The holidays always seem to sneak up quickly, which in turn can leave many of us feeling stressed and unprepared for the upcoming season. Get ahead of the game this year and leave the last-minute decorating and planning behind, so you can enjoy the season to the fullest! Use the five steps below as a guide on how to create and keep your Christmas decor storage space looking organized, clutter-free, and easy to access, so your home can be holiday-ready in a flash!
Let's get started!
Declutter. Begin by gathering all your Christmas decor into one general area so you can see just how much you have and you can start to downsize what you no longer need! This part can be a bit challenging if you don't have the space to sort and organize all the items at once. If that’s the case, you can work in smaller sections at a time (ie., bin by bin). The goal of this step is to see if there are any items you no longer use, are broken, have multiples of, no longer fit your style or color scheme, or items that are brand new. Chances are you will find some items to donate, toss, or even re-gift! There are always people and organizations out there that could use the items you no longer need, and Toy Mountain is always a great place to give brand new items to kids!
Create a Christmas decor storage area. If you don't already have a dedicated space in your home to store your Christmas decor, you will need to create one. Even if you don't have a ton of room to work with, you can definitely accomplish this by getting creative with the space you do have. Clear out an area in your basement, garage, spare bedroom, or extra closet, and bring all your Christmas decor into it. Note: If you already have large Christmas items stored in a garage, etc., they can stay where they are!
Plan your space and purchase any needed supplies. Now it's time to find homes for all your items to live. Take a look at the volume of stuff you have and measure the space you are working with to see how many shelving units, storage units, or bins you will need, if you don't already have existing ones in the space. You may also have some pieces you can repurpose from other areas in your home. Next, measure what size of bins you will need for inside the shelves, or utilize any you may already have. Purchase any new supplies that are needed, or check local ads for people selling them used.
Sort and organize items. Once you have all your supplies ready for the space, the final step is to sort items into similar categories and organize them into the bins you have. Keep bins with similar items grouped together on shelves, if possible (ornaments, gift wrap, bows, etc.), so it's easy to see how much you have on hand of each category at all times. Make sure to label all the bins once everything is contained. Store any bulky or heavier items, such as outdoor inflatables and lights, in a garage or shed, if you have the extra space. Wreaths can be hung up on walls (using nails, hooks, or 3M strips) to utilize vertical space!
Maintain the space and declutter yearly. Once it's time to take down your decor, put all your items back where they belong. Do an inventory of supplies (while you are packing up, or prior to the following season) and stock up on any items that you are running low on (wrapping paper, cards, new lights, etc.). Take advantage of any end-of-season sales as well, to prepare for the following year!
Favorite holiday organizing supplies
Many of these items can also be purchased second-hand through local listings as well!
Lisa is a mom of two and a Trained Professional Organizer. She is the owner of Light at The End of The Clutter Professional Organizing Services. For more information, visit her Instagram page at – Light at The End of The Clutter or her website - lightattheendoftheclutter.com.
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