maintain their shape. Packing them in a box or a bag will do nothing but flatten them.

Grab a piece of cardboard and wrap your garland around it. You can make use of clip hangers to hold the cardboard up. You can also get a freestanding garment bag to hang a decoration that cannot be stored in a container, like wreaths and garlands.

Assorted goodies

Keep glass ornaments in the boxes they came with. Most of the time, glassware arrives in a box with a styrofoam holder that is perfectly shaped to hold it. If you can, keep these boxes so you can reuse them for storage at the end of the holiday season. Then, keep the boxes in a plastic container with a sealed lid to remove unwanted critters.

However, if you have already thrown the boxes out, you can use bubble wrap and tissue paper to carefully wrap each easily breakable item. Then, pack it with holiday pillows or stuffed toys to add cushioning between the fragile items.

Remember: don’t forget to label your containers; it will make it infinitely easier for you to find what you’re looking for this way.

What’s the secret to storing an unruly artificial tree?

Artificial Christmas trees are more convenient and practical than their natural counterparts in more ways than one. They do not shed needles, and you will not have to water them.

Instead of going on a frigid trip to a tree farm to get a live Christmas tree, head on to your nearest novelty shop and get an artificial one.

The problem some people have with artificial trees is storage. Unlike natural trees you can get rid of after the holidays, you will need a place to store an artificial tree off-season.

Tips below on how you can store your artificial tree successfully

First, ensure the tree is in a room with good air circulation.
Next, place the tree on a sturdy, stable base that can support its weight.
Finally, use non-toxic or biodegradable materials to line the tree’s stand.
Use water, not too much and not too little. Too much water can cause mold and rot to grow in the tree’s branches. Too little water can cause the tree to dry out and become brittle.
Keep the tree away from heat sources such as fireplaces, heaters, or radiators.

Take all decorations off

The first step in disassembling your tree is to remove all ornaments hanging from it. Fragile Christmas baubles, string lights, and other trinkets may be damaged if you do not take them off the tree before packing.

Wipe the tree branches with a damp cloth to remove any accumulated dust. This will serve you when the time to unpack and decorate again rolls around next year.

Dismantle your tree

If you wipe your tree down with a damp cloth, give it enough time to dry thoroughly. Smaller trees are usually one piece and can be folded similarly to an umbrella. To keep branches from straying away from the body, you can use a cloth string to secure it.

However, full-size trees are trickier to dismantle because they come with multiple parts. If you are not familiar with how it is assembled, which is understandable given that you only do it once annually, refer to the manufacturer’s instructions.

Store it in a bag

You can save the box your artificial tree came in if you want to reduce your waste. However, there are other options available if you have already discarded them. There are lots of options for Christmas tree bags on the market. Regardless of which one you decide to go with, make sure that it is water-resistant.

Cautiously put the pieces of your tree in the bag. Ensure that the bag you choose protects your tree and is big enough to accommodate all parts. Avoid stuffing your tree in a bag too small for it so as not to squish the branches out of shape.

What’s the best thing to do?

Are you wondering what the best thing to do with some items that do not fall into any specific category is? Fret not, and we got you.

With out-of-fashion decorations?

Only keep the decors you like and often use. If you have some spare that you have not used in a while, it would be better to get rid of them instead of letting them sit in a corner to accumulate dust and waste storage space. You can decide whether to donate, recycle, or throw them away based on their condition.

With big pieces of decorations?

Seasonal decor like a statue of Santa Claus or a life-sized nativity set are too big to be stored in a container. Wrap them in bubble wrap instead, then place them in the corner of your storage unit where it would be impossible to knock them over. You can also put a plastic or a cloth bag over them as protection against dust.

With holiday-themed kitchenware?

As for your holiday-themed kitchenware, pack them together in one container so you will only have to make a single trip to the kitchen to decorate.

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Harley Carr

Harley lives in New York and works as an editor professionally. She likes taking walks in nature, observing her surroundings, and enjoying life as it passes by her. She writes as a means of stress relief and self-expression. It also helps that her blogs and informative how-to pieces are able to help many in need of a little guidance.

How to Properly Store Seasonal Decorations & Other Christmas Ornaments

What is the best way to store seasonal decorations so I am more organized next year?