Putting away holiday decorations used to stress me out more than necessary. I pack my boxes tightly to save space, but that means everything has to go back into the box it came out of, or it won’t fit. And trying to remember which box was the correct box was difficult. So a few years ago, I made a system to store and organize holiday decorations that makes this process easier.
It involves taking pictures of the decorations that belong in each box, organizing those photos in a tracking document, and labeling both the boxes and the decorations with corresponding numbers. This gives everything a designated place. The idea is simple: the number on each decoration shows which box it belongs in, and the pictures ensure everything is accounted for before I start packing.
This system takes a bit of work to set up, but after that, putting away everything becomes easier and faster!
PART 1: SETTING UP YOUR HOLIDAY DECORATION STORAGE SYSTEM
The initial setup for this system to organize holiday decorations takes time, but you only need to do it once. Then you’ll have a system you can use year after year that makes packing decorations up easy and quick.
STEP 1 – CHOOSE YOUR STORAGE BOXES
The first step in setting up the system is to gather or purchase storage bins. I purchased a set of bins that are all the same. I found that having all the same boxes makes storage easier since they stack neatly together and are more consistent. However, you don’t have to buy a matching set of bins, you can use whatever storage boxes you’d like.
I also like having clear bins so that I’m able to quickly see what’s in the bin. We keep our holiday decorations in the garage, so I also looked for bins better suited to that environment. I chose to buy IRIS WeatherPro Plastic Storage Bins in 74 qt.
STEP 2 – PACK AWAY EVERYTHING INTO THE BOXES
After picking out the storage boxes, the next step is to pack away everything into all the boxes. This may feel tedious since you’ll then need to take out everything you’ve packed away to take pictures and label things, but you want to make sure that you have space for all the decorations and everything’s accounted for before you start documenting. It would be even more annoying to be halfway through the process and then have to restart because not everything fits.
STEP 3 – PHOTOGRAPH & LABEL EVERYTHING
Now that everything has a box, it’s time to set up the system to organize holiday decorations. Work through the photographing and labeling process below one box at a time.
STEP 3A – LABEL THE STORAGE BOX
The first part of setting up each box is to label the box. Give each box a number and descriptive title (to also use in the tracking document), such as “Halloween Inside 1.” The descriptive title tells which holiday the box is for and whether it’s for inside or outside. The number identifies the individual box and is the number used for the next step when labeling the decorations themselves.
STEP 3B – NUMBER EACH DECORATION
Now that the box is numbered, it’s time to label all the decorations with the box number. Put a small piece of tape with the corresponding box number on the bottom of each decoration. For example, if a decoration belongs in Box 1, put a small piece of tape with the number 1. If it belongs in Box 2, put the number 2, etc. I use tape instead of writing directly on the item so it’s easy to relabel later if the item needs to change boxes.
This is the part that makes it easy to put everything away once things are up and running. The number tells me which box the decoration belongs in. Then I don’t have to guess where it goes when I’m putting everything away.
There are some items, however, that are too difficult to label with a number. For example, I have a skinny black and orange garland with no space to discreetly place a number. I didn’t label this garland and I rely on the pictures from the step below to know where it belongs.
STEP 3C – PHOTOGRAPH THE CONTENTS OF EACH BOX
The next step in setting up this storage system is to take pictures of everything that belongs in the box. Lay the items out in a way where you can see everything and take a photo. Depending on how many items are in the box, you may need to take a couple of photos. However, you don’t need to take an individual photo for each item.
These photos serve two purposes. The first shows which box any items you couldn’t number on the decoration belong to (like the garland mentioned above). The other provides a visual for what items are in each box. That way, if you’re ever looking for a specific item, you know which box to look in.
STEP 4 – CREATE YOUR TRACKING DOCUMENT
After labeling and photographing everything, set up the tracking document. I used a Google Doc for this so that I would be able to access the document easily from my phone, but you can set this up with a different program if you prefer.
The document is simple to organize. Each box label is the title, and then all the photos that correspond to that box are below the title. You could add more information, such as a typed list of the items contained in the box if you want, but I decided the pictures are enough for me to identify what goes where in my document.
The most useful part of this document for me is how it tells me how many boxes I have total. So when I’m getting decorations out of storage, I can refer to the document for how many boxes I need. That way, I know I’ve gotten all the boxes out of storage instead of discovering halfway through decorating that there’s a box missing.
After you’ve finished creating your tracking document, you’re done with the setup process, and your decorations storage system is ready to use!
PART 2: USING YOUR HOLIDAY DECORATION STORAGE SYSTEM WHEN PUTTING AWAY DECORATIONS
Once the system to organize holiday decorations is set up, putting decorations away becomes much easier. This section walks through the steps to take to actually use the system when putting decorations away.
STEP 1 – GATHER ALL THE DECORATIONS IN ONE PLACE
When it’s time to put the holiday decorations away, start by gathering all the decorations from throughout the house and bringing them to one central location. I use the dining room table as the location, but any other large, clear area will work well. I find it helpful to gather everything together before sorting so that I don’t have to walk back and forth around the house trying to find specific items while packing.
STEP 2 – SORT THE DECORATIONS INTO PILES BY NUMBER
After gathering all the holiday decorations, sort them into piles by box number. Use the numbered tape on the bottom of the decorations to do this. All the items marked with a 1 go together, all the items marked with a 2 go together, and so on.
After sorting all the decorations with numbers on the bottom, sort any remaining decorations that might not have a number on them by referencing the photos on the tracking document to see where they belong.
This is the step in my system to organize holiday decorations that saves me the most frustration when putting decorations away. Once I have the items grouped by box number, I know which decorations belong together. I can now concentrate on fitting them into the box, rather than repeatedly rearranging items between different boxes because I’m not sure if the item is in the right box.
STEP 3 – CHECK THE PICTURES AND PACK EACH BOX
Once all the decorations have been sorted, it’s time to pack up each box. Grab all the decorations for a box and the box itself.
Then double-check that you have everything for that box by referring to the pictures in your tracking document. This gives you a chance to make sure you haven’t missed anything or accidentally put a decoration in the wrong pile. After you’ve checked the pictures, you can pack the items into their assigned box.
Because you already know that the items all belong together, you can focus on arranging them so that everything fits in the box, while protecting the decorations as needed.
Repeat this picture-checking and packing step for each box until you’ve packed all the boxes and put away all of your holiday decorations!
Looking for some Halloween spirit? Check out the following:
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A NOTE ABOUT KEEPING YOUR SYSTEM UP TO DATE
Although most of the setup for my system to organize holiday decorations only needs to be done once, I do make small updates as I add new decorations over the years. When I buy something new, I decide which box it belongs in, take a picture of the new item, and add the photo to the appropriate section of my tracking document. I also put a small piece of numbered tape on the bottom of the decoration to match its assigned box. That way, my document stays current, and I don’t have to reorganize everything just because I’ve added a few new things. It’s a small amount of upkeep that keeps the system working year after year.
FINAL THOUGHTS: MAKE PUTTING AWAY HOLIDAY DECORATIONS EASIER
The best part of this system is that the initial work pays off every time I put decorations away. Instead of trying to figure out what’s supposed to go where while I’m packing, I can gather everything together, sort it into piles, check the photos, and pack each box.
If putting away holiday decorations feels like a puzzle every year, creating a system like this can make the process more manageable. A little preparation now can save you time and frustration for years to come!
Looking for more organization ideas? Check out the following:
How to Organize Almost Anything: An Overall Organization Guide