How to Organize Christmas Decorations with Free Printable Labels

Organize your Christmas decorations with clever tips and free printable storage labels.

When all the presents have been opened and the cookies are gone, it's time to start thinking about packing up your Christmas decorations. This is the not so fun part of the holiday, but if you do it right, it will make next Christmas so much easier.  Organizing your Christmas decorations as you put them away is the best thing you can do right now to start next Christmas off on the right foot.

When you properly store things like ornaments and lights you'll be sure that you're not opening up a broken, tangled mess when it's time to decorate again. And you'll be able to easily find the decorations you need when the time comes.

Not sure where to start? I've got all the tips you need to organize your Christmas decorations and a set of free printable Christmas storage labels to make finding everything a breeze.

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How to Organize Christmas Decorations

Ornaments

Our tree is filled with memorable ornaments. There's the one my dad gave me as a child, the one we gave out as a wedding favor, and of course, baby's first Christmas (we have a Puppy's First Christmas one too). Hanging these ornaments and reliving the memories they hold is one of my favorite parts of the holiday, so I want to keep them safe the rest of the year.

When storing your ornaments, you want to make sure breakable ornaments are wrapped for long-term storage. You can use newspaper or bubble wrap to protect your precious ornaments, or pick up an ornament storage box with dividers. These work great to keep ornaments from being broken or tangled during storage.

Gift Wrap

I always have too much gift wrap. I love to stock up after the holiday is over, then forget what I've bought and grab a few more rolls while I'm out shopping. It’s not hard to end up with more than you bargained for! And it can be quite cumbersome to store for the following year. There are so many unique storage solutions out there, so I'll show you my three favorites.

Under the Bed: if you like to store your ornaments on a shelf or under a bed, this is the best organizer for you (and what we use in my house).

Spare Room/Basement: if you are storing your gift wrap in a guest room or gift wrapping area, this solution is perfect for you.

Hanging Organizer: if you are looking to store your gift wrap in a closet, this is the perfect solution.

Decorations

One thing you can always count on is that Christmas decor will come in unusual shapes and sizes. From artificial trees to bulky wreaths, finding a way to store all of these items can be just plain confusing.

Let's start with the tree. If you have an artificial tree, ditch the box and go for a tree storage bag. It's much easier to store and keeps your tree well protected from dust, which over time can accumulate and cause your tree to become a fire hazard (see more Christmas safety tips here).

Next, you'll want to group like items together. Put all of your ornaments together, your Christmas lights in one box, and so on. You can even organize by room - put all your kitchen accessories in one bin for example. This way you'll know exactly where each storage box needs to go when you get them out next year.

Christmas lights are best stored by wrapping them around something to avoid having to detangle them each year. You can roll up a newspaper or use an empty paper towel roll to wrap your lights. Or you can find light storage boxes with inserts for wrapping, like this one.

As you are taking down your decorations, go through them and determine if they are ready for storage, or if they need to be cleaned or repaired. Toss anything that is beyond fixing. Sort what is left and pick up some of the handy Christmas storage containers below to keep it all contained.

Free Printable Christmas Storage Labels

Once you have everything boxed up, you need to make sure that you can remember what decorations are in each bin. I'm making this easy for you with a set of free printable Christmas storage labels. Simply click the Get It Now button below to download the set, then print them on sticker paper and cut out. Or you can print on regular paper, cut, and adhere to your boxes with clear packing tape.

FREE

The set includes 2 pages of pre-printed labels and a blank set that you can customize to fit your needs. Then you can easily find your decorations next year and know exactly what is inside each bin!

Want to get started organizing the rest of your home for the new year? Click here for all our organizing tips and tricks!

Love the labels? Pin them here!