11 Smart Ways to Store Your Christmas Decorations, According to Professional Organizers

’Tis the season for storing your holiday decor

Christmas is magical, but it’s also a lot of hard work. After all, you created much of that magic yourself with the best Christmas decorating ideas—from shiny ornaments and twinkling lights adorning your tree to festive wreaths and outdoor Christmas decorations. Putting all of it away, however, can seem anything but magical, since it’s all too easy to end up with broken balls and tangled lights and have a full-on mess waiting for you next year. That’s why you need a better plan—one that includes the best Christmas ornament storage and smart ideas for packing away all of your other precious holiday items.

But before we get into the best storage solutions, including Christmas tree storage bags for artificial trees (which are a total game changer), organizing experts urge you to take a few smart steps. Professional organizer Ellen Delap suggests grouping like items—for example, putting all of your tableware in one bin or grouping decor by room. Personally, I also like to color-code those seasonal items in Christmas-red containers, then label each side of each container. It’s also a good idea to edit your collection before packing it up. Toss broken light strands and cracked coffee mugs, and box up anything in good condition that you’d like to donate, setting a reminder in your calendar to do that in the fall, which is the best time to give these items to charitable organizations.

With all of that in mind, let’s start packing! You’ll thank yourself next Christmas when all your holiday decorations come out of storage intact and so neatly organized, you’ll swear an elf helped.

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