Holiday Decoration Organization

After the holidays, one of my biggest organizational challenges is getting holiday decorations and stuff put back and organized so that they’re easy to find and use the following year. For example, my wrapping paper and gift bags are all over the place! Since January is my month to get organized, I thought today I’d focus on holiday decoration organization.

Do you have this problem, too?

I’m one of those people who, as soon as the particular holiday is over, I’m ready to put away all the decorations. I don’t like to have a ton of holiday decorations out around our home anyway and, once the holiday is over, I’m ready to pack them up.

For example, on Sunday, after Halloween was over, I gathered up all the Halloween decorations and put them away. I normally put away the Christmas and holiday decorations the day after Christmas, but this year after Christmas, I waited until January 3! That is crazy for me – I didn’t even recognize myself! I think I just needed to get myself organized!

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My favorite tips for holiday decoration organization:

1. I pick up all the decorations after the holiday is over and either take them down to the basement, or bring the plastic bins I use upstairs and load them back up.  I use the big 66-qt. plastic bins like these with locking lids to keep everything dust-free and dry while in storage.
2. When I gather all the decorations, I check to make sure they’re all still in good shape. Any decorations that are broken beyond repair, damaged, or we just don’t like anymore are donated, recycled, or thrown away.
3. I keep all the holiday decorations in one place: on shelves in our basement. I keep them in the basement because it’s easier to get them out – and put them back – from the basement, which has real stairs (as compared to the attic, which has pull-down stairs). Also, there’s room there to keep them all together. I’m a big fan of organizing in zones, keeping like items together.
4. Each holiday has its own bin or bins. While Christmas has the most bins – just because of all the stuff like ornaments, other tree decorations, stockings, etc. – most holidays either have one bin – like Halloween – or share a bin – like 4th of July and Valentine’s Day, together.
5. All bins are labeled to find things easily. I love, love, love my label maker! – I have this one. Or if you don’t have a label maker, just use a Sharpie. Super-easy.

How do you tackle organizing your holiday decorations? Do you put decorations away after the holiday, or do you still have Christmas decorations out from last year? (Not judging! I found a stray Halloween decoration just the other day!)

Trying to get organized this month? Check out my other organizing posts here.