7 Tips for Organizing Your Christmas Decorations After the Holidays

Future you will thank you.

It's that time of year—the holidays are firmly behind us and some of us (ahem, me) have yet to put away our holiday decor. Despite the tree sadly shedding dry needles all over my floor, I just haven't been able to throw it out, using it as my sole lighting source in the evenings as I unwind. But alas, the time has come and I must pack all the decorations up. Sad!

If you're in the same boat and also have yet to pack up your holiday decor, here are some tried and true organization tips. These will hopefully prevent you from frustratingly throwing everything in a box just to get it out of the way. Future you will be thrilled with your well-organized and easy-to-find strings of lights and ornaments.

Related: These 11 Storage Solutions Make It Easy to Organize Your Christmas Decor

Gather and Inspect Your Decorations

"The end of the holiday season is a great time to properly organize your decorations since you'll already have everything pulled out," says Jamie Hord, founder of Horderly. "When you have everything in front of you, it will be easier to see what all you have and how much of each item you have," she says. She suggests getting rid of damaged ornaments and lights that are on their last leg.

Get New Bins

If you have a random assortment of cardboard boxes you've acquired over the years to store your decor (again, ahem, me) it's time to treat yourself to some new bins. "Purchase matching lidded bins for all your decor so they can easily be stacked together in your storage space and quickly located," says NEAT Method Co-founder and CEO Ashley Murphy. "If you have storage shelves, measure first to be sure they will fit," she says. She also suggests bins with latches, so you never have to worry about the lid accidentally popping off.

Hord suggests also getting some that are watertight since decorations are often stored in basements or garages where they could potentially get water damage.

Protect Breakables

"Whether you're storing fragile ornaments or figurines, you'll need some sort of padding in your bin to protect them," explains Murphy. "Cardboard divided trays are a great solution for ornaments while packing paper or bubble wrap typically works well for figurines."

Decide on an Organizing Principle

Once you've edited, inspected, and protected your ornaments it's time to choose an organizing principle. For instance, some people might find it most convenient to put all of the same types of decor together (garlands with garlands, ornaments with ornaments, etc) while others might find it easiest to organize by room (e.g. living room decor in one bin, entryway decor in another) explains Hord.

Neatly Wrap Lights

Nothing is more frustrating than getting ready to decorate and having to untangle string lights that were haphazardly thrown in a box. So, set future you up for success by neatly wrapping them up before you put them away. "You can do this by wrapping them around a stiff piece of cardboard, or if you want to invest, you can buy spools for them," Murphy suggests.

Cover Oversized Items

"Avoid dust collecting on faux trees and wreaths by placing them in large zipper bags sized for each purpose," says Murphy. "Be sure to purchase the correct size for your items by measuring first and then store them near your bins of holiday decor."

Add Labels

Hord suggests using clear bins so you can easily identify what's inside, and both experts agree that labeling is a must. "Label the outside of each bin so that you know exactly what's inside when you need it and then you know exactly what will go back in it when it's time to take down your decorations next year," says Hord.

Related: The Best Holiday Storage, Tested and Reviewed

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