Are you packing up your Christmas decorations this week? How do you store your decorations? If you use the red and green totes, it's hard to know what you've stored in each one until you open it up and start taking things out. If you've got several bins, it can get pretty overwhelming figuring out where to start!
After a busy holiday season, many people say they are going to simplify things next year, but by the next holiday, they're right back in the thick of everything and get too overwhelmed. If that sounds familiar, then right now is the perfect time to take steps toward simplifying next Christmas!
Here's a printable inventory list to record what you're storing in each container as you pack it up this year. I'm also including tips for storing your decorations. These two things combined will make decorating so much simpler next year!
Here are a few tips for storing decorations:
1. Purge before you store! Why store items you didn't use, or that you don't love? Give them away to someone else who can enjoy them more. This is especially important if you bought or received new Christmas items this year and don't have or want to use extra space to store your Christmas stuff.
2. Group items by how you decorate. For example, if you decorate one room at a time through your home, then group each room's decorations in a separate container and label it with that room. Then next Christmas you can just open the bin(s) you need for the room you're decorating at the time. Or, if you like to use the same type of decoration all at once in different areas of your home (e.g. garland, candles, or lights) then store all of that type of decoration together.
3. Label each bin with a number or general description of the contents.
4. Record the specific items in each bin on the inventory list and note where you are storing that bin (e.g. garage, storage room, attic, spare room closet).
5. Keep your inventory list someplace handy so you won't lose it or forget it (home management binder, Christmas planner, etc.)
A few more tips:
- Take pictures of your decorated home before you pack everything up. It will make it easier to remember how your decorations were used this year. You can print the pictures and store them in the corresponding bin to make it easy next year, or record where you've saved the pictures on your inventory list.
- Once you have everything packed away carefully in your bins or containers, take a picture of the inside of the bin and keep it in the bin so you can put everything back the same way next year.
Following these tips will take you a bit of time this year, but it will save you so much time next year when you pull out your bins to decorate! And if you felt the slightest bit overwhelmed this year, isn't it worth the effort now to simplify next Christmas? You'll be glad you did :)
When do you take down your Christmas decorations? How do you store them? Have you used an inventory list for seasonal decor before? What other tips can you share for simplifying next Christmas?
Happy organizing!
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