We hate to be the bearers of bad news, but while it may feel like the Christmas decorations only went up, it's just a few weeks before you start thinking about taking them down again. We know the task certainly won't be on the forefront of your mind in the run-up to the big day, but to make the job of de-decorating that little bit easier once it rolls around, it helps to have a nifty storage hack on hand.
There's nothing more magical than adorning the Christmas tree with your sparkly ornaments, but taking them down is a far less exciting experience. No matter how hard you try to stack your ornament containers in a neat arrangement, they're always far more disorganized than they were before they came out.
To save yourself the annual struggle, there's a particular organizer that's had a bit of a viral moment lately, and we believe it's the answer to your ornament storage woes. Say goodbye to torn cardboard boxes and broken decorations with this nifty idea, and if you order it fast, it will be with you in time for the 25th. Christmas decorating - or should we say, de-decorating - has never been easier.
With the new year just two weeks away, it's not long before you want to start dismantling all the decorations you've adorned your home with. Christmas tree ornaments are, without a doubt, the most difficult to put away. Being so delicate and precious, it's important that you have a safe way to store them, and this clever piece of kit is the answer.
The TreeKeeper telescopic storage bag at Amazon has five trays with adjustable compartments that can hold up to 120 ornaments. But that's not all - the fabric storage bag has a telescopic metal frame that pulls upward so you don't even have to do any bending down. If that wasn't enough, to make life even simpler, it comes on wheels so you can move it from your living room to the garage with ease.
Even for the most organized among us, Christmas decorations often take a low priority being such a seasonal item, but this gadget makes decorating and 'de-decorating' the tree so simple. 'One thing that many of my clients struggle with when it comes to holiday decor is keeping things corralled in one place, and this organizer and others like it can be very helpful in designating a clear space for ornaments,' says professional organizer Melissa Gugni.
Professional home organizer and TV personality Janelle Cohen - who recently partnered with Kelley Blue Book to announce the 2024 Best Buy Awards - agrees. 'This is a great ornament organizer to really see what you have, keep your ornaments in good condition, and make it easy to decorate your tree,' she says.
Inevitably though, it does have some drawbacks and, as with any organizer, it's important you only invest in an item that suits your space and lifestyle. This is especially important when storing and organizing holiday decor since the sizes of collections are so different. 'The downfall is that it's harder to store year-round, so if you're limited on storage space, I wouldn't recommend it,' notes Janelle. 'It also has a soft exterior which is good for unusual-sized objects but the problem is that it's less protective than a hard-shelled holder,' adds Melissa.
Either way, this viral storage box has proved a real hit, so much so that it's already sold out on Amazon. No need to fear, though, as we've scoured the internet to find the best alternatives. We love this TreeKeeper storage box at Lowes which has space for ornaments as well as any nutcracker collectibles you might own. There are also plenty of other tiered storage boxes like this one, from Amazon, that make it easy to reach your layered ornament compartments without having to dismantle the entire system first, so you don't have to worry about bending down as often.
Whatever system you choose, we guarantee it's a much better solution than that ancient tatty cardboard box you've been using for decades. If there's anything that could lessen the blow of Christmas de-decorating, it's one of these organizers!
