It’s that time again. Time to take down all the Christmas decorations and pack them away for 11 more months. First things first though. I get my mini vacuum, damp cloth and label maker out to help with the cleaning and organizing of the totes. Do you organize by rooms or decor? It really doesn’t matter. Which ever way works best for you is what you should do. I organize by decor, because I change my rooms up a little every year. Such as Nutcrackers:
Small Trees and Wreaths:
Plastic ornaments (I use these in glass bowls, in greenery, at the base of plants, under cloches, etc.):
Also totes for Reindeer, Santa’s, Greenery, Large Ornaments, Big Tree Ornaments, etc.
When I’m packing away the ornaments on the big tree I try to make it as easy as possible. I have a separate box for every child’s ornaments and pack them away so they can put their own ornaments on the tree next year. Here’s how I lay them out to make it easier for me as I take the ornaments off the tree. Then all the boxes go in a large tote labeled Big Tree Ornaments:
This is how I store those vintage and special glass ornaments. I saw it on Martha Stewart, I think. First I put paper towels or tissue in the bottom of a plastic or paper cup. Add the ornament:
Then cover the ornaments with tissue or paper towels and place in a smaller tote. Put on the lid and place in a larger tote. Safe and sound till next year:
I label all the front of the totes, then stack them as close as I can to what order I might need them in next year:
I store all the Christmas totes in the cold storage area, in our basement, under the front porch. It’s pretty narrow, but wide enough that I can stack totes on each side and have enough room to stand in between them and get the one I want.
I cover trees, large nutcrackers, and other large items with garbage bags, so I don’t have to vacuum them too much next season. I also keep a tote labeled “new decorations” for Christmas items I find throughout the year. This way I don’t have to take down totes, add things, then put them back. Now is also a good time to evaluate what decorations you didn’t use this year and probably won’t next year. Donate them to a charity, give to a friend or repurpose them for next year.
I hope some of these ideas have helped you with organizing your holiday storage. Tomorrow the kids go back to school, hubby goes back to work and I start training for a half marathon and get to deep cleaning the house. I guess it’s back to normal here.
