Tricks of the Trade: How to Store Your Holiday Décor

The furnaces of Santa’s workshop are dying down, his belly full of cookies, and your team full of joy after a successful holiday season. So… now what?

Time to pack up the décor!

How you pack up and store your décor is crucial in maintaining the quality of your decorative investment and, if done right, will make next year (or the next time you use them) significantly easier.

Below we've compiled a list of some of our tricks of the trade for storing, preserving, and organizing holiday décor for an easier, happier post-holiday season.

Most holiday décor programs are going to have a mix of large, medium, small, and very small pieces ― many of which (such as different lighting fixtures) might look similar and there is a temptation to jumble them together. This is a recipe for frustrating confusion next year. Likewise, some items you can use for other events and will thus want to locate those more easily. This is why it’s essential to label, even over label, your décor so you know exactly what is what and where it is. 

There are a myriad of ways, some more cost-effective than others, for organizing and storing your lights. Whatever you do, you want to prevent tangling and ensure fragile lights won’t be crushed in the process. 

Here are a few ideas:

1. Buy a storage reel for lights (like those that come with our light spools). These can hold varying lengths of light cords to help prevent tangling, keep lights neatly stored, and protect them from being crushing.
2. Use clear plastic weather-proof storage bins. These are good for both ornaments and lights. They range from custom-designed pieces specifically built for lights and ornaments, with varying prices, and more generic transparent plastic bins is a good low-cost alternative provided you feel safe that the weather won’t be too much of a problem. It’s also very helpful to have dividers to prevent lights and ornaments from entangling into a nightmare!

1. Purchase ornament containers. While more expensive than home-improvised options, ornament containers come with ample space and padded layers for organizing ornaments and ensuring they remain secure.
2. For any large items and outdoor pieces, like inflatables, it is best to neatly return them to the packaging they arrived in once you’ve ensured they are dry and free from damage.
3. Wrap ornaments in acid-free tissue paper before storing them in plastic bins.
4. Bubble wrap anything extra fragile or delicate.

1. There are special moisture-resistant zipper bags or crush-proof cases for trees, wreaths, and garlands for smaller home and commercial-sized pieces.
2. For an improvised option, wrap up your smaller to medium-length pieces in cloth bags, plastic/shrink wrap, or bubble wrap if fragile.
3. It’s often advised to put artificial foliage items back into the boxes they came with.
4. Once wreaths and garlands are wrapped, you can hang them on coat racks (worth the investment) for easier storage and to prevent damage.

Well-labeled transparent containers are ideal for stacking in order to maximize space without causing damage or confusion. Also utilizing or creating shelves for additional space and improved access and movement is a big plus.

There are so many ways to properly store and preserve your décor pieces to last a long time, and not make the unpacking a dreaded ceremony. If you have any questions about storing particularly large or complicated items, we are more than happy to assist you!