Many of us really start thinking about decorating for Christmas around early to mid-November, when the weather finally starts feeling like winter and Thanksgiving is on the horizon.
However, professional organizers usually spend this time thinking about taking their decorations down, not putting them up. Planning ahead and shopping for your Christmas storage pieces in November means that, come January, you are in the perfect position to restore your home to normalcy, quickly, properly and without added sales stress.
Here, we share the essential Christmas storage pieces you should look at investing in now before the intense Christmas rush begins to prep ahead for post-Christmas decluttering.
Why you should always buy your Christmas decor storage essentials in November
Organizing Christmas decorations for storage is essential if you want your favorite decor to look its best this time next year. This means investing in the best Christmas decor storage essentials ahead of time so you are not left hanging in January when items are snapped up in end-of-season sales, and shipping is delayed because of the holidays.
It also helps you find the most efficient way to take down Christmas decor, making decorating next year a breeze says Laura Price, professional home organizer and owner of The Home Organization.
She says, 'Taking down the decorations is not always the most enjoyable task, but it’s a chance to restore and refresh your home so it’s ready for the new year.
'Don’t just pull your decorations down in a frenzy, be methodical. Group items together, such as lights, baubles, and tinsel, and find suitable protective packaging for them. Also make sure you label what’s what, so putting up the decorations next year isn’t an unnecessary hardship.'
With that in mind, these are the essential bits of kit you need to clear your home of Christmas.
All prices correct at time of publication.
Amélie Saint-Jacques, professional home organizer, certified Kon-Mari consultant, and owner of Amélie Organizes says, 'For storing decorations, I love a bin with dividers like this one from Amazon. This helps keep decorations safe from dust and breakage, while keeping them together, easily visible and accessible. Storing fragile things in too many layers of tissue paper will work against you because you risk forgetting some of them or accidentally throwing them out because you think it's just paper.'
One of the most common Christmas decoration storage mistakes is throwing fairy lights into a box unwrapped. This almost always leads to knots that make decorating next year a nightmare. To avoid this, invest in a light storage box where you can wrap your lights around dividers that will prevent tangles. This box holds four sets of lights. Amélie Saint-Jacques adds, 'Wrap string lights around a piece of cardboard and write down where they go (such as this is the long one for the banister, that is the shorter one for the mantle, and here are the extension cords).'
Storing a Christmas tree is one of the more difficult parts of un-decorating after the holidays. To keep yours safely stowed, Mac Harman, CEO of Balsam Hill suggests using 'a storage bag that will protect your tree while it’s stored. Your bag needs to be large enough to comfortably hold your tree and made from durable material so that it can’t be torn by protruding branches – rip-stop nylon is a great option for this. Balsam Hill trees come with their own storage bags for ease. Store your tree in a cool, dry location to protect from moisture and musty odor.'
Home organizer Amélie Saint-Jacques suggests, 'Pack all items securely enough that you could move with the box as is, and pack by room rather than strictly by type of item. So if you have decorations that go on the mantle and others that go on the dining room server, pack them by location rather than putting all the candles together, all the figurines together.' A strong, wheeled box makes it simple to transport decor around your home.
Keeping your Christmas wreath ideas looking their best from year to year is a struggle. Investing in wreath storage bags that perfectly fit your door wreaths inside will help to protect them from dust and from being squashed in storage. Picking the perfect size will also ensure they keep their round shape between uses. If you have space in your attic, pop a long nail onto a rafter and hang this bag from it to stop it getting squashed.
These long, wheeled, BPA-free storage boxes are perfect for storing larger Christmas decorations such as garlands. Their slim profile and wheels make them excellent under-bed storage ideas, or they can be stacked in small spaces such as attics to save space. The wheels and transparency make them easy to roll in and out to find the items you're looking for.
No matter if you are trying to store holiday decorations in an apartment, or have a huge part of your garage devoted to your Christmas collection, these Christmas decor storage essentials will keep everything neat and organized, ready for the Christmas's to come.
