Christmas Decoration Storage You Can Find Again Next December
Published · 7 min read
Christmas decoration storage usually fails in the same place. You find the totes in the attic, but not the thing you want: the tree stand is in the box marked "Lights", the good ornaments are under three boxes of tinsel, and the advent calendar turns up on 4 December. The fix is not a better tote. It is knowing what is in each one before you open it.
This guide covers how to pack ornaments and lights so they survive the year, how to number and label every tote, and how to keep a list you can search from your phone. The same system works for every holiday decoration storage job, from Halloween to Easter.
Christmas ornament storage that keeps glass in one piece
Ornaments break in storage for two reasons: they touch each other, or something heavy sits on them. Christmas ornament storage solves both.
- Give every glass bauble its own cup. Egg cartons, plastic cups glued into a shallow box, or the cardboard dividers from a wine box all work. Wrap the old and thin ones in tissue paper first.
- Heavy at the bottom, fragile at the top. Wooden and felt ornaments can go under the glass ones. Nothing goes on top of the glass.
- One tote per tree or theme. "Living room tree" and "Kids' tree" are easier to unpack than "Ornaments 1" and "Ornaments 2".
- Keep heirlooms apart. Grandma's ornaments get their own small box inside the tote, marked fragile, so nobody tips them out with the plastic ones.
- Don't fill to the lid. A tote that has to be pressed shut is a tote that crushes what's on top.
Lights, wreaths and garlands
String lights are the reason most people dread decorating. Wind each set around a piece of cardboard or an empty wrapping paper tube, plug-end first, and tape the end down. Test them before they go in the box, not in December, and throw out the set that only half works.
Keep the timer plugs and extension cords in the same tote as the lights they belong to. Wreaths keep their shape hung in a bag or laid flat on top of a tote, never squashed in a corner. Coil garlands loosely, and put the outdoor ones in their own box: they come back damp and dusty and shouldn't sit on the tablecloth.
Label every tote, and list what's inside
A label on the outside tells you which tote it is. A list tells you what's inside without opening it. Hoardo does both, for free.
- Make a room for each storage place. "Attic" and "Garage" are enough for most homes.
- Give every tote a number. Write it on the tote, then add a box with that number in Hoardo. Pick the tote drawing and set its lid colour so the list looks like the shelf.
- List what goes in. Type it, say it while you pack, or take one photo of the open tote and let Hoardo list what it sees. Counts matter for ornaments: "Glass baubles, red: 24" tells you next year if some went missing.
- Print a QR label for each tote and stick it on the end you see first. Point your phone camera at it and the tote opens in Hoardo. Our guide to the barcode inventory system covers labels in more detail.
Hoardo's Home properties add a Season dropdown and a Fragile switch to every item, so the glass ornaments say so on the list as well as on the box.
Holiday decor storage for every season
Christmas storage organization gets easier when the rest of the year has its own boxes too. Keep each holiday in its own totes, and use one lid colour per holiday: red and green for Christmas, orange for Halloween, a clear box for Easter. You know which shelf to reach for from across the garage.
Halloween decoration storage
Halloween decorations are lighter but messier. Cobwebs and fake moss go in sealed bags so they don't shed into everything else. Costumes go in a bag with the size written on it, because they're outgrown fast. Battery lights get their batteries taken out before they go away, or you'll find corroded contacts next October.
Lights are the one thing every holiday shares. With everything listed, a search for "lights" finds the Christmas string lights in the attic and the pumpkin lights in the garage, each with the tote it's in.
Seasonal decor storage: where the totes should live
Seasonal decor storage is a choice between places that are out of the way and places that are kind to what's inside.
- Attic. Out of the way, but it gets hot. Keep candles, wax ornaments and anything glued out of it.
- Garage or basement. Watch for damp and mice. Use plastic totes with lids, never cardboard on a concrete floor.
- Under the bed or the top of a closet. Good for the small, fragile boxes you don't want on a ladder.
- A storage unit. Fine for the big outdoor pieces, as long as you know which carton is which. Our storage unit inventory app guide covers that.
Whatever you choose, make the place a room in Hoardo, so every tote's list also says where it is.
Share the list with the family
Decorating is a family job, and so is finding things. Invite everyone to the room in Hoardo, either to edit or only to view. The person putting up the tree can search for the tree skirt without calling the person who packed it, and whoever takes things down in January can add what broke or what's missing.
Next year's checklist, made this year
When the decorations come down, five minutes saves an evening next year:
- Throw out the lights that didn't work, and take them off the list.
- Write down what broke and what you need to buy in January sales.
- Note which tote went to which room.
- Give one thing a date. Each item in Hoardo has a date of its own: set the advent calendar's to 30 November, tap "Notify me?" and pick a week before. Hoardo emails you, and it shows in the app, when it's time to get the totes down.
Questions about Christmas decoration storage
How do you store Christmas ornaments so they don't break?
Give every glass ornament its own space, in egg cartons, cups or cardboard dividers, and wrap the fragile ones in tissue paper. Put heavy and unbreakable ornaments at the bottom of the tote and glass on top, and never fill a tote so full that the lid presses down.
What's the best way to organize Christmas decorations for storage?
Pack by tree, room or theme rather than by type, use one numbered tote per group, and list what goes into each one. In Hoardo every tote is a numbered box with its contents listed, so you search for the tree skirt instead of opening every tote.
Where should I store holiday decorations?
Somewhere dry and not too hot. Plastic totes with lids do well in a garage or basement, while candles and wax ornaments shouldn't spend the summer in a hot attic. Small fragile boxes are safer under a bed or on a closet shelf than up a ladder.
How do I know what's in each box without opening it?
Number every tote, list its contents in Hoardo and stick a QR label on it. Scanning the label with your phone camera opens the list, and search finds any decoration across every tote, with the tote's number.
Can the whole family see the list?
Yes. Invite them to the room in Hoardo and choose whether each person can edit or only view. Everyone searches the same list from their own phone.
Is Hoardo free?
Yes. Hoardo is free, with every feature included: rooms, numbered boxes, QR labels, search, reminders and sharing. There's no paid plan.