How to Store Holiday Ornaments – Tips from Someone with Year-Round Trees

Once upon a time, I threw my ornaments in random opaque boxes every January and stored them in my attic. I never thought of them again for eleven or so months, but those days are over. Sure, there are a few tossed in bins. But over the years, I have collected and curated precious ornaments that needed to be treated with care. It’s time to start storing my ornaments like a big girl.

My storage bag took about two seconds to assemble. I love that it is two-tiered for 24 ornaments in each compartment. More bang for my storage buck. There is also a clear window on the top of the case so that when you store the bag, you can peek in to remember what is inside.

The dividers are cardboard, and if you were storing long ornaments you could easily remove some of the dividers to tweak the design. I like that each cubby is large enough for big ornaments, or even in some cases, holding more than one ornament. Not every ornament in my collection is worthy of a treasure keeper, but for the ones that are, I am really digging this bag. All that is left to do is store. Be sure to read my article 5 Ways to Avoid Heat Damage to Your Holiday Decorations for those living in the South.

As someone who decorates a tree for almost every season (Valentine’s Day, Mardi Gras, Cinco de Mayo, Mother’s Day, Easter, 4th of July, Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas and the most important of all holidays – National Thrift Shop Day), I keep my plain solid-colored ornaments easily accessible. Most of these ornaments are foam or plastic so they can float safely in clear storage tubs.

I keep these ornaments in my son’s closet so that they are easily accessible. I also like using shallow clear bins. This way, not too many get stacked on top of each other, but also I can easily grab whatever color box I need. Currently, I am decorating for Valentine’s Day so the pink/purple and red bin were easy to find.

How does the saying go: A failure to plan is a plan to fail. Think about next Christmas now, or if you are like me, think about your next holiday now. For me, obviously Christmas ornaments can go into deep storage—I won’t be needing them for almost a year. However, if you decorate for other holidays like I do, consider keeping your plain solid-colored ornaments out and easily accessible. Take it from me: makes decorating the 6 Valentine’s Day trees I have up so much easier.