Storage Solutions for holiday and seasonal decorations

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ejagno

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Aug 31, 2010
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As most of you know I've been cleaning and decluttering my storage room. As I pull everything out I'm grouping it by "holiday or season". I really want to reduce the clutter but how do you cut down on holiday decorations?

Do you store your decorations by room or specific area or do you just pile it all together until next year. I had it all organized by room when I was utilizing my attic but since it began melting all of my decorations I moved it all to a storage room off the garage and it's much smaller (12 x 10) than my whole house decked attic.

I did make the decision to leave my artificial trees upright instead of taking them all apart and shoving them into bags. I have alot more vertical space than I do horizontal so this helps. I'm also thinking of putting large hooks into the ceiling to store the garlands instead of taking them all apart and cramming them into totes every year.

Any ideas and suggestions are welcomed.
 

candysprinkles

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Jan 29, 2011
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I don't have any big solutions because I have the same issues you do. But, thanks for mentioning the ceiling. I have been trying to think of a solution for storing all my wreaths now that I have more than one per month. (AND,so many more ideas I want to try on Pinterest.) Hanging from the ceiling might work or even on one of those tension shower rods.

I have most of the Christmas stuff in the attic, but all the other seasons are in the garage in a storage center from Home Depot. It is sort of like a rubbermaid type armoire made for the garage. Each season has its own shelf/area. I don't have mine sorted by room.
 

ejagno

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CS- You are a genius. I do have 2 double closets in there and both have a top and bottom hanging clothes rods. With all the clothing I threw away I don't think we'll be needing all 4. I can take one of those rods, make hangers for the wreaths out of heavy guage wire and hang them in there. Thank you!

I appreciate the ideas.
 

luludou

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Dec 28, 2007
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Love the idea of a curtain rod for the wreath! I don't store by room... I have tons of Christmas totes (ask dh!) all the ornaments are in 1, or 2, or 3 or 4, then I have the Christmas linens in another one, small trees in another one, etc...
 

missjane

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All my Christmas decorations are in the attic, except candles. Eacn tote is numbered. I have a list of what is in each tote. Like decorations are together, as well as my linens for Christmas. Some seasonal dishes are stored there in their boxes, and others are in the bottom of the china cabinet along with candles becasue they melt in the attic and the storage shed. Sometimes I put candles in the freezer because I read somewhere that makes them take longer to burn down, but not scented ones because the food in the freezer absorbs the smell and taste.

In the storage shed, I have totes for each season/holiday. I haven't done as well with numbering and making a list for them, but I don't have as many decorations for other seasons as I do for Christmas, so just lifting the lid on 1 or 2 totes isn't that hard.

My garland is on hooks around the perimeter. My wreaths are on hooks, too, but I like the idea of hanging them on a tension rod. I'll have to try that. Come to think of it, DH put some of his clothes out there one time and he bought a big wooden dowel about the size of a closet rod and suspended it with two big hooks screwed into the ceiling joists. I could use that since it is still out there.

Thanks for the ideas!
 

sloanmama

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Dec 6, 2009
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You all are WAY more organized than me when it comes to this! I have all Christmas in several red/green totes. Halloween in orange/black totes and anything else in different colored totes and labeled. Nothing is sorted by room or anything like that. Just where they would fit in the totes. All is stored in our detached second garage because we don't have an "attic". At least not one you could store anything in or even stand up in. So that's it for me... colored totes for each holiday.
 

Minta

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We have our stuff stored into totes. All the outside decorations are stored in the garage and the inside decorations are stored in the attic. Each tote is number and we have alist for what each number represents. We 1 tote for the main tree ornament, another tote that contains the ornaments for the dinning room tree along with decorations for the dinning room, kitchen and bathroom, etc.
 

teachermomof2

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Oct 27, 2007
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I have Christmas stored by room or collection in totes. Wreathes are in wreath boxes. All my seasonal stuff is grouped together in the attic by holiday. It's not as well done as at the old house, but we'll get there.
 

AuntJamelle

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Oct 22, 2007
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I am of desperate need of help in this area! I used to have upstairs Christmas decor stored in the attic (except for candles!) and downstairs Christmas decor stored in the unfinished part of the basement.

For the last couple of years we haven't done a tree upstairs due to DS and slowly a lot of the decor that used to be in the attic got moved downstairs.

Now it is just all a mish mash. Nothing is labeled. It is a MESS. :(

I am planning to take a day off work the week before Thanksgiving week this year to start pulling everything out and get as organized as I can.

I love the idea of vertical storage. That is something I will be giving some more thought to for sure!

I could see hanging garlands on hangers - maybe securing them with twist ties - and then hanging them up on a rod. I'd probably also make dust covers for them out of trash bags.

My challenge with marking contents on totes full of decorations is that it never seems to work out that I put the same things back in the same totes after the season is over. My fault, obviously. Always in a rush!

I feel pretty good about my ornament storage - I have special totes with cardboard dividers for them.

I also have several wreath shaped totes which are nice.

But then all the other stuff just goes into regular totes. Must find a better system and stick to it!!!
 

ejagno

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I've always loved the colored tote idea but since having over 50 blue totes left over from the hurricane and considering the price of new ones I think my only other alternative is going to be some plastic paint if I decide to implement the colored totes. LOL
 

AnnieClaus

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I do the colored totes too.

I have orange for fall, halloween, and Thanksgiving.

And I even found a light purple for Easter-that's the holiday I have the least stuff for.

My Christmas is all in green and I have Valentines in a red.

My mother gave me some stuff from my grandmother and great aunt. I want to save some of it for my sister to have. So, I did what Missjane did- I assigned each tote (these ones are grey) a number and then I have an inventory sheet for each tote.

I need to inventory my other totes too. Good Notebook assignment for myself!

When you all store your wreaths by hanging them- do you wrap them in a garbage bag or anything?

Annie
 

Merry Christmas

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Oct 16, 2007
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All of my stuff is in Christmas totes. I use to store them in a shed that is in the backyard, but my stuff started to get a smell, so I've moved them into the house and the garage, DH is thrilled (not). We have storage under the stairs in the house, so most of it is in here, but I also have 4-5 bins in the garage.

Every year I do de-clutter a little, but for the most part, I use it all.
 

ChristmasPir8

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I have a chubby in my closet that is all Christmas. Its long but very short and angled so no vertical storage for me. Alson since its just Christmas its not in a set colour. I write on the fores the basicnof what it is. I also store by collection (village, snowmen, greenery , ...) and the ornaments are sorted by tree. I also.have a tub of odds and ends that I find later around the house.
 

Kim Loves Snow

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Aug 3, 2008
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I've always loved the colored tote idea but since having over 50 blue totes left over from the hurricane and considering the price of new ones I think my only other alternative is going to be some plastic paint if I decide to implement the colored totes. LOL

Try using colored paper to make the totes seasonal. Either type a label and tape it to the tote covering it in packing tape or laminate it and tape it on.

I try to keep a list on the inside of the lid of what goes in each tote because my stuff is seperated out by tree, room, linens, etc. It makes it easy to pack up if the helpers have an idea of what goes where.
 

AnnieClaus

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Kim- GREAT ideas- To keep the list on the inside of the lid!!

And-making your regular totes into holiday looking totes!! No need to re-buy all your totes! You could even buy greeting cards or pieces of wrapping paper to decorate your totes!

I also like Shannon's idea of having an odds and ends tote! Because something always gets left out!

Annie
 

DawnSu

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ohh if it wasn't for listing on tote, what was in it. I would b totally lost.... as I have them numbered... which tote is the first to be taken down from top shelf in shed & then finally when I get to last, then I know I am done... I do need to make me an extra tote, as I pick up soo much thru the year, I stash it in the closet in spare room. and now I have a christmas mess here in July.... lol lol.... I have started keeping notes on what I buy when I buy it, whether it be brand new or a yard sale item.... I write it down in my phone so I can keep track.
 

jinglemom

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We don't have basements or attics built to store anything where I live. I wish they would build homes like that here. We do have a 3rd car garage though. Most my Christmas decorations are stored on a large metal shelving unit along the smaller wall. For my wreaths I put them in a garbage bag with the pull handles. I twist the bag and tie the handles once or twice around the neck to keep out spiders, then just hang it by the handles on the edge of the shelving unit. I do the same with the garlands, by just coiling them up into a wreath shape, then put them into the bag. I have a few bottle brush wreaths that fit in an under the bed storage tub, but I keep it with the rest of the tubs.

I group at least 4 of my tubs by favorites. These are the things that I am pretty certain to use every year (just may change where I put them). If I don't use an item, but still love it, I may move it to the 4th tub. The rest of my tubs are more sorted by like items (gift boxes/tins, ball ornaments for different color schemes, snowflakes/snowmen, etc.)
We store all our ornaments in those popcorn tins (they have shrunk the size now :(). Each of my kids picked out one for their ornaments,another one for all the kid friendly, family ornaments, and two for the breakable ones I didn't want the kids to unpack.

We have two 2ft x 4ft x 6ft tall storage type sheds along the side of the house. 1 for the Christmas trees, and the other for outdoor decorations.

Love the idea of printing the contents or number on Christmas paper and making the tote more Christmassy. I have some light blue snowflake paper. I think I'm going to tape a page protector to the outside of the tub and stick my inventory printed on christmas paper inside.
 

missjane

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Annie, my storage shed is really a portable building that was built and delivered to us, with two windows and a door, has rafters, and some insulation. We could finish it out and it would be really nice. It has two flourescent lights and plywood floors, so I just hang my wreaths because I don't have to worry about spiders or dust. Otherwise, I would close them up in garbage bags.

I also have one "odds and ends" tote because like Shannon said, I am always finding orphans that didn't make it back into their a home after Christmas! It's usually only a few, though, so I often look in there first.
 

MinnieCo

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My totes aren't colored accordingly, but I do just write on them what holiday it is for on both ends. I do store my Christmas items by room. As I add pieces, I might have a few that don't fit and then I just put them into another general box, until I have a need to buy another box to fill. One of my favorite tips I learned here online..that was to put the stuff I was taking down in that room, in the same box the Christmas stuff came out of. Then exchange it again at the end of the season. I also keep a large storage tote for my outdoor lights and one for each of my trees decorations. I have a large tree upstairs and downstairs and the ornaments and lights are all wrapped and kept in one of those totes. It works perfectly for me. So if I decide not to put one tree up, I can just grab the appropriate tote and not worry about the other tree.
As for my other holidays, stuff is just packed to fit into the containers for each holiday and I'll add a box as needed. I do seem to purge some every year, but there are some things I just can't part with. Those items I store in a box together and put a piece of paper inside that says..Do Not Use. That way I know I don't need to go through that box, unless I want to.
The idea to hang the wreaths on a tension rod is brilliant. That's why I love this board..ideas!
 

missjane

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I thought on the tension rod. If your wreaths are heavy or you have many, use a shower curtain tension rod because the weight of them may break a regular tension rod.