If you’re like me, you like decorating for the holidays.  It gets me in the holiday spirit, and I enjoy adding sparkle and cheer to my home.  However, taking those decorations down, packing them up, and storing them until next year is an entirely different story.  That part of the process always seems like such an unwelcoming chore.  So, I’ve done my best to simplify the process and make it as painless as possible.

The first suggestion is to have a designated location in your basement, attic, garage, or other storage area, for the holiday decorations to live undisturbed until next year.  This prevents them from just being shoved anywhere, everywhere, or wherever they’ll fit.  My designated location is on plastic storage shelves in my basement.

The second suggestion is to use clear bins and large easy to read labels.  This allows you to easily spot what is stored inside and where it belongs.  I print large color coded labels, and tape them to the inside of the clear bin.  This allows me to easily read the label because of the large size, and to easily recognize the holiday because of the label color.  It also prevents the label from falling off, fading, curling, or becoming illegible.  I place two labels in the bin on opposite sides, so that no matter how the bin is placed on the shelf, I can view the label.

The third suggestion is to store holiday decorations in layers with bubble wrap in between each layer.  This is much faster than wrapping each individual decoration.  It works best if you put decorations that are similar in width in the same layer.  Also, place plush and soft decorations in between wooden and breakable decorations, and only store fragile or collectible decorations in their original boxes.

The fourth suggestion is to store holiday decorations based on where they are placed inside or outside the house.  For example I have bins of Christmas decorations for each room in my house.  This way I can easily decorate one room at a time, and pack up one room at a time.  It helps me streamline the processes.

The fifth suggestion is to keep all decoration accessories in the perspective holiday bins.  I keep the extension cord, the light timer, extra light bulbs, tree ornament hooks, and the tree skirt in the same bin as the tree ornaments.  This way I’m not searching for these items when it’s time to decorate each year.

I understand that putting away holiday decorations can be a drag, but I hope these suggestions will help prevent procrastination.

©January 2015  Janine Cavanaugh, Certified Professional Organizer®  All Rights Reserved

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