Every year it is the same in our home. Once the holidays start to hit, the decorations are hauled out, and the big SORT begins. Time to figure out what decorations can be used, what we need to replace, and what goes with what holiday. Let’s face it, 3 back to back holidays with a quick clean up session may leave you with quite the mess next year.
Here are a couple of tips to help you organize your holiday decorations as you start to put them back this year.
Buy large totes and label them per holiday. If you are like me, all holidays fit into one tote except for Fall and Christmas. I use these Home Depot totes. They cost just over $15, and they fit perfectly into our overhead garage storage for easy access! I can get away with having 6 of these for my decor. 1 for all holidays, one for Fall, and four for Christmas. https://www.homedepot.com/p/HDX-27-Gal-Tough-Storage-Tote-in-Black-with-Yellow-Lid-HDX27GONLINE-5/205978361
Gallon size Freezer Bags. You know you have lots of ornaments, or those small things that easily get tangled or broken. I separate them out and organize by color or holiday and bag them! Everything fits better in my totes, and I can label the bag for easy grabbing. Expert tip: Color code the bags per holiday in your all holiday tote!
Painters tape. CORDS!!!!!! Ahhhhhh…. I have extension cords, light strings, cords, more codes… Roll the cords around your hand and elbow. Secure them with painters tape around the center. It’s easy to remove later, and if the tape is in your tote, when you're packing up, just do it again!
Tree’s and outdoor decor. To be honest, there isn’t a perfect system here. However, I do organize my attic to accommodate these pieces so they are easy to grab throughout the year. On one side of the attic, I have stuff we don’t use that we keep anyways and on the other side large holiday pieces. I put these in order by “holiday”. I only stack things if they are the same holiday. AND, I write the holiday on them with duct tape, in case they get out of order somehow.
Lastly, Check them before putting them away. At the end of each season, turn on your lights, inflatables, etc once last time. Make sure everything is working. If something is dull or making a weird noise, it likely won’t last another year sitting stale before you need it again. Throw it out and make a note. I put a sheet of paper in each box with a list of things I threw out the year before. So I know what I need to buy the following year. Expert Tip: if finances allow, even better if you can go try to replace that item now, because postseason decor goes on super sale every year!
Decorating is usually the fun part, but organizing can get tedious and let’s face it, extensive. Use these easy techniques to simplify your next year holiday decorating experience! One last gem I’ll leave you with. If you have a set schedule of when you do holiday clean up each season, it helps with the grab and shove tendencies.