Christmas Storage Hacks and Organization Tips | Avoid Frustration for Next Christmas's Decorating 

I like to place each string of lights in a plastic grocery bag to ensure they don’t get tangled .

The game changer for me was 1) creating a Christmas binder. It has my Christmas Card list, my gift list and menu lists or what I took to Christmas dinners elsewhere. I also put a note right in the front: BUY 1 set of 100 lights - green cord next year. Right away, I know I'm going to need another set of lights. 2) Taking photos of your decor. TOTALLY 100% HELPFUL! Thanks for the great tips!

Mini-lights, I roll ea set into a ball for storage. I start on the female plug wrapping around my fingers into a small ball, ending with the male plug out. I fasten the male plug pin around the cord w/a little pull & it stays in place. This makes it easy to route & undo next Christmas. I use mini-lights, LED candles, custom cords & foot light switches that all go into one see thru container.

Oh my gosh I am just laughing out loud at your husband in the Christmas tree bag. SO FUNNY!

I use Garland going up our stairwell but also along the railing that overlooks our family room. It’s a lot of Garland and each length specifically for those two locations. In order to identify which garland goes in each location, I use clothes pins that are labeled for the exact location that each Garland will be displayed. This takes the guesswork out and saves a lot of time when I pull the garland out and I’m ready to decorate each year. I also leave zip ties in place, that I used to hook around the knobs on the railing so I’m not securing those locations each year; it’s already done for me.

I purge pretty ruthlessly as far as decorations. If I'm tired of something, no longer find it fun, it's broken, I didn't use it after all - then I get rid of it as I take it down. Also, I wash everything, let it dry good, then store in my plastic containers. BUT, with florals, I give it a good shower and let it dry for at least 3 days. This washes all the dust off. Once you are sure it's air dried (and if dyes run, it's thrown away) then I place them in fabric laundry bags. This keeps dust off but still breathes so there is no mildew. Everything else I store in plastic boxes. I like the ability to run a dust rag over the tops to clean them. Mine are stored in a large walkin closet in our hallway that has floor to ceiling shelves. When it comes to spring cleaning time. All I have to do is wipe the tops of the boxes, lift the boxes and wipe down the shelf, vacuum the baseboard and that closet is done. I haven't done a Christmas tree in a few years. I use Christmas florals and decorations but just not a tree. Tree(s) is/are so much trouble to put up and down and store. The last tree I had was a 4' tree and I left the ornaments and lights on it and just put a large plastic bag over it, cinched the bottom and stored it. But I even got tired of that. I don't do garlands or outdoor lights. I may, or may not, do a tree again. I haven't done Christmas cards in 15 yrs. I used to do it religiously and extensively but once stamps started getting so expensive, and I use social media, so it's one thing I gladly gave up. I wanted to simplify my Christmas so it's not so burdensome. I don't do the Christmas baking and parties, hot chocolate bar, Christmas china, etc. If I had children, I would do more but it's just the two of us, we are older and I'm disabled. So I simplify when I can. I try to enjoy my decorations but not have so much that it's overwhelming. Then I enjoy seeing the decorations at church, in town, in the stores, at festivals, going to light exhibits. I can enjoy and I didn't have to do it! This year, my husband and I went to visit our niece, her husband and 4 children. They are animal lovers with a couple of dogs, a rabbit, birds so we took our cat and two dogs. She works full time. She had the house decorated so pretty with 4 Christmas trees, lighted garlands up their staircase, etc. But she was smart too. Her ornaments were all plastic because of the kids and animals. Sure enough my cat ran up the trees regularly and loved knocking balls off and rolling them around the floor. Anyway, my point was she had it decorated nice but all of it could be thrown away if she needed to. It's not expensive ornaments that she's afraid of breaking. We baked Christmas cookies one night and it was just chocolate chip cookies. It's the memory of the fun and time together rather than how fancy the cookies were. No gingerbread houses, no iced cookies, no fancy recipes. It was just fun. She took us to a Christmas festival so we got to see the decorations, lights, watch the kids do the ice tubing, the elf village, etc. Then she took us to a boat parade one night. We got to enjoy some simple things that made memories without it being so much work. It didn't have to be perfect. With all the Christmas movies, Pinterest and HGTV shows we tend to think everything has to be perfect. And we put too much pressure on ourselves (and our families) and exhaust ourselves trying to compete and be perfect. It's best to try to simplify and find the happy balance of enjoyment without exhaustion. We are all at different ages, capabilities, situations, with or without children, with or without pets, different talents and enjoyments. Some people love doing Christmas cookies or making Christmas cards or putting up outdoor lights. I know one young lady who starts decorating in October and she fills every room of her house with Christmas decor even to her pajamas, LOL. But she loves doing it. That's her thing. But don't let someone else make you feel like you are less if you don't do what they do. You do what you do and be content with your way. I enjoyed seeing what my young friend did to decorate her home all the way down to her rabbit's cage. But it didn't make me feel like I had to run out and buy more decorations. I have another friend who is older like me and she lives in a tiny home. Her decorations were a tiny tabletop tree, a string of lights around the window and a Christmas mug. She's content with that.

