Decorating Christmas is one of the most joyful activities for us, so taking it down can be a little sad. If you feel that way at all – we absolutely get it! But what we DO enjoy about storing our holiday decorations is doing it in a way that sets us up for success next year. These tips will help you do just that!

1. Always Choose Clear Storage Bins

We swear by clear storage containers because it is SO convenient to know that the label we’ve got on the front actually matches what is inside. When you use clear storage, you can actually see everything in the container, and that can save a lot of time rummaging around when you go to find something in future years!

2. Pack Your Items Intentionally

Depending on your home and how you like to decorate, you may choose to organize your decor differently. It may make sense for you to group items together by categories (vases, candles, lights, etc.), or you could group them by location (mantel, tree, bookshelves). Now, if you have A LOT of decorations, you may want to break it down even further by theme or color! Whichever way you choose, make it work for you.

3. Protect Your Breakables

Since we’re working with clear bins, some items will need a little extra care. This is where bubble wrap, paper towels, or tissue paper do the trick. The idea is to protect everything while still seeing what is inside the clear bin from the outside.

4. Pack Greenery and Picks Together

These are often the items that you won’t use in the same way next year. Since these items’ size and shape tend to be a lot different from other decor, storing them together will help maximize your storage space.

5. Wrap Fairy Lights & Ribbon Securely

One of our favorite cheap holiday storage hacks – paper towel rolls! Instead of letting everything become a tangled mess, wrap your easily-tangled items around an empty paper towel roll (or one of those wrapping paper rolls you finished this year). You’ll love yourself next year when you don’t have to spend hours untangling things!

6. Get Creative

The way you store your holiday decor is all about what works for you. Feel free to use plastic cocktail cups to protect ornaments or garment bags for wreaths. As long as you have a system, it will set you up for successful decorating next year!

7. Label Your Bins

The quickest way to find what you need is a good label. It doesn’t have to be anything more than a piece of tape with some permanent marker as long as you know what it means!

Hopefully, these tips and hacks help you organize all of your holiday decor with the intention for future decorating. If you want to see Rebecca go in-depth on the best techniques, she uses to store ALL of her Christmas decor, head over to the Design Sessions and watch Christmas Session #19! If you’re not a member yet, you can learn more and sign up here.