What Comes Up Must Go Down: Taking Down Holiday Décor

When the holidays roll around, many of us look forward to putting up our holiday décor and celebrating the joy of the season. When the holidays are over, the task of taking down decorations may not be as pleasant, but the process will dictate how smoothly things run the next year. The right storage techniques will set you up for success.

These tips will keep your holiday decorations organized ensuring a seamless system for the coming year.

If you love this year’s decorations, you may want to take pictures of individual vignettes. Doing so ensures you can create an equally lovely display next year.

Set a removal date to stay on track. If you need help from others, your removal date will ensure they plan accordingly. If decorations are extensive, you may need to hire a team for assistance. In this case, you must plan for their arrival.

Most people set their removal date for January 2 or the weekend after the new year. There are no rules guiding when to take down your decorations, but if it’s February and they’re still up, well, that’s a good sign that you’re dragging your feet.

Before you pack your decorations, you must determine which you will hold on to, which you will throw out or donate, and which you will refurbish. There’s no sense in storing holiday décor that is damaged or no longer stylish.

During the season, you may have noticed that certain items no longer suit your décor. Or perhaps they look dated. Maybe you’ve noticed defects like broken parts or chipped paint.

Decorations that don’t suit your holiday aesthetics can be thrown out or donated to charity. Precious items that are damaged should be set aside so you can repair them at your earliest convenience.

Have your Christmas storage containers ready so you can place items in the appropriate boxes. Your storage containers should be big enough to hold several holiday decorations. However, they should not be too large.

If you use enormous containers, you run the risk of not being able to find certain items. Your décor could also get damaged if you have too much rattling around in them.

Label your boxes to keep your holiday decor organized. Several strategies can guide your box labeling process. Here are some ideas.

• Place like with like- all holiday lights go together, all garlands go together, all wreaths go together, etc.
• Organize by Theme: Following this strategy, all Santa items would be stored together, all elves would go in the same box, and so on.
• Organize by Area: This strategy would have you put all your kitchen holiday décor in one box, everything that goes on the tree would go in another, bathroom decorations would be placed in a third Christmas storage container, and so on.

Find the strategy that works best for you. Then fill out a tag made of cardstock or a similar strong material indicating what’s in each box. Tape the tag to the box to ensure you are organized for the coming year.

Not everyone has tons of room for holiday decoration storage. If you are short on space, purchase stackable boxes that won’t take up a lot of real estate in your home. You may also consider storing items under your bed or on shelves to minimize clutter.

Now you have a basic outline of how to store your holiday décor. Here are some hacks that will protect your decorations and make your decorating work even easier in the coming year.

Christmas lights often get tangled causing them to fray and break. You can prevent damage by winding your lights before storing them. Loop them in Figure 8 following the natural pull of the strings.

If you want to play it even safer, you can use spools or a light organizer box to prevent tangling. If you’d rather not spend the money, take a piece of cardboard and cut a slit on one side. Wrap the lights around the cardboard allowing them to fall into the slit to ensure they stay in place.

Wreaths are delicate and may get ruffled or damaged when stored. You may purchase special wreath storage boxes that will keep them safe. Hat boxes and snare drum cases may also prevent damage.

Several garland storage options will keep your décor in shape for the coming year. For example, you can roll garlands carefully and place them in a round container. You can also hang them in your storage space.

Another idea is to place them in garment bags and hang them on a rolling garment rack.

Artificial Christmas trees should be stored and well-kept for the coming year. Several manufacturers sell Christmas tree boxes and bags expressly made for this purpose. Many feature waterproof materials and wheels that ensure safety and make decorating easy.

This hack comes in handy for anyone who has thrown their wrapping paper in the closet only to find it unusable the next year (of course, that never happens to me). The trick is to find a storage container long enough to accommodate your rolls of paper. Some may even have handy compartments where you can store tape, scissors, gift tags, etc.

Ornaments are difficult to store because many of them are made of delicate materials that can break easily. Perhaps the best tip is to hold on to the original boxes. They are often shaped to securely accommodate each ornament ensuring they don’t break.

However, original packaging is often made of cardboard and will not stand up well over the years. If your packaging has deteriorated, you may use tissue or bubble wrap to protect ornaments before you store them. Apple and egg containers are ideal for smaller ornaments. You may also purchase an ornament storage box that features dividers that protect ornaments from damage.

You may be getting ready for new decorations or taking down the old ones. These are ideal times to think about adding new décor to your holiday design. Dekra-Lite has products that suit any aesthetic.

Explore our collection of wreaths, garlands, artificial trees, lighting, ornaments, and props to find the items that will fill your home or workspace with joy. Our extensive collection includes everything you need to prepare for the upcoming season. Contact us to learn more about what we have to offer.