With the start of the new year, there’s so much excitement surrounding goal setting and resolutions. However, there’s still one task on many of our to-do lists that needs to be tackled — finally putting away our holiday decor! 

I wasn’t thinking of doing this episode until the other day. Sam, one of our team members, told me how her mom puts away her Christmas decorations. She stuffs everything — ornaments, ribbon, and everything in between — in a box and shoves it under her bed, praying that nothing breaks for the next year.

This floored me!

I’m guessing she’s not the only person who feels this way about putting away their Christmas decor. Some people just want it over and done with.

But there’s a better way!

If you want to make sure your cherished Christmas decor is neatly stored and lasts for many years to come, this is the blog post you need.

I’m showing you my step-by-step organization process of how I store my Christmas decor, so you can see that it’s not as daunting as you think it is, and it’ll be so much easier to set up next year too.

Plus, I have a bonus Christmas organization tip, courtesy of my husband, Bobby, for those who want a super-fast, no-fuss approach to storing your decor.

Step 1: Get Large Plastic Storage Bins

If you don’t already have this, the first thing I want you to do is to go out and look for large clear plastic bins with a lid to store your holiday decor.

Clear containers make it easy to see what’s inside your box when you’re pulling your decorations out for the holidays.

In addition to clear boxes, I also like using large, non-see-through boxes for some decor so that they look neater in my garage. The majority of my holiday decorations are stored in these types of bins.

My household goes all out for the holidays, and I use 12 bins to store all my Christmas decorations. If you live in a smaller space like an apartment, I’m sure you’ll have fewer decorations and therefore won’t need as many boxes to store.

Step 2: Group Similar Christmas Decor Together

This is the simplest and most effective tip for saving time in your holiday decor’s set-up and takedowns — store similar items together.

It takes the guesswork of having to open all the boxes to find something you need.

I like to use 1-2 of the non-see-through bins to group my flocked wreath collection that I like to hang on my windows.

Pro tip for storing wreaths: If you have a large collection (like I do), store them vertically in a large deep bin so they don’t get squished over time.

I like to keep everything I put on the Christmas tree — tree topper, ornaments, skirt, stems, ribbon — in one box or two bins maximum.

Having my Christmas tree set up in one or two boxes as a “tree kit” makes it so much easier to set up the following year. There’s no need to rummage around for specific items.

Step 3: Storing Christmas Ornaments

To protect my fragile ornaments and add even more organization to my bins, I use dividers to separate the ornaments.

Partitioned cardboard box dividers work perfectly for separating my ornaments, and they’re easily stackable. All you need to do is add a sheet of cardboard to separate the layers. Doing this makes the most out of the real estate in the storage boxes.

To start arranging my ornaments, I like to call in a little helper (one of my sons, Rohan or Dayven) to make the process go by quicker. When they were younger, they would help me just to be with their mama. Now I have to bribe them with chocolate chip cookies or video game points!

We arrange the partitioned cardboard dividers at the bottom of a deep container to create little cubbies that we can place the ornaments into.

Once the small ornaments are in place, I stack the largest ornaments on top.

If you have more delicate ornaments, you can always individually cover them in bubble wrap or craft paper to add more protection.

Step 4: Wrap Your Christmas Lights

Opening a box of jumbled up Christmas lights is stress I’m sure we could all do without next holiday season.

I use a plastic cord reel to wrap my Christmas lights neatly. This prevents tangles and helps to maximize storage space. 

If you have lights with a battery pack, I like to tape the little box in place so it doesn’t move around.

Step 5: Roll & Pin Ribbon

Once I take the ribbon off my tree, I remove any florist wires holding them in place.

I’ll use 2–3 fingers to wrap the ribbon around, and I’ll roll the ribbon up, making sure to smooth out any bumps and creases. Then I’ll take a sewing pin to secure the ribbon to itself. 

I place my rolled-up ribbon in clear plastic zip-up pouches that you usually use for sweaters when you pack them in your suitcase and now they can go in the bin.

Bonus Christmas Organization Trick: Shrink Wrap The Tree

The steps I outlined above for taking down your Christmas tree are pretty easy.

It just takes a little bit of time to organize. Still, it makes it that much easier to set up next year, and it ensures that all your precious Christmas decorations are tucked away safely, preventing any damage.

This next tip you’re gonna love if you’re someone who doesn’t like to fuss or really put anything away.

It’s actually my husband’s go-to trick for dealing with holiday decor — shrink wrap it!

This is a hack he uses for our smaller trees.

We’ll leave the ornaments on the tree, covering delicate ornaments with bubble wrap and a bit of tape. I add in newspaper or craft paper around and in between all of the ornaments. Then, I’ll hold the tree down while my husband covers the entire thing in shrink wrap. 

Once the first layer is on the tree, it’s a one-person job, and he’ll wrap a few more layers in to keep everything secure. And just like that, Christmas is all tucked away in shrink wrap and ready to get stored in the garage!

The Takeaway: Organizational Hacks For Christmas Decor

There you have it! In just a handful of steps, you can streamline your Christmas decor takedown. Everything is packed away neatly and protected.

You’ll thank yourself next year for doing this because it’ll make setting up for the holidays stress-free.

Leave me a comment of what you think of my husband’s shrink wrap idea, and if you try it yourself, be sure to tag me on Instagram or Facebook.

If you like the decor you see in this blog post, many of these items can be found at Village Antiques in Houston, TX. Open Tuesday – Saturday, 10 am to 5 pm, stop by! Or feel free to give us a call at 713-468-3931 if you have any questions.

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Until the next time we meet, keep making your home amazing with your design gifts!