Organizing Holiday Decor {+ Printable Storage Bin Labels}

Welcome to the final week of holiday organization month in the Organize & Refine Your Home Challenge! During the course of this month, you’ve prioritized what’s important, put holiday planning tools in place, and mastered the art of holiday shopping. Now, let’s talk about organizing holiday decor! 

{DOWNLOAD THE NOVEMBER HOLIDAY ORGANIZING CHALLENGE CHECKLIST HERE}

I love this topic because it encompasses three of my favorite things:

HOME DECOR + ORGANIZATION + CHRISTMAS = SUPER FUN BLOG POST!

Although I’m a huge fan of the whole holiday decorating process, I realize that not everyone shares my passion. If you’re the type that dreads holiday decorating, it’s particularly important that you put systems in place to store your holiday items in an organized manner so you can minimize the pain of decking the halls come next December.

So let’s get to the holiday decor organization tips and tricks, shall we?

Organizing Holiday Decor: My Best Tips & Tricks

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Create a Holiday Decorating “Cheat Sheet”

Before taking down your holiday vignettes, be sure to take photos of ALL of them.  These photos will enable you to easily re-create the vignette on your mantel, bookshelves, and tabletops for next year if you don’t have the time or desire to come up with new ways to display your holiday accessories.

I have a file folder on my computer called Holiday Decorating that I refer to each November as I begin the process of holiday decorating. 

I typically like to mix things up from year to year. But sometimes, I find my creative juices lacking. On those days, I’m thankful to have the photos to use as a “cheat sheet” for re-creating a tried-and-true vignette from previous years.

Create a Holiday Decor Storage Game Plan

1. Identify and Label Holiday Bins

Determine how you’ll identify your holiday bins among the huge collection of storage bins in your attic/basement.  Will they all be a particular color?

Immediately after the holidays, the major retailers will have bins on sale in a variety of colors for storing holiday décor.

You’ll also need to determine how to keep track of the contents of each bin.  You basically have 2 choices:  label the contents on the bin itself  OR assign a number to each bin and create an inventory of the contents for each numbered bin. 

You can keep the inventory in your holiday planner/notebook or in a designated folder on your computer.

If you prefer to go the labels route, I’ve created some cute holiday storage bin labels for you to use:

☝️Want these cute labels? Just complete the form at the end of this post and you can access them immediately!

Here are a few options for how to create your labels:

1. Print labels on heavy cardstock, cut to size, and insert them into Identa-Label pouches (this is the option I use in the image above)
2. Print labels on heavy cardstock, cut to size and adhere to storage bins with packing tape/clear contact paper
3. Print labels on 3 1/3″ x 4″ shipping labels

Select a Strategy for Grouping Holiday Decor

The way you group your items in storage bins should be determined by how you decorate your home for the holidays. 

Do you like to decorate with the same items and in the same location every year?  If so, group your décor items by the location in which they are displayed (e.g., a dining room bin and a fireplace mantel bin). 

If you like to mix it up each year, then it makes more sense to group like items (e.g., a “garland” bin and a “wreaths” bin).

{I store all of the home decor pieces used to create this foyer vignette together}

Bonus tip:  Create a “#1 Bin”, which contains the items that you need early on in the season.  This can include items such as your advent calendar, the Elf on the Shelf, and holiday cookie cutters.

Choose Holiday Storage Containers Wisely

My final tip is to put some thought into the containers you choose for storing your holiday items.  Avoid stuffing your décor into ginormous 150-gallon bins (particularly if you are storing them in the attic!). 

If your containers are manageable, it will make the task of lugging them up from the basement each year less annoying.

ORGANIZING HOLIDAY DECOR ASSIGNMENT:

1. Once you’ve decked the halls this year, grab your camera and take photos of all holiday vignettes you’ve created around the house. Create a Holiday Decorating Cheat Sheet folder on your computer and upload the photos for future reference
2. If possible, purchase an identical set of storage bins (avoid the ginormous ones!) and use them to store all holiday decor items
3. Determine your storage strategy (by item category or location of use)
4. Determine your method for identifying bin contents (inventory vs. labels)
5. Create your bin inventory or label bin contents during the “undecorating” process at the end of this holiday season
6. Don’t forget to create a Bin #1 in the process!

I’d love for you to share photos of your organized holiday storage bins via Instagram (tag me at @refined_rooms and use the #organizeandrefinechallenge hashtag!)

This post is part of the Organize and Refine Your Home Challenge

Do you have a tip to share for making next year’s decorating process easier?  I’d love to hear it!