We usually keep our Christmas tree up until New Years Day. I don’t know why I do this, but I do. Every year I wage the same battle with myself the last few days of December. The closer we are to New Years Day, the more tempted I am to pack away the tree and unclutter my house. Do you struggle to pack away your holiday decor too? Maybe you’re the complete opposite and love the festive holiday decor so much that you’ll leave them up as long as you can? Either way we all have to deal with what comes next. Which is why I’ve put together 5 brilliant ways to organize and pack holiday decorations.
5 Brilliant ways to organize and pack holiday decorations
Plastic bottles store beaded garland tangle free for the next year.
Source Tip Junkie
DIY ornament storage is easy and thrifty by glueing plastic cups onto cardboard and stacking in box.
Source MyBS.com
Store lights by wrapping onto cardboard pieces.
Source A Real Life Housewife
Wrap wreath in a plastic dry cleaners bag and hang to keep it dust free and our of the way for the year.
Source Good Housekeeping
Weed out broken ornamanets and things you no longer use as you pack away to save space and time for next year.
Source H2OBungalow
Living in a small space and having downsized from a big family home means we battle for more storage, more room and organization on an ongoing basis. You’ll find more ways to organize and pack holiday decorations in this post from a few years ago too Tips To Organize and Store Holiday Decorations part 1 .
When do you take down your Christmas Tree?
Want more organizing ? Here are a few of my top organizing posts. How to Deal With Sentimental Clutter, How To Organize A Small Kitchen And Get More Space.
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since I put my tree up so late… I may leave it up a little longer. However, I do have to rotate ALL of my furniture around the room in order to put it up AND take it down (have to do counter clockwise when I take the tree down) So, it’s a lot more than just dismantling the tree. lol
great tips Wendi!
gail
Hi Gail, Yikes, that sounds like so much work. I hope some of the packing tips will be helpful when you roll up your sleeves and start the task. Happy New Year!
Wendi, I have always left my tree up until new years, but this year I couldn’t wait to get it down, I really don’t know why, but it is down and I’m glad. What I started doing with my lights for storage years ago is I roll up news paper then wrap the lights around the news paper. they take up very little space that way and stack neatly in a plastic tote, and I re-use the same old news paper year after year.
I love your idea with the plastic cup glued to the cardboard that is so smart.
Hi Patty! Using a newspaper is so smart. I’m so glad you shared it because someone is going to read your tip and love it too! Happy New Year!
Great tips Wendi! I already use the lights wrapped around cardboard idea but this year I’m definitely incorporating the beaded garland in plastic bottle idea – brilliant! I’m like you, my tree doesn’t go down until January 2nd. With the chaos surround Christmas preparations, we find that the week between Christmas and New Year’s the time to finally relax and enjoy the holiday season and our decorations.
So glad you liked them Marie:) I thought the garland one was brilliant too. I remember having tangled beaded garland for years, wish I’d thought of this then…LOL. Hope your getting enough relaxation and Happy New Year to you!
Fantastic tips. I do wrap the lights around cardboard I really like the idea of the plastic cups. I usually start thinking about taking the tree down after Christmas. It is still up but it will be down by the 2nd. Happy New Year
Hi Debra… I’m usually chomping at the bit to take down the tree on the 1st at the latest. I’m keeping it up longer this year until after my daughter and her family visit. I’m wondering if that will drive me crazy or not! LOL I get the itch to organize this time each year! Wishing you a wonderful New Year filled with success, happiness and good health in 2018!
I keep my tree up till Jan 7th, the 6th is the Epiphany(Magi bring gifts) and it is the day that most Christian European Countries exchange gifts. I too wrap my lights around cardboard. love the plastic cup idea, am thinking of also using the smaller paper cups used in bathrooms to hold my smaller ornaments. Might even splurge and use small plastic shot glasses. awesome ideas. Can’t wait to see the clutter makeovers. My laundry room is a mess. Happy clutter free New Year! Benita
Hi Benita! My family in PR keeps their decorations up too. Cardboard is a fabulous way to keep those darn lights from tangling. I think that may be the part I dislike the most is untangling Christmas lights when decorating. All those little itty bitty lights getting stuck on each other! ugh… Yes, the cups are good too.. Go for the plastic shot cups and splurge on yourself LOL!! You should work along with us on your laundry room declutter… laundry rooms are the worst! They are always piling up! Thanks so much for your visit and Happy New Year and Happy Decluttering to you too!
Hi Wendy, Sadly due to ill health my decorations didn’t make it up this year (ome to that nor have I, bedbound apart from 1 hr x 2 per day since 4th Dec until ?} 🙁 If they had they’d have come down on 12th night. My decorations go back to 1980 and these are my storage tips: The cardboard inner tube from loo rolls and kitchen towels I fold tinsel up and put it inside these rolls, put a notch in each end of the roll. Put end of lights into 1 notch (first couple of bulbs go inside with tinsel) then wind around tube and put cable with plug in notch. Baubles go in empty egg cartons. Small (flat) decorations go in empty chocolate boxes. everything else goes into empty shoe boxes. All are stored in a cardboard box, each year where Christmas was spent and who with is written on the box. Now I’m widowed it is lovely to look back and remember those other years with my beloved and know I’m keeping the tradition even though there is only me and my widowed BIL.
Hope 2018 holds lots of good things for you and yours.
Hi Lucy,
Thank you so much for your note and good to hear from you again! You are one creative and organized lady! I love how you’ve found new and better purposes for what others toss. Using loo rolls for tinsel and the lights are brilliant! Most of all, I love…absolutely love, your tradition of writing who you’ve spent the holiday with on your storage box as a keepsake. What a beautiful way to keep special memories of the holidays fresh. I hope 2018 brings better health and good times for you. Again, thank you so much for your note and sharing your special talents.