I must admit, as far as Christmas decorations, I’ve become a but of a minimalist. After years of having to listen to the HH and The Girl complain, last year we got rid of our artificial tree. And I am proud to say, we are officially down to just 4 bins of holiday decorations.
You may remember as part of my 2014 List of Goals, I wanted to de-clutter my house one room at a time. Christmas decorations were no exception. I weeded out the stuff we really use, the special ornaments the kids made, etc. and then sorted them into bins. The rest we donated/sold in a garage sale. I thought I would feel sad, getting rid of them, but actually, now with just the four carefully chosen bins, I get more joy. They are a collection of my favorites, and only my favorites.
Here’s a couple of tips for you as you sort through and put your Christmas decorations away for another year:
- If you decorate your banister or doorways with garland, keeping it looking nice each year is key. To store it, choose an appropriately sized bin and coil it like a snake in a basket. It will keep it from tangling/bending unnecessarily.
- My most precious decorations are the ornaments the kids have made over the years–they are literally irreplaceable. If you are in the same boat, consider the one time investment of an ornament storage system. They have compartments for each ornament {which is super helpful for those round ones that like to roll around if they aren’t contained} and come next year during tree decorating time, they will all be conveniently located in one easy to carry and unpack tote.
- For smaller delicate decorations, wrap them in bubble wrap, newspaper, tissue paper, etc. and then place them in a shoe box. The shoe box then can easily be placed inside a bigger tote. It will be like a fortress of protection. Write what is in the shoe box with a sharpie–you think you’ll remember, but a lot can happen in a year. The labeled box will remind you that it is fragile.
- If you decorate with candles, make sure not to store them in a place that gets too warm. If possible, store them in the house. Either way, wrap them in cellophane to keep them from sticking/melting together. Avoid wrapping them in plastic or wax paper because those materials can easily melt to the sides of your candles.
- To make decorating next year as simple as possible, try to store your decor in bins by room. If you have a mantle display of decorations or a table centerpiece keep all of the components in one bin. That way you can unload one bin at a time completely, and then head back out to the garage to grab the next one.
- Run leftover remnants of wrapping paper and tissue paper through the shredder and then use it like packing popcorn to protect your decorations.
- Wrap Christmas lights around an old coffee can or sturdy rectangle of cardboard. It will make putting them up next year a breeze, plus it will protect them in storage from getting tangled and crushed.
- Label, label, label. Did I mention label? Make sure to write the contents of your bins with a sharpie–it will be easier to find everything, plus there will be no guess work when it is time to put the decorations away the next time. I swear, before I started doing this, every year was like trying to put a new puzzle together. I always wondered how I got them to fit into the bins the year before.
- Save zippered garment bags and/or bedding comforter bags. They make great storage for wreaths, outdoor lawn decor, etc. They will keep the dust off, and they can mold to the odd sized shape of what you’re trying to store.
- If you have leftover, usable wrapping paper {or if you like to buy it on clearance at the end of the season}, invest in a wrapping paper storage. It will keep it from getting crushed over the year, but still give you a way to put it in the attic or garage, instead of letting it pile up on the bottom of the coat closet floor all year.
How about you, any tips you’ve learned over the years you’d like to share?
~Mavis
Heather says
I keep my most precious, family-made, irreplaceable ornaments and decorations in one box marked “Fire” on a low shelf in the garage. In the event of a fire, that’s the box I grab. I live on a canyon in Southern California and we get wildfire evacuation orders every few years. We have to prioritize what makes it out and what doesn’t. I’d be horrified if that stuff was lost.
Laura says
This isn’t storage of Christmas decorations, but does go along with decorations – I used a power strip to plug in tree lights. SO easy to turn on and off – no poking eyes with branches or knocking off ornaments when turning lights on and off. Why didn’t I think of this years ago???? Easy on and easy off!!!
Mary says
I label my containers, but also number them. I keep a corresponding, numbered list in my “household” notebook. Then I can go there at the beginning of the season and pick and choose which ones I want to start with — we have a LOT of Christmas décor! I do this with our Fall and Easter décor, too. The numbers seem to make it easier to quickly target the things you’re looking for.
Jeanie says
If I put them up early, I tend to rip those suckers down by New Years Day. This year we were late in getting it up and I had thought of leaving it up to Epiphany but my daughter is temporarily moved home whilst waiting on her new apartment to be painted and my house feels invaded. I want it down…and soon.
Jeanie says
And yes, as I have gotten older I have decided to either gift younger relatives with my decor or donate it. I am down to the essence of what I treasure and it is wonderful…although I still do the giant tree.
Karen says
I can’t stand having a tree up on my birthday which is December 3rd and my daughter loves having the tree up for her birthday which is December 31st. So that means the tree goes up the first weekend after my birthday and comes down the first weekend after her birthday. I have gotten the decorations I use down to one bin. I have three other bins in the garage of items I can’t part with but don’t use.