If you struggle to find space for artificial trees, wrapping paper, ornaments, and more, these smart hacks can help
We found 19 organization hacks that will help get your ornaments, artificial tree, garland, and more in ship shape so that next year’s decorating is a breeze.
By Lisa Fogarty
Colorful lights, sparkly ornaments, and majestic menorahs and trees are among the most magical things about the holiday season. But before you know it, it will be time to pack these items away and return your home to its original, non-twinkly state. No one looks forward to post-holiday organization, especially when it involves carefully packing heirlooms, fragile ornaments, and cumbersome artificial trees.
“The purpose of storing decorations is about making sure the magic is ready to be rekindled, effortlessly, year after year,” says Katherine Diaz Picott, founder and CEO of Tidy Milso. “To do this you will need to store them in a way that protects them from dust, breakage, and environmental factors while keeping them organized for easy setup. Purchase durable, airtight bins and storage solutions that feature the right compartments for your tree, ornaments, lights, and other holiday decor. This investment in these items will last for many years to come, saving you time, money, and stress.”
In addition to stocking up on smart organization solutions, we’ve also put together a few easy, creative (and frankly brilliant) holiday organization hacks that make it much simpler to pack up your decor in a safe, space-saving way.
Artificial Christmas Trees
An artificial Christmas tree is an investment that often pays for itself over the years, and it eliminates the hassle of vacuuming needles. But we all get real tree envy when we watch our neighbors chuck their old trees onto the curb while we’re stuffing fake branches into boxes. Here are a few TikTok hacks that we’re looking forward to trying this year:
If you’re short on space, grab a few vacuum storage bags and place individual branches into small bags before shrinking them with a vacuum for easier storage:
For those who have a generous attic or garage, insert your tree into an upright storage bag that rests at the bottom of the tree during the holiday season (it can be covered with an ornate tree skirt), and then simply lift up the bag after the holidays end and zip it up to cover the tree from dust and dirt:
Imagine being able to unwrap your tree next year with its ornaments already intact, saving you time and frustration. The easiest hack of all might be wrapping your tree (with the ornaments still on it) in packaging wrap:
Ornaments
Ornaments can be a pain to pack, especially when they are oversized and made of glass and other breakable materials. A few great hacks include lining a bin with cardboard drink containers or plastic cups:
Washed-out egg cartons provide a genius way of safely storing 12 ornaments:
An inexpensive roll of mattress foam provides a protective base and cover for delicate ornaments:
In a pinch, coffee filters will serve nicely as a place to rest those ornaments in a large bin:
All of those plastic muffin tins accumulating in your home are the perfect, inexpensive organization space for ornaments:
Holiday Lights
Untangling messy holiday lights does not make us feel warm and fuzzy during the holiday season. To keep this task stress-free, wrap them well the previous year.
Don’t recycle the cardboard core of your wrapping paper. Wrap lights around it to keep them untangled:
Separating your lights into different plastic bags is an easy way to handle the clutter, but don’t forget to label each bag with the type of light (such as its color or size) and the area of your home where it is usually hung:
Turn cardboard boxes into mini organizers for lights with little more than a scissor and some patience:
Plastic hangers provide a smart storage solution for lights. Not only do they wrap effortlessly around the hanger, but you can then hang up your lights in a storage closet:
Garland
Garland jazzes up every room and makes it look more festive. To prevent your garland from getting tangled up in storage, you can cut a rectangle of cardboard from a box, tape one end of the garland to the cardboard rectangle, wrap the garland around it, and tape the other end of the garland to the cardboard to keep it all in place:
One crafty home decorator doesn’t place garland in the attic or garage. Instead, she incorporates it into her everyday decor year-round by setting it at the bottom of her potted plants:
Hangers aren’t just for holiday lights—they work as a storage solution for garland, as well:
Wrapping Paper
“To streamline your holiday preparations, keep your gift-wrapping supplies organized in one specific location for easy access,” Diaz Picott says. “Designate a pair of scissors and tape exclusively for wrapping gifts. Break down your holiday gift-wrapping materials into smaller categories, placing them in smaller boxes or bins. Then, store these containers inside a larger box or bin and label it for future convenience.”
These hacks can also get the job done neatly and efficiently.
A behind-the-door storage rack for wrapping paper and accessories gives you a smart, out-of-the-way space for these items:
There’s no need for a specific storage solution for wrapping paper. If you have affordable shoe storage organizers, you can cut the plastic ends of each compartment to make room for wrapping paper rolls:
A garment bag, a wreath hanger, and a clothes hanger are all you need to store numerous wrapping paper rolls at one time within the bag. You can then hang the bag up in a closet or on the back of a door:
Holiday Cards
Lastly, it feels heartbreaking to throw holiday cards out every year, especially when you know the effort that went into making them. One sweet solution is to store them on binder rings instead and create sections with different years so that you can always look back on them with fondness:
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