Back when we first moved into our house, I had no holiday decorations. In fact, we had no decorations at all other than picture frames. Things escalated quickly because I love to decorate. So we ended up with far too many decorations for every holiday. I needed a plan for ways to store decorations that didn’t involve renting a storage unit.

Now I am sure you guessed that I figured out some easy ideas for decoration storage. Which is why I am sharing 15 storage ideas for your holiday decorations! I am breaking it down by type of holiday decoration since a lot of the same tips can apply to multiple holidays, along with ways to store in specific areas of your home.

Garland

I may have holiday garland for every holiday. I think it looks so pretty hanging on our mantel. But unwinding that garland can be so tricky. 

Which is why I use cardboard and wrap the garland around the piece of cardboard. Then I clip it in place using a binder clip. You can watch the tutorial here.

Holiday Lights

Another area that can get tangled up is the holiday lights.

We have some small lights that we put in jars on the mantel and on the table. And we outdoor lights. Both stay organized by wrapping them, but we use different things to do that.

The small twinkle lights get wrapped in cardboard and stored in a plastic baggie.

The outdoor lights get wrapped around a small traffic cone and stored in a clear bin. We have tried the extension cord wrap, but the bulbs were too big to fit on the wrap we had. The traffic cones work great!

Wreaths

Adding wreaths to our holiday decor is an easy way to add some holiday spirit. And storing them isn’t that tricky.

If you have the space, store each wreath on a clothing hanger. Then protect it by covering it with a dry cleaners bag, trash bag, or garment bag. Use a moveable clothing rack to store all the wreaths in one place.

If you don’t have the space for a clothing rack, try using wreath organizers. They can stack on top of each other and protects the wreath from the elements.

I also hang our wreaths on hooks in our storage area wall. It is fun to see them when I get our different holiday decor.

Ribbon

There are a few ways you can store ribbon so it doesn’t get unraveled from the spool. 

One way is to get a bin with holes. Pull the end of the ribbon through the hole with the spool standing up. Repeat for all your ribbon so the spools are lined up in a row and your ribbon can be pulled through the holes in the bins.

You can also use a tension rod and place the ribbons on the tension rod in a drawer. This way all the ribbons won’t fall since they are on the tension rod.

There are also ribbon holders that look like paper towel holders. These work well if you don’t have a lot of ribbon.

Ornaments

Storing ornaments can be easy if you get creative!

I have helped clients store ornaments in egg crates, solo cups, and shoe boxes. 

Other clients have had ornament storage bags. 

I typically recommend the storage bags because they help keep the special ornaments protected. I have more ideas in this post: How To Organize Your Christmas Decor

Candles

For our Hanukkah decorations, I have long candles that I use to create a menorah. But every year I worry that they might break. So I found this trick and they have been protected ever since!

Get an empty paper towel roll. Wrap 3 candles together in tissue paper. Then put the candles inside the empty paper towel roll. Now you don’t have to worry about them breaking in the middle!

Wrapping Paper

I have to tell you that I may have tried every wrapping paper storage hack that is out there. And I can say for certain the best way to store wrapping paper is with a large bin or wrapping paper holder. All the other hacks do not work.

I tried the wrapping paper in a garment bag and it was a total disaster. None of the wrapping paper stayed standing up. So every time I opened the bag, they spilled out. 

Using dowel rods to hang wrapping paper on a wall didn’t last because if you pull too hard the dowel falls off.

We don’t have the space for wrapping paper to go in the drawer. Plus if you had a deep drawer, it would be difficult to find the wrapping paper you need.

I was even gifted these snap bracelet things to keep the wrapping paper from unraveling but as the roll got smaller, the snap bracelet thing couldn’t hold them together and fell to the bottom of the bin. 

So to keep them from unraveling, I use a paper clip. Yup, that is it. And they stay together. 

Gift Bags + Tissue Paper

I store all our gift bags and tissue papers in magazine holders. You can get different magazine holders for each type of holiday bag, or just use a large one for both.

The holders make it so easy to grab the bag and tissue paper quickly. This way you aren’t pulling everything out to find the bag you want to use.

I have also used magazine boxes and open boxes to store gift bags and tissue paper.

You may also want to consider creating a gift wrapping station. When the holidays come, this wrapping station is key for quickly wrapping gifts without worry!

Creating A Handmade Holiday With Gift Wrapping Station

How To Create A Mobile Gift Wrapping Station

Garage Storage Space

If your garage has the ceiling space, use the ceiling storage shelves to store your holiday items.

Make sure you keep all the items in air-tight bins to protect them from the elements. And that all the bins are labeled. 

One family I was working with had the ceiling storage shelf. We stored their Christmas and Halloween items on the shelf with the upcoming holiday in the front, and the other holiday in the back. This way it was easy for them to switch out the bins when it came time to decorate.

Storage Room

If you are storing your holiday decorations in your storage room, make sure everything is labeled. This way you can find what you are looking for when you need it. 

We used wire shelving from our local hardware store. When I was installing the shelves, I made sure to put a bin that I used to store the decoration on that shelf before I put on the next shelf. This way I knew I had enough room for all our holiday decorations boxes.

I shared the exact process for creating this storage space and organizing the decorations in this post: How To Store Holiday Decorations The KonMarie Way.

Decoration Storage Ideas

I encourage you to find some holiday decoration storage ideas that you feel will work for you. Then put them in place before you pack up your holiday decor for this current holiday. That way you don’t feel overwhelmed with all the stuff you want to organize. Do it after the holiday is over. This also helps to get rid of holiday items you no longer use. Because you are typically “over” the holiday once it has occurred, you are going to be able to get rid of things you didn’t use.