The 25 Best Hacks, Tips, and Products for Storing Christmas Decorations
Decorating for the holidays is one of the best — and worst — things about winter. While it’s nostalgic and exciting to break out all your favorite Christmas ornaments, ribbons, and wreaths, putting all your decor back in storage is the last thing you want to do on New Year’s Day. Not only is it sad to see the twinkly lights and sentimental ornaments go back into storage, but it’s also a hassle to store everything properly without it taking up space, becoming a big mess, or accidentally breaking.
The good news is, there are tons of products and DIY projects you can employ to make storing and organizing your holiday decorations a little bit easier. From ornaments and wreaths to gift wrap and candles, here are some storage ideas that can help you out this holiday season this year and beyond.
How to Store Ornaments
Recycle egg cartons and to-go coffee cup holders.
Small, curved ornaments are a perfect fit for cardboard or styrofoam egg cartons. And while you’re on your third coffee run of the day, remember to stockpile the cup holders the barista sends you off with — sandwiched together, they’re perfect for storing bigger baubles.
Purchase an ornament-specific storage box.
If you don’t want to DIY, There’s a wide range of stackable store-bought solutions, like this ornament storage box that’s only $18 on Amazon.
DIY your ornament storage with everyday household items.
One Good Thing by Jillee has a super-easy tutorial for ornament storage that uses just four things you likely already have on hand: a large plastic storage bin, plastic cups, cardboard, and a hot glue gun. Simply glue the cups to the cardboard (these layers can easily be stacked inside the bin) and fill the cups with your ornaments. If they need a little extra protection, add tissue paper or bubble wrap.
Rescue muffin tins.
Save scratched nonstick from the landfill! Sandwich holiday ornaments between two retired muffin tins and your ornaments will be safely tucked into perfect-sized cubbies. Secure the tins with extra large rubber bands or packing tape.
Utilize the backs of doors.
An over-the-door shoe rack is perfect for storing tall, skinny ornaments that won’t fit in a traditional ornament storage box. The best part? You can get one for only $8.
Store them like Julia Child.
Where are ornaments stored at artisan fairs? On a pegboard, of course! Cover a basement or closet wall with pegboard and hang your ornaments Julia Child-style.
Use macrame holders.
Macrame onion holders are the perfect size for spherical ornaments. As a bonus, they’re designed to be stored vertically.
Don’t toss that peach box from the farmers market.
Peach and apple boxes are the perfect size for large ornaments, and they’re stackable, too! If you needed another excuse to stock up on flats of fruit, here it is.
How to Store Christmas and Seasonal Wreaths
Give your dry-cleaning bags and hangers a second chapter.
Looking for an easy way to store your holiday wreaths that won’t result in them becoming misshapen over the next 11 months? Don’t toss the hanger and bag from your pre-holiday dry-cleaning run just yet. You can bend the bottom of the wire hanger around your Christmas wreaths, then hang them up in a closet or garment rack to keep their shape. And you can even use the plastic dry-cleaning garment bag to protect it from dust.
Invest in a wreath-sized bag.
If you’d rather rely on store-bought options, you can buy a dedicated wreath storage bag for less than $15 on Amazon that comes with handles for easy carrying.
Keep it simple with a plastic storage box.
For a sturdier option that will keep your wreaths safe and sound no matter what, you can get a plastic storage box that snaps together, like this one from Amazon.
Hang your wreaths instead of wrapping them.
Have some empty wall space inside a closet? Hang your holiday wreaths with Command hooks instead of wrapping them in plastic. This way they won’t get crumpled in storage, and you’ll take advantage of unused vertical space.
How to Store Christmas Trees
Seek out the perfect-sized tree storage bag.
If you’re looking for a storage solution that’s more heavy-duty (and has wheels!) Amazon has tree storage bags that can fit trees up to 9-feet tall — you’ll have to disassemble it, but your tree will definitely be safe in there.
Shrink wrap it (yes, really!).
Sure, you could completely take apart your artificial tree and put it back in the box, but that can be a big challenge to take on. Instead, you can take a cue from this tutorial from Epbot and shrink wrap your tree. The benefits? It won’t take up much vertical space, you don’t have to take it apart, and you can leave the lights on it. That means next year, you can just cut open the shrink wrap and fluff the branches back into places — no more assembly and light stringing required. You can purchase shrink wrap on Amazon for under $20.
How to Store Lights
Wrap them around your used coffee cans.
String lights always seem to be the most challenging thing to store each year, because it’s not just about finding space for them — you need to make sure cords don’t get tangled and bulbs don’t get broken, too. But with a few household items, light storage can be easy and painless. Just cut a slit in the plastic lid of a washed coffee can and push the plug end of one of your strings of lights through. Wrap the rest of the lights around the outside of the can and — voila! — no more tangles.
Go with some storage reels.
If you prefer something store-bought, try these Christmas light reels. You get this set of three separate reels, a hanger hook, and a storage bag for $30.
Bag the lights.
Store each strand of lights separately in a gallon-size resealable storage bag, and you’ll never start the holiday season with tangled lights again. Just roll each strand around your thumb and elbow before placing the circle of lights inside the bag.
How to Store Gift Wrap and Supplies
Streamline with a bag dispenser.
Gift-giving is a pleasure and wrapping them can be too when your supplies are stored in an accessible and aesthetic manner. For a DIY solution, you can use the dead space in a closet to hang a vertical IKEA VARIERA bag dispenser (just $3 each) and then fill it with your gift wrap rolls.
Go with a store-bought solution.
If you’re looking for a hanging solution that covers all your gift wrapping needs, this Amazon pick has pockets for everything from bows and ribbons to gift bags, tape, and scissors.
Get sneaky with under-the-bed storage.
If you need something to fit under the bed or be stashed away elsewhere instead, this organizer from The Container Store has tons of compartments, too, and is available for $20.
Use small plastic bins for efficient ribbon storage.
For a clever way to store ribbons that doubles as a dispensing system, check out this tutorial by Monica Wants It. All you need to complete the project is some Sterlite containers, wooden dowels, clothespins, and the ribbons you want to organize.
How to Store Other Miscellaneous Things
Break out the vacuum-sealer bags.
To protect fabric decorations, like stockings, tablecloths, throw pillows, and tree skirts, your best bet is probably to use plastic vacuum-sealable bags. They’ll stay safe from bugs, dust, and dirt while fluffing right back up to original condition when you need them next. If you don’t already have vacuum-seal storage bags around your home (they’re also great for storing seasonal clothes and for moving) you can get them on Amazon.
Store taper candles in cardboard tubes.
Make candle storage easy by simply wrapping up pairs of long taper candles in tissue paper, and slip them into cardboard paper towel tubes to keep them safe and organized. Make sure you store all your candles in a place where they won’t be exposed to too much heat to prevent melting.
Store nutcrackers in an underutilized wine rack.
If you’re the sort of person who drinks wine instead of stockpiling it (solidarity), store holiday nutcrackers in the neglected wine rack, and skip the bubble wrap.
Deck the closets.
If you tried the viral TikTok shower rod garland, simply move the rod to the top of a storage closet and you’ll deck the halls in seconds when December rolls around.
