The Best Christmas Decor Storage Solutions
Are you ready to put your Christmas tree and decorations away? If so, read on for the best Christmas decor storage solutions, along with some great products to make ‘putting away’ Christmas a breeze!
THE BEST CHRISTMAS DECOR STORAGE SOLUTIONS
This year, I waited a long minute to put my Christmas tree and decorations away. I wanted to enjoy the season just a wee bit longer, even though I had my tree up since October!!!
You waited, too? Well, procrastinators unite!
Seriously… I really did just want to enjoy Christmas a bit longer this year!
Yep… I just put away my decor this past week! It was a long day of packing and reorganizing. But, I think next year will be MUCH easier because I did all the ‘hard stuff’ this year!
So, since I already did all the ‘hard’ work, let’s take a look at how easy it is for YOU to store your Christmas tree and decor!
The tips, tricks, and products in this post are by far the best Christmas decor storage solutions I’ve found! (And, it includes some updates on the best organizing tool EVER, too! So be sure to read on!)
This post may contain affiliate links, at no additional cost to you. For more information, see my complete disclosure HERE.
What’s the Best Way to Store a Christmas Tree?
Over the years, I’ve stored my Christmas tree in several ways:
- In the original box it came in
- A Christmas tree storage bag
- Standing with a trash bag over it (seriously… don’t try this at home *rolls eyes*)
This year, King of Christmas gifted me a tree in exchange for some work I did for them. The gorgeous 7.5′ Queen Flocked Slim Tree came in a VERY solid box with handles PLUS a heavy duty storage bag.
Because most Christmas tree storage bags (including the KofC bag) don’t come with any ‘structure’, I decided to place the hefty box INSIDE the Christmas tree storage bag. I believe this is the BEST way to store a Christmas tree, and I’ll show you why (and how).
How To Add Structure to a Christmas Tree Storage Bag
As I said above, I’ve tried using the original box to store a Christmas tree in, but it ends up getting bumped and torn and often is bulging because the tree won’t go back in as neatly as it came.
You can see in Photo 1 that the King of Christmas tree box is actually very sturdy, yet it still came with a gash on the corner of the box.
The Christmas tree bag in Photo 2 is heavy duty, but I’ve failed with unstructured bags in the past, as well. They are hard to stand on end, and often they ‘bloat’ and take up too much room.
Deconstruct the Box to Add “Walls” to the Christmas Tree Storage Bag
The solution was easy. Place the box INSIDE the bag!
Unfortunately, the construction of the bag wouldn’t fit around the box. The answer: Simply deconstruct the box using a sharp utility knife. Cut inside the box-creases to make it even easier (Photo 3).
Add the Cardboard ‘Walls’ to the Storage Bag
Now it’s easy to maneuver the cardboard pieces into the Christmas tree bag to create a structured bag (Photos 5 & 6). (No extra cutting-down needed.)
Here are more products for storing your Christmas tree:
Arranging Your Christmas Tree Into a Storage Bag
The King of Christmas faux trees all come with a pair of handy-dandy shaping gloves that you use to ‘fluff’ your tree while setting it up (Photo 7).
However, I found these gloves to be perfect for taking the tree down, as well. They are long and almost reach to your elbows which prevents scratches from the branches.
I also saved the end caps for the tree tiers. Again, this avoids unnecessary scratches and also helps prevent tears in the box/bag (Photo 9).
After taking the tree apart and replacing the end caps, gently ‘scrunch’ the tree branches up and together (Photo 9).
Pro Tip 1
The light power cord may need to be slipped through some tight spaces
(like behind my pine cabinet?). The power cord easily comes apart
and just as easily can be put back together (Photos 10-12).
The other items you might want to save are the white bags that cover each tier of your King of Christmas tree. These are similar to light-weight canvas and can be reused to protect the tree branches (Photos 13 and 14).
The Best Way to Arrange Your Christmas Tree Tiers
If you want the easiest way to arrange your tree tiers in the storage bag/box, take it from me:
- Place the top tier at one end of the bottom of the structured bag with the pole end pointing toward the inside of the box.
- Next, arrange the middle tier on the opposite end of the box with the pole end pointing toward the inside of the box.
- Finally, place the bottom tier on the same side as the top tier, again with the pole pointing inside the container. Gently shape and bend the tree into the box. Trust me, it will work, and you won’t hurt the tree.
Bonus: What Else Can You Store in a Structured Christmas Tree Bag?
A couple final tips for storing your Christmas tree…
- Place the tree manual, gloves, and power cord in a zip lock bag and toss it in! (Photo 15)
- And then place the box top on top of the tree (Photo 16).
But wait! There’s more! The bonus is, the structured container had PLENTY of room to add more decor. So, what better way to fill it than with my King of Christmas Flocked Garland?! (Photo 17).
The Final Step to Storing a Faux Christmas Tree
After I EASILY zipped up the bag (doesn’t it looks sturdy?), I then added my QR label to the Best Organizing and Storage Tool EVER! (Photos 18 and 19)
Read on, and I’ll give you an update on how this FREE phone app is working for me after using it for three years!
Oh, and by the way, you can now stand your structured Christmas tree storage bag on its side or end!
Storage Bins: The Easiest Christmas Decor Storage Solution
There are LOTS of options for storing Christmas ornaments and decor. For me, the best option has always been storage bins (Photo 1).
There are several reason why I like using storage bins:
- They look clean and neat when stored in the garage/attic/storage unit
- You can color coordinate bins/lids. I use red lids for Christmas, purple for fall, etc.
- Storage bins are easy to arrange and re-arrange on the inside
- Using storage bins work GREAT with Totescan (again, read on).
As an example, the 66-quart bin pictured above holds a large number of hand-painted ornaments in tissue (Photo 1a), a huge bag of unbreakable ornaments (red and chartreuse Photo 1b), a large box of red glass ornaments, and another box of large red ball ornaments, and a jumbo ornament (Photo 1c).
Pro Tip 2
Do you use the large boxes of unbreakable ornaments on your tree?
They are so pretty and so affordable, too!
To store these, simply place them in a plastic trash bag and place in the bin.
You can manipulate them to ‘fill-in’ your bin, and they still keep their lovely finish!
Looking for more Christmas decor and ornament storage options?
The Final and BEST Christmas Decor Storage Solution: Totescan
For the last three years, I’ve been using (what I have labeled) the best organizing tