Putting up holiday decorations is a whole production — from hauling in a Christmas tree and hanging ornaments to stringing up lights and tinkering with a topper. But the post-production can feel like even more of a to-do, once all the gifts are unwrapped and all that’s left is the glitter on a bare tree skirt. So having a storage strategy is a good idea to protect precious baubles, keep garlands untangled, and make it easy to get everything out again next year. To that end, we asked professional organizers for their advice on storing everything from an artificial tree that didn’t come with its own storage bag to a surplus of wrapping paper. Just keep in mind that some of their favorite solutions are considered seasonal products, so you should shop early accordingly.
Best storage containers for holiday decorations
In the off-season, heavy-duty totes are the most straightforward solution and the Container Store’s stackable Weathertight Tote is what the professionals use. Its clearness is a big selling point because it helps you keep track of what’s inside (in contrast to the merry red-and-green bins that pop up in lots of other stores). Naeemah Ford Goldson of Restore Order Professional Organizing recommends arranging the items inside like you’re playing Tetris. The totes come in a number of sizes ranging from 6.5 quarts to 156 quarts, so you can use them to hold almost anything, and you won’t have a row of “fake Santas sitting at the top of your closet,” says Sara Losonci of Shelfie. Organizer Britnee Tanner also likes the totes for their durability, as they’re made of mega-sturdy plastic with a watertight seal and secure latches that are key to keeping the contents safe. This means you can confidently store them in an attic, basement, or garage, says Lauren Saltman, owner of the organizing service Living. Simplified.
Mary Cornetta of Organized Overall organizes her curated collection of holiday decorations in this handy-dandy Sterilite, stacking ornaments in their original boxes, wrapping breakables inside stockings, and containing strands of lights in Ziploc bags. The 18-gallon size works best for her — Cornetta likes that it offers a decent amount of storage without sacrificing transportability. “I have short arms and it’s not too big or bulky to carry,” she says. You can choose between ten- and 30-gallon sizes as well.
Though this Rubbermaid is rather brutalist in appearance, it’s as heavy-duty as they come. It’s one of our favorite storage bins overall, not just for holiday decorations, and is especially well-suited to a basement or garage. “Any of the big bins made by Rubbermaid are fantastic quality,” says Lisa Zaslow, owner of Gotham Organizers. Just make sure to label the outside: “You think you won’t forget what’s inside,” Zaslow warns, “but you will.”
If you don’t have much room to spare, Ikea’s Stuk is a good bet. Though under-bed cases like this one are usually designed to hold clothing, Tanner says it works just as well for décor. It features netted ventilation slots in the corners (important if you’re storing textiles like a snowman throw that only sees the light of day in December), a clear pocket for labeling the contents, and handles that make it easy to grab from under your bed frame. Since it has smaller dimensions — measuring 28 by 20 by 7 inches — Tanner notes that it will also fit on many closet shelves if you’re looking for an “out of sight, out of mind” solution.
If you can find them, the red-and-green-themed Christmas storage solutions from Target’s Brightroom line are cleverly designed (like a hatbox carrying case for wreaths). You just might have to go the “buy online, pick up in-store” route as stock is frequently in flux and shipping availability can be dicey. Organizer Ann Sullivan mentioned its ornament boxes in particular for their sturdiness and great price points. Still-life stylist Liz Peters also called out a set of ornament boxes for their stackability. She likes smaller sizes so there’s less chance of overpacking, or “something on the top smooshing something on the bottom,” but the Brightroom line also has many different bins and tote sizes available — including a 45-gallon one with wheels — depending on what you need.
[Editor’s note: This set is sold out online, but you may be able to pick it up at your local Target, depending on your Zip Code.]
Best ornament storage
“So often, ornaments are wrapped in everything from paper towels to tissue paper in hopes of lasting another year without any cracks,” Tanner says. These “bin drop-ins,” as the Container Store calls them, come in three sizes. Two of them are designed to hold ornaments (standard three-inch ones or larger four-inch ones) and another for miscellaneous trimmings. The ornament trays in particular are also perfectly sized to fit in the 74-quart size of the aforementioned Weathertight Totes. Tanner favors stacking the trays on top of each other within a larger tote and filling them based on categories, such as grouping all the woodland animals together. The structure of the trays — which are made from fabric-covered cardboard — means your adornments won’t be jostled too much. Saltman notes that the dividers are useful for two reasons: They’re movable, so you can adjust them as you like, and acid free so decorations won’t tarnish.
The downside of the trays above is that they’re meant to be stored within a tote that you buy separately. These stackable storage boxes are a standalone option. The pack of two includes a buildable cardboard support system that can hold up to 75 3.5-inch ornaments. Ann Lightfoot, founding partner at Done & Done Home, and Meredith Goforth, founder of House of Prim, both recommended them. Lightfoot likes that the hinged lids allow for easy access.
This organizer from decades-old storage-solution company Zober is a favorite of Heidi Lee of home-organization service Prune + Pare. She raves about the box’s divided interior, which includes five ornament-specific trays, areas for figurines (like nutcrackers), and zippered sides for anything miscellaneous. Even the lid doubles as storage space with folderlike pockets.
Organizing expert Caroline Solomon describes this box as the “motherload of ornament storage organizers.” This is the biggest size the brand makes, to fit up to 128 three-inch ornaments within “reasonable enough” dimensions (approximately 25 inches long by 13 inches wide by 14 inches high). A fabric divider portions the interior into two sections, and the box comes with cardboard ornament grids for each side. Those have to be assembled, but are also adjustable to better accommodate your collection. Or you can forego the grids and use the two interior compartments to hold string lights or other décor, Solomon suggests. For those with smaller ornament stashes, there are also 54-, 64-, and 80-ornament versions.
Zaslow directed us to this decidedly more design-y box from Songmics, the maker of one of our favorite jewelry boxes. She points out that while it’s patterned with polka dots, it’s still sheer enough to “let you see everything at a glance when you’re ready to trim the tree.” It comes with eight trays that have modular dividers, which you can fill with up to 128 ornaments depending on how you organize them. Zaslow suggests cataloguing your pieces in one of three ways: by color, age (old versus new), or theme.
Goldson prefers this cube that, once opened, reveals three pull-out trays with dividers that slot together. The canvas the box is crafted from is simultaneously flexible and durable, Goldson says, with a fastener that keeps the lid in place and a magnetic flap closure. She finds it especially useful for more delicate ornaments, as there’s enough “separation of space” to stop them from clinking into one another inside. It’s available in two sizes: one for three-inch ornaments and one for four-inch ornaments.
Best storage bags for artificial Christmas trees
Balsam Hill is king when it comes to realistic artificial Christmas trees. Each of the brand’s trees comes with its own storage bags, so you don’t have to keep the original cardboard box the tree was delivered in. But Goldson has been on the hunt for an upright storage bag for hers. “I don’t like the task of fluffing the tree every year,” she says. “This might save a little bit of time with that.” She’s been eyeing this one that comes outfitted with wheels, handles, zippers, and a tag for labeling the contents (important if you happen to have more than one tree). It’s basically a big tube of canvas that pulls up around the tree while it’s standing, then cinches at the top. Goldson points out that you’ll need plenty of vertical space to use this bag, so measure your storage space before you buy. It also starts at $179 (on sale), so Goldson also recommends checking out cheaper alternatives like this triangular, tentlike one from Honey-Can-Do.
Or go for a tote that resembles a rolling duffel with a combination of wheels and handles to make it easier to lug. This tear-resistant and waterproof one from Zober ensures your tree is protected “for the 11 months of the year you don’t use it,” even if you store it in a damp basement, Zaslow says. It comes in two sizes, 7.5 feet and nine feet.
Goforth also backs the nonwheeled version of the tote above, which is a little less expensive but similarly heavy-duty (with 7.5- and nine-foot versions to choose from as well). She likes that it comes with a label slot to know which of her trees — she has three — is stored inside.
Instead of canvas, this Zober bag is made from plastic, so it’ll be a little more forgiving in terms of shoving a tree inside. Though the material won’t be as durable, Lightfoot likes that it’s waterproof. And Tanner notes that these sorts of bags will let you pack in extra lights and base parts thanks to the material’s flexibility.
Best storage for holiday lights
These light reels from the festively named Santa’s Bags company are approved by Lightfoot, Sullivan, and Saltman. “You can easily roll up entire strands of lights, which can then be unrolled without any frustration,” Lightfoot says. Each spool will hold up to 150 feet of wire and prevent lights from tangling; this set comes with three spools that all fit into a corresponding storage bag.
For larger collections of lights, these hard-sided, stackable bins each contain five removable reels that hold a total of approximately 625 feet of miniature lights or 375 feet of the larger C7 kind. “I like to be able to see what lights are where,” says Tanner, who recommends choosing clear storage whenever possible.
Goforth likes this storage box that comes with movable dividers to create up to six compartments, as well as wraps for up to 12 individual strands. You coil your lights inside the wraps and fasten them with the attached bands on each end, Goforth explains. A handy window in the lid offers a quick glimpse of what’s inside.
Or follow Goldson’s advice: Pick up a cheap, heavy-duty wheel from your neighborhood hardware store. Though these are made to hold extension cords, Goldson has found they work just as well for lights.
These holders, which are sold in a set of eight, have grooves on each end to catch wires and keep them from tangling. If you’re especially worried about bulbs breaking, Solomon recommends wrapping each holder with newspaper or tissue, putting it inside a bag, and then placing it in the storage box she mentioned above.
Best storage for wreaths
“Wreaths are large, bulky, and fragile,” Zaslow says. And because most of them are round, they don’t fit so well in a rectangular container alongside other holiday décor. She recommends this bag that will help keep the branches intact. It fits up to 36 inches in diameter and features a dual zipper that goes almost all the way around the top of the bag so you can easily access the contents. “You can even hang them on a hook to save shelf space,” she says.
Best storage for gift-wrapping supplies
This case has an assortment of pockets and compartments to hold anything you might need to wrap a present — from the paper itself to the bows, tags, tape, and ribbon. Lightfoot likes that it’s long enough to hold 40-inch rolls, while Zaslow appreciates that it keeps supplies like scissors and tape all in one place. Solomon recommends an almost identical version that can also slide beneath a bed or sit on a closet shelf.
Interior designer Betsy Burnham has a huge stash of gift-wrapping supplies with gift-wrap in floral, gingham, buffalo check, and toile prints (including one called “countryside Christmas”). She divides her wrapping paper rolls between two of these organizers — one for seasonal designs, and the other for paper that works all year round. (Meanwhile, her ribbon, tissue paper, and gift bags live in Weathertight Totes.) According to the brand, each can store up to 16 large rolls. Because they hold rolls vertically, they don’t take up much floor space so long as you have the height you need to slide them into a closet, and the lid ensures the paper’s protected.
If you just need a place for a few odds and ends, Tanner uses these “truly multipurpose” bins from the Container Store to hold her holiday knickknacks that may not have a home otherwise. The top of each snaps on and you can stack them into columns dedicated to similar items. “You can’t beat the price point,” Tanner adds, as these boxes start at just $2.
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