Have a quickie box to get the holidays stared. Things that require no effort at all. Stand alone decorative items, holiday dishes,towels,linens,pillows,etc,a small cherished nativity scene or favorite holiday books or games.

Great ideas, thanks for sharing.

I'm going to try organizing by room this year. Today is dismantling day, so I can start now!

I like to store my decorations by room also. My dining room totes is blue, and so is that totes, so its easy to find.

Great tips, so envious of your basement, we have a ranch, so I have one double closet designated for fall and Christmas( and its stacked to capacity lol) I do the transitioning thing from fall to Chrismas, from Chriatmas to Winter, and I have found since I use quite a bit of greenery, its the first to come out and the last to be put away, that I go around and get the santa's, manger scenes, anything that glitters and put them in separate boxes, so it's not mixed in with the natural greenery, and the clear bins are such a time saver.

I put each light set into a one gallon ziplock bag. I write on outside where I used it, i. e. boxwood, shrub #1. Made put up and takedown so easy last year and this year, and lights didn’t get tangled. Also did as you did and got rid of ornament boxes and stored, unwrapped, in ornament box. I even left the hook on when I stored so I didn’t have to rehook following year.

Just discovered your channel from simple farmhouse. Thank you so much for your content. You are what I’ve been looking for!!

Congratulations on your storage success! I love the idea of doing specific room storage boxes! Makes so much sense!

Excellent Christmas storage tips! Very enjoyable to watch. Many thanks! 👌🥰

well! after watching more videos than I will admit. This video was actually helpful and easy to watch. Thank you!!!!

New to your channel…thanks…like the blank state idea but I love snowmen and have lots…too many! After I take down the red and green, I get out snowflakes and snowmen…Home Goods had a great Valentine’s Day thrown with coordinated pillows!

Thank you for the great idea's! 😊

Great ideas !!! I'm new to your channel and love what I see. ❤

I wrap my lights the same way but then I put a bit of painters tape around one little part so the set won’t unroll when I take it out. I also have a tote per room it really keep the decorating a clean up to one area.

Your ornaments storage looks exactly like mine! I thought I’d found my soul sister LOL

Great ideas! Of topic but I love your sweater! 😉

Good tips, but ... that large reindeer's antlers were sticking way up outside of the storage bin. How were you able to cover that bin to store it safely?

I wrap my ornaments in aluminum foil. Its reusable and doesn't take a lot of space. I also try and box stuff by room. Even if some things change I use the same swags, lights, and garlands in the same rooms, the other stuff changes as my tastes or stockpile changes.

Past few yrs I place a large white vessel filled with glittered snowy branches on my mantle. Next to it is a white bowl filled with "snow" and different "snowflakes" for the winter months.

Where are your bells from?