It’s the most wonderful time of the year! And that means it’s time to spend hours finding, detangling, and dusting all your holiday decorations that have been crammed into storage for the year. Then in a month, you’ll spend even more time trying to stuff everything back into worn down boxes. Let’s break this cycle with tips and tricks to make organizing and storing your holiday decorations really feel like the best time of the year.

Taking down your holiday decorations can seem like a daunting task and really feel like an end to holiday celebrations, but these easy steps will help make storing a breeze and set you up for success the following year. First, take a picture of every room so next year you’ll remember where each décor piece went. This will save you so much time and stress trying to remember your previous perfect set-up. Next, while you are packing up the decorations, take this time to declutter. Donate any unused or longer needed items and upcycle or throw out any broken pieces. This is also a great time to go through holiday cards as over the years they can take up a lot of space in your storage. Keep any cards that have a personal message, family photos, or sentimental value, then recycle or upcycle the remaining cards. Check out these fun holiday crafts using old cards. Following these steps will save you storage space and time and set you up for a great start to your packing.

Outdoor lights are usually one of the first holiday decorations that are taken down (usually so you don’t get judged by your neighbours if they are up too long). They can also be the most time consuming to put back up the following year because they get tangled in storage. There are many specialized storage bags and reels that will help preserve the lights; however, we have some cost-free solutions using materials you already have at home. If you have extra cardboard lying around, cut the box into rectangle pieces. On one end of the cardboard cut a small slit then slip one end of the light string in and begin wrapping the string around the board until you reach the end. Cut another small slit to hold the other end of the string. This storage hack will keep the lights detangled all year, saving you time, money, and storage space because you can stack or layer each light board.

Ornaments are some of the most fragile holiday decorations and often get broken while in storage. There are many costly storage solutions out there, but here are some DIY projects that will help keep your ornaments safe year after year. For smaller ornaments, use egg cartons. This is a great solution as each box can hold a dozen pieces and can be easily stacked to make storing easy. For larger ornaments, to-go coffee holders are a great option. Although they typically can only hold 4 ornaments, they are also great for stacking and can help keep your pieces safe and organized. Another DIY storage solution is to glue red solo cups to a piece of cardboard (ensure the piece fits inside your storage containers), then simply place ornaments in the cups. This is a great option if you have many different size bulbs as you can fit multiple into each cup, and just like the previous storage solutions, each cardboard piece is stackable to keep them secure in storage.

Artificial trees have many benefits over real trees; however, storing them can be very daunting. Because of their large size and weight, it can be hard to find a spot to keep them. Plus, it can take a lot of time and energy to set up the tree each year. A storage solution that will save you time and space, is to shrink wrap your tree. Starting from the top, section off branches and begin to shrink wrap them up. You’ll want to do 4-5 layers, so it is secure, then work your way down the tree in small parts. This will save you so much storage space. Plus, you can keep the lights on the tree, so next year all you have to do is cut off the plastic wrap and fluff up the branches. If mummifying your tree doesn’t work for your storage, you can also use an old or thrifted hockey bag. These are great storage solutions as they can hold so much (more than enough room for all your tree accessories) and many come with wheels making it easy to place and remove from storage.

Here are a few other tips for storing those miscellaneous holiday decorations that will help save you money, time, and space. First, to help keep beads from tangling with other décor pieces put them into an empty plastic water bottle. This will save you so much time detangling and each bottle can hold two strings. Second, hang your wreaths in a dry-cleaning bag to keep the wreath dust-free all year and make storing easy by hanging them in any closet or on any hook. Next, use paper towel or toilet paper tubes to store cords. This will keep all the cords organized and prevent them from tangling, helping them last longer. Finally, include a detailed list of what is in each box and place it in a sheet protector visible on the box, this will save you time and make finding and storing a breeze.

If you have an old, out of date lamp lying around, upcycle it with a new, trendy shade that can show off your style. Check out this easy DIY project to create a high-end lamp without the cost.

Step up your apple pie this holiday season with this caramel apple pie recipe. It is sure to be a hit at any dinner party!

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