The holidays are over, sigh…but what better way to prepare for next years holiday season than putting your decor away in an organized fashion?! Now is the perfect time to organize your holiday decor since it is already out. Dealing with it now is one less step rather than hauling it out of the attic in the middle of the summer (but if you’re reading this during the summer and are feeling the urge to get your holiday items organized, GO FOR IT! It’s never too late.). Read below to see the best ways to put away your holly jolly decorations. 

First, take an inventory of all of the items you used to decorate with this year and what you didn’t. When you take time to look at your inventory, keep in mind that most, if not all of these items are only being used once a year. Take stock of the decorations that weren’t used and ask yourself, why didn’t I use this this year? Will I ever use it? Why am I holding onto it? If it’s an item that is past its prime, was purchased as an impulse buy, or no longer lights up (or lights you up), time to “Let it go! Let it go!…(in the words of Elsa from the movie Frozen)”

Once you decide what decorations you want to keep, make sure you sort all of your items by category. Here are some examples of categories: ornaments, other tree decor, garland, tablescapes, stockings & stocking holders, outdoor decor, gift wrap, etc. 

Now that you have all of your categories it’s time to figure out how you’re going to contain those items (something a lot of people are most excited for). There are plenty of options at our studio in North Cambridge, The Container Store, Amazon and Target to name a few, and this blog will give you a general idea of the best way to containerize specific items.

Ornament Storage: When storing ornaments it’s important to find a storage solution that will keep your ornaments protected while maximizing the storage space. This one in particular holds up to 60 ornaments!

Light Storage: The Little Details staff cannot recommend light storage enough! We have had so many situations when decorating for clients where the lights are a hot mess, super tangled and hard to maneuver, wasting so much time trying to unravel them so organizing them is a must. Here’s one of our favorites.

Tree Storage: If your tree is faux, then you know the meaning of this struggle. How many of you have the same old box that your fake tree came in that you try to squeeze back into year after year like you’re trying to rebutton your jeans after a Thanksgiving meal? Pro-tip: It ain’t gonna happen. This is the year to invest in a sturdy bag for your reusable tree. Trust us, you won’t regret it. Here’s one of our favorites.

Wreath Storage: If you’re having trouble keeping your wreath intact year after year, consider purchasing a wreath container like this one to keep the branches from bending the wrong way and dust collecting on top of it.

Storage Bins: We love using color coded bins for all of your holiday decor so you can identify the decor instantly (plus labeling the front of the bin so you know exactly what’s inside of it). What I love most about this bin is that it’s translucent enough so you can still see what’s inside of it. 

Gift Wrap Storage: If you like to divide your wrapping equipment between holiday and non-holiday there are a few great solutions to keep your wrapping items organized in the meantime. This Gift Wrap Cart from The Container Store is one of our favorite things that they sell. If you have a surplus of wrapping paper, this Vertical Gift Wrap Organizer will store all of your loose rolls.

Just when you thought the holidays were over and done with, wrap everything up in a bow (pun intended) and pack everything away as organized as possible. We promise the next holiday season we will be high up on your “nice” list.