8 Ways to Organize and Store Your Holiday Decorations

Did you need a treasure map to find where you stored your holiday decor this year? Are you already dreading trying to stuff everything back into boxes that seem to shrink each year? Never fear; the tips below will help you easily reclaim your storage spaces and give you more time to enjoy your festive home during holidays next year. Read on and make a New Year’s Resolution that you can finish before the year is even out – getting your seasonal decorations organized!

1.) Take Inventory and Donate Unused Items

When it comes time to pack up your holiday decor, pull out your boxes and take inventory – anything that stayed in boxes or wasn’t displayed in the last two years should be donated or thrown away if the items are no longer in good condition. This way you can keep a handle on how many odds and ends you collect throughout the years. If it is something sentimental that you don’t use but want to keep, take a look at #7 on this list.

2.) Invest in the Right Materials

Set yourself up for long-term organization success with the right equipment for the job.  Switch from cardboard boxes (don’t forget to recycle them!) to stackable, plastic totes or boxes. Identify if you need wreath holders, trays, dividers, light rolls, etc. Shop for these items soon after the holidays when they may go on sale – then use them for packing up the holiday decor!).

3). Put a Label on It

Once you have the right tools and containers for storage, you’ll want to be able to find everything quickly and easily. Along with determining a packing structure that puts like items together, use appropriate labels so you know what each box you pack contains – without needing to strew everything around the room.

4.) Keep it Mobile

Lugging a heavy box from the front yard to the living room and into the garage makes packing and organization more of a chore than you bargained for. Consider in investing in wheeled storage containers or a moving dollie to spare the strain on your back and your stress.

5.) Use Hidden Storage Spaces

The garage and attic aren’t the only places you can put things. To keep those storage spaces as neat and tidy as possible, look to unused nooks and crannies in your home. Consider using under-bed storage for items used throughout the year, such as shoes, a gift wrapping workstation and extra bedding.

6.) Make Use of Multi-Use

Speaking of gift wrap, consider swapping snowman covered paper with neutral wrapping that can be tailored with ribbon, stamps and calligraphy for birthdays, anniversaries and other holidays. By looking for decorations that can play double-duty throughout the year around your home, you can significantly cut down on the items you need to store.

7.) Create Remarkable Memories

From years of saved holiday cards to the kids’ pictures with Santa, these are memories you don’t want to toss. But, after a while these collectibles can take over your storage space. Instead of storing these keepsakes in a box where they won’t get the attention they deserve, display them in a memorable way. Consider an elegant scrapbook, a shadow box display or even a picture frame presentation.

8.) Write Your Wish List

Those after-holiday sales can be really enticing (who doesn’t like a good deal?), but make sure that you’re purchasing something you really want and will look good in your home. By keeping a running list of decorations, home furnishings and other trimmings that fit your space, you’ll buy things you actually need – ensuring you won’t be wasting space storing something you won’t even use in the future.

Do you have any great storage organization tips? Share them with us in the comments below!

Storing and organizing your holiday decorations can be tough, especially if it’s in a place that doesn’t satisfy your needs.  If you’re looking to find a new home to better suit your necessities, come learn about the new homes from Shea Homes in these following locations:

California
Bay Area, CA
Central Coast, CA
Los Angeles, CA
Orange County, CA
Palm Springs, CA
San Diego, CA

West
Seattle, WA
Las Vegas, NV
Phoenix, AZ
Houston TX
Denver, CO

East
Central Florida
Northern Virginia
Charlotte, NC