One of the best ways to bring some cheer back into a home during the dreary winter season is decorating for the holidays. However, figuring out an effortless way to take down all of the seasonal decorations and then finding the best conceivable system to store each one of them, can easily be considered the worst.  Holiday decorations can go from providing an endless source of cheer and good tidings to becoming the very bane of your existence in no time flat. To save you some of the holiday heartache, we’ve rounded up a few straightforward storage ideas and some unique organizational techniques to help you along the way.

Ornaments

Don’t just toss your fragile glass, and otherwise breakable ornaments directly into a storage container and hope for the best outcome this year. In the weeks preceding the holiday season, begin to save up any extra egg cartons that may otherwise just be recycled. Place small glass ornaments inside the carton dimples to keep them nice and secure. For larger ornaments, consider tightly filling up gallon-sized locking plastic bags and then placing them inside a large storage container. If you think that you need some extra protection, consider adding a layer of tissue paper or bubble wrap inside of the packaging.

String Lights

As easy as it would be to simply leave the outdoor lights up for the remainder of the year – all good things must come to an end. To prevent further frustrating string light frenzies next year, save yourself the time checking for broken lightbulbs by simply storing them safely in the first place. To start the process, you’ll need to find a few plastic coat hangers. Start wrapping the lights tightly around one end, and move across the length of the hangar until they are tightly secure. Once the lights have been wound about the hanger, they can even be hung up in an attic or storage room until you need them next year. For strands with larger than normal bulbs, consider wrapping them around large cut-out cardboard squares. After the lights have been wrapped, you can stack them safely inside of a storage container.  

Gift Wrap

The most unobtrusive solution to storing pesky leftover rolls of wrapping paper might just be a underbed storage container. Storing the rolls under a bed allows easy access when there’s an immediate need, but otherwise provides a much-welcomed freedom from the obligatory holiday clutter that comes with holiday preparation. Consider purchasing a clear, tacklebox styled container to store your stockpile of accumulated tape, tags, and tissue paper.