While a magical time of year, the festive season leaves behind a significant challenge: storing decorations! Whether it’s finding ways to safely store delicate ornaments or how to store large outdoor Christmas decorations, it’s important to find the best ways to store these items to reduce clutter in your home and make it easy to find what you need next Christmas. Efficiently packing away these seasonal treasures is also essential for preserving them — and your peace of mind!
Let’s dive into how best to store your Christmas decor… because goodness knows we’ll blink twice and Christmas will be over!
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Do an inventory check (aka sort and declutter)
Before delving into storage solutions, there’s no point in storing items you no longer want or need. By sorting through all your Christmas decorations, you’ll know exactly what you have and can organise them in a logical way. You may find it best to store all your Christmas ornaments together, Christmas lights in another box, tableware in another and so on. Or, if you like to mix up your Christmas theme from year to year, it may suit you better to organise Christmas decorations by style.
Tips to categorise your decorations:
- sort by type: you can separate your Christmas decorations into categories like ornaments, lights, tree decorations, wreaths etc. You can also further separate into subcategories such as by material ie glass decorations, wooden decorations, plastic decorations
- sort by theme: as we mentioned above, if you switch up your Christmas themes, you may like to store items accordingly to maintain a cohesive look, such as all winter wonderland decorations together or by colour scheme
- sort by room or area: separate decorations by the zone of the home you use them, including indoor and outdoor areas. For example, entry Christmas decorations where you may have your front door wreath, Christmas door mat, outdoor lights and so on.
Whatever your approach, while sorting and grouping items, take the opportunity to declutter. For each item, decide if you want to keep it, donate it or discard it. This process not only frees up space but also makes the task of storing what you genuinely cherish much easier. You’ll also feel good donating or giving away Christmas decor you haven’t used in years, knowing it will be used and appreciated by someone else.
Assess your storage needs
Now that you have a clear picture of the Christmas decorations you need to store, you can consider the best storage solutions. Evaluate the volume and fragility of items to guide you in choosing proper storage solutions tailored to the nature of your decorations.
Different storage solutions for Christmas decorations:
- keep original packaging: if you haven’t already thrown them away, the original packaging may be the best way to store your Christmas decor. This is ideal for uniquely shaped or delicate items
- purpose-made Christmas storage solutions: you can find specialty storage solutions in shops like Bunnings and Kmart, including ornament storage boxes and Christmas tree storage bags
- innovative storage ideas: many clever people have found ways of using other storage products to store Christmas decorations for a fraction of the cost. For example, a hanging garment bag can be perfect for compactly storing Christmas wrapping paper rolls, ribbons and trims. Utilising vertical storage is ideal for people living in smaller apartments where floor space is limited
- wall or ceiling hooks: some items, such as your wreath, could simply be stored on the inside of your storage cupboard with a hook. This can prevent it getting squashed or needing to buy an oversized box to store it in
- repurpose materials: using an old egg carton or coffee tray to safely store fragile Christmas tree ornaments? Genius! With some creativity, you may find clever ways to use materials you already have at home to store your Christmas decorations. For example, we’ve also seen people use cardboard or old cans to wrap and store Christmas tree lights — tangle-free!
💡For effective holiday decoration storage in Australia, Better Homes and Gardens Australia share even more DIY solutions.
Get packing
Once you’ve got all your packing materials it’s time to get to work. Take your time to do this well to save disappointment. There’s nothing worse than starting off the festive season by unwrapping broken Christmas decorations — especially if they have sentimental meaning.
Tip: use sturdy, properly sized storage solutions and consider using dividers or wrapping delicate items for added protection.
Take your packing to the next level by creating an inventory list. This simply involves keeping a list of all the items and where they are stored, making planning for next year easier. At the very least, we recommend labelling each box clearly, such as ‘Red and green Christmas tree decorations’.
Store your Christmas decorations
You may have read our recent article on how to maximise space in the home which includes plenty of home storage ideas. For example, utilising small pockets of space like under the bed, as well as wall mounted storage solutions. If your Christmas decor haul has grown since last year, you may need to find additional pockets of space around the home to store them. Just keep in mind that exposing some decorations to extreme temperatures (eg keeping them in the roof space) or humidity (storing them in a damp garage) can cause damage.
Sometimes there just isn’t enough space in the home and that’s when off-site storage comes to the rescue. Options like mobile storage units can be a lifesaver for those in urban areas like Sydney, where limited home space might be a challenge. These units offer a secure, flexible solution for storing seasonal items, keeping them safe and easily accessible.
Expert tip: for off-site storage, Vmove Removals & Storage recommends prioritising accessibility and security. Choose facilities with easy, secure access for annual festive decorations. Ensure robust security to protect your treasures.
Properly storing your festive decorations can be a satisfying end to the holiday season. With thoughtful planning and the proper storage strategies, you can keep your decorations pristine and ready to bring joy for many years. Whether utilising innovative home storage solutions or considering mobile storage Sydney options, the key is finding a system that works for your unique space and lifestyle.
