9 holiday storage hacks social media image

9 Holiday Storage Hacks

Now that Christmas is over, you’re probably in one of these two camps.

  • Camp #1: Christmas is over, time to pack everything away pronto.
  • Camp #2: Christmas is over, but I want to enjoy the decorations for a while longer. I’ll put them away in the new year.

Regardless of which camp you belong to, I have several Holiday Storage Hacks to help you store the holiday items for next year!

Plastic and Foam Cups:

There will always be ornaments to pack away after the holidays. Protect them from getting crushed or breaking by storing them inside individual disposable cups. For fragile ornaments, insert a foam cup inside the larger plastic cup before placing the breakable ornament inside. This gives a nice cushion around the ornament and creates a nice even layer in the bottom of your storage bin, which is helpful for the next hack.

Storage Hacks for Holiday Decorations | Pretty Handy Girl

Lasagna Method:

Don’t just throw your ornaments in the bin. Start at the bottom of your bin and place a layer of ornaments stored in cups. (Easy to do if you use the first hack above!) Place a piece of foam over the cups and continue with a second layer of ornaments. Again, add another piece of foam, then place ornaments that lay flat or are very thin on top of that last layer of foam. They will be protected and ready to go for decorating next year.

Storage Hacks for Holiday Decorations | Pretty Handy Girl

Saran Wrap the Tree:

Artificial trees can be cumbersome and messy when store them away. To neatly pack your artificial trees use a roll of plastic wrap to secure the branches together, making it easier to carry and store. Bonus, you might actually be able to get that tree back in the box you bought it in!

Storage Hacks for Holiday Decorations | Pretty Handy Girl

Linen Zipper Pouches:

If you have a collection of small tea lights and candles, use an old linen zippered pouch from your last blanket purchase. These are perfect for storing your tea lights, batteries, and other similar items until next year. The clear bag also lets you see exactly what’s inside.

Storage Hacks for Holiday Decorations | Pretty Handy Girl

Cardboard Light Holder:

Do your lights get tangled up by the following year? This year put an end to the frustration by cutting out a large rectangular section of cardboard (shipping boxes or cereal boxes work great.) Make a small slit on one end to hold the end plug of your light strand. Wrap the lights around the cardboard to keep them secure and organized and ready to put up next year. This hack also allows you to store the strands upright to save on space. It may take a bit of extra time now, but will save you time (and curse words) next year!

Storage Hacks for Holiday Decorations | Pretty Handy Girl

Store Like Items Together:

I don’t know about you, but in the past my bins were filled with random holiday items. I struggled to find a particular item. To solve this issue, put similar items into one bin. Next year you’ll know exactly where all of the lights are in an instant. Label the outside of each bin to help speed through the decorating process.

Storage Hacks for Holiday Decorations | Pretty Handy Girl

Hang Wreaths:

Wreaths are large and take up a lot of bin space. To store your wreaths, put them on hangers in an extra closet. If you don’t have closet space, nail a horizontal board to the rafters in your attic or garage and hang them there.

Storage Hacks for Holiday Decorations | Pretty Handy Girl

Gift Wrap Storage:

Gift wrap rolls are long and can be difficult to store. Use a bin or basket in the corner and store your gift wrap upright. This prevents the rolls from getting crushed and they are easy to grab next time you need to wrap a present. Feel free to store birthday and other holiday wraps as well.

Storage Hacks for Holiday Decorations | Pretty Handy Girl

Or, create this under the bed gift wrap station like Her Toolbelt made:

Bins for Gift Bags, Ribbons, & Tissue Paper:

Fold your gift bags neatly and place them inside clear storage bins. Organize by size or celebration and you’ll have a great place to go whenever you need to quickly wrap a gift. Use another bin for ribbon spools and yet another for scrap ribbons (never let those scraps go to waste.) The clear bins make it easy to grab the correct bin, no matter how last minute you’re putting the gift together.

Storage Hacks for Holiday Decorations | Pretty Handy Girl

There you have it! Holiday clean up doesn’t have to be stressful, just keep it organized and use these hacks to make your holiday decor last for years to come. Do you have any storage hacks for holiday decorations that you would add to this list? Please share them in the comments!

4 replies
  1. Maggie
    Maggie says:

    Christmas is not over. How sad we have allowed ourselves to be so conditioned to the commercial aspect of Christmas we forget the real reason – the birth of Christ. Christ was born at midnight in Bethlehem, therefore Christmas doesn’t start until then and continues at least until the Three Kings arrive, January 6th, the Epiphany. Ever heard of the song “The Twelve Days of Christmas” ?? The days start on Christmas and continue after. How many of you celebrate your birthdays months before the actual day??? Research it, I am sure you will find it. As for me? I wish you all a very Merry Christmas Season and a Happy prosperous New Year.
    God’s blessings to all,
    Miss Maggie

    Reply
    • Nancy Burke
      Nancy Burke says:

      ANYWHO….back to the storage ideas because the holidays ARE over- LOVE the idea of putting the wreaths on the hangers! I’m sooo going to try that! Love this post on STORAGE HACKS! I, like many other people, need as many ideas for storage as I can get! Happy New Year!

      Reply
  2. Linda L Weeks
    Linda L Weeks says:

    Yes, this sure beats the way I’ve been storing my Xmas decorations – I keep getting another box to add to the numerous boxes I already have filled, and never have gone through them to organize. And it’s only been 37 years! I have got way too many boxes!

    Hope you enjoyed your holidays!!

    Reply

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