Here’s How to Store Your Christmas Decorations so That You Can Enjoy Them Year After Year

The holiday season brings joy and cheer, but once the festivities wind down, it’s time to take everything down — and learning how to store your Christmas decorations properly will help you enjoy them year after year.

Christmas tree ornaments and other items, such as stockings or wreaths, can be family heirlooms passed down from generations, while Christmas lights bring a lot of joy (as long as you don’t have to spend hours detangling them). In other words, Christmas decorations are special for all of us, and worth preserving. With a little planning, packing away and storing your Christmas decorations can be streamlined and hassle-free. Sorting your items by category is a smart way to manage this task efficiently.

How to store Christmas ornaments

Christmas tree ornaments are some of the most delicate seasonal decorations. They’re often made of glass, ceramic or carved from wood, which means they can easily break. Oftentimes, they’re also painted, which means you must protect them not only from breaking but also from contact with various surfaces that might damage their gorgeous finish.

• Start by wrapping fragile ornaments in tissue paper or bubble wrap, one by one.
• It’s always a good practice to keep the original packaging they come with. However, that’s not always possible, even more so when we’re talking about ornaments that have been in your family for years. The next best thing is getting some divided ornament storage boxes or egg cartons (for small ornaments) to ensure safekeeping.
• Store similar colors, styles, or themes together to make it easier to find specific items and also to help you when you start decorating next year.
• Once you have wrapped the ornaments individually and have put them in some sort of tight-fitting cardboard boxes, secure them in larger, sturdy containers. Lidded plastic boxes, for example, are an excellent choice.
• Labeling each container can help identify contents for easy access next year.

How to store Christmas lights

Tangled strings of lights can be a nightmare to untangle later — thus, you will be very happy next December if you take a little bit of time now to pack and store your Christmas lights properly. The main concern is keeping the cables untangled, the lights intact and everything stored away from excessive heat, humidity or various pests that might chew on the cables.

• Test the lights before storing to identify any replacements needed for next season. Also, make sure that the cables and the plugs are intact, with no cuts or breakage that might prevent them from working the following year or even potentially cause accidents. Fix everything that needs fixing now, and discard the lights that are damaged.
• Use a reel to wrap your lights around. In case you don’t have a reel, or if your light strings are too small to use a reel, you can improvise with a piece of cardboard, for example. Winding them around a clothing hanger is another smart tangle-free storage solution.
• Once the lights are nicely wrapped and free from getting tangled, put them inside boxes — it’s preferable to have individual boxes for each string of lights.
• Christmas lights must be well protected against environmental factors, so store them in a place without excessive heat or humidity.

How to store your Christmas tree

Artificial Christmas trees are very practical, and many people prefer them to real trees. You don’t have to buy one each year, they don’t shed needles and you can find one that’s just the perfect size for your space. The downside is that you have to store them for 11 months per year — and they can take up significant space.

• Keeping the box that the tree came in is always a good idea. If not, invest in a tree storage bag or box designed to fit your tree’s size. Using trash bags or plastic wrap is not recommended, as both can tear quite easily.
• Once all the ornaments are removed, disassemble the tree. Most artificial trees come in sections. Carefully dismantle the tree by separating the sections (usually the top, middle and bottom).
• Clean each section using a soft duster. If needed, you can wipe it down with a damp cloth.
• Gently flatten the branches to reduce bulk and make it easier to store. Some trees have hinged branches that fold up, while others might need a bit of manual rearranging.
• If your tree has delicate or fragile parts (like built-in lights or other decorations), wrap them in tissue paper or bubble wrap to protect them during storage.
• Also, if your tree has a base, wrap it in cardboard, towels, or a heavy-duty bag to prevent scratching or damage. Secure with packing tape or zip ties.
• Finally, place each section into your designated tree storage bag or box, and store the tree in a cool, dry place away from direct sunlight and moisture. Avoid places prone to temperature fluctuations, such as attics or basements.

How to store your Christmas wreaths

Wreaths are prone to losing their shape if stored improperly, and the ornaments used to adorn them can easily break. Here’s how to make sure yours will live to spread Christmas cheer for another year:

• Take off any detachable ornaments, ribbons, lights or decorative elements attached to the wreath. It’s better to pack and store those separately. Carefully undo any fastenings without damaging the wreath’s structure.
• Dust or gently wipe the wreath using a soft brush or cloth to remove any dirt, debris or loose needles (if it’s an artificial pine wreath).
• If the wreath has delicate or fragile elements (such as glass ornaments) that you can’t take off, wrap these areas with tissue paper or bubble wrap to prevent breakage.
• Ensure the wreath maintains its desired shape. Gently adjust any branches or foliage that may have gotten misshapen during the holiday season.
• To maintain the wreath’s shape, place a circular cardboard piece or a cut-out section from another box in the center of the wreath before placing it in the bag or box.
• Pick storage boxes that are large enough to accommodate the wreath without squishing it, but not too large, so that the wreath doesn’t move around a lot. Line the bottom of the box with tissue paper or bubble wrap.
• Store the wreaths in a dry, temperature-controlled area to prevent damage. Avoid areas prone to moisture or extreme temperature fluctuations.

How to store garlands and tinsel

Similar to lights, garlands and tinsel tend to tangle easily — and they break even more easily. Making sure that they don’t end up a messy ball that’s impossible to sort out next Christmas should be your main concern.

• Wrap your garlands and tinsel carefully around pieces of cardboard, or around toilet paper or paper towel tubes. Don’t wrap them too tight, to avoid breakage.
• Put the rolled decorations inside plastic bags, and place the bags in a sturdy container that you can seal completely — you don’t want pests getting into your pretty garlands and tinsel.

How to store Christmas stockings and linen

Christmas stockings are some of the stars of every Christmas celebration — and you definitely want them in great shape. Otherwise, terrible things, such as stocking stuffers getting loose, might occur. But stockings are not the only Christmas-themed linens you have to store. Most of us also own tablecloths, pillows, blankets and so on.

• Start by washing and drying everything, even if they don’t appear to be dirty. You’ll be storing them for almost a whole year, and any stains or dirt you might have missed at a quick glance will set in and will be almost impossible to fix.
• Make sure everything is completely dry before packing them for storage, to prevent mildew or damage.
• Fold them neatly and store in labeled bins or vacuum-sealed bags to save space.

Where to store your Christmas decorations? Self storage protects your festive items and helps you save space at home

Now that all your Christmas decorations are properly packed, you must find a safe place to store them. As closet space is at a premium in most homes, many people resort to storing Christmas decorations in basements or attics. However, that’s not an ideal situation, particularly when we’re talking about unfinished basements and attics — things like excessive heat or cold, humidity and potential pests can seriously damage your beautiful decorations.

An alternative, and much better solution, is to rent self storage. Find a self storage facility located close to your home and rent a small, 5’x5’ storage unit, where you can keep your holiday-related decorations nice and safe until you need them. Picking a climate-controlled one will ensure that even your most delicate and expensive items, such as antique ornaments, benefit from an ideal environment during storage. Of course, if you have more items to store than just Christmas decorations and such, you can rent a larger, 5’x10’ or even 10’x10’ storage unit.

The cost of renting self storage varies depending on where you live, so make sure you shop around for self storage in your area. Below, you can check out self storage costs and availability in some major cities across the country:

Preserving the Christmas magic for next year begins with properly storing all your ornaments and decorations right now. By employing the storage strategies we have highlighted, you will not only safeguard your belongings but also ensure that each Christmas is a true revival of your family’s cherished traditions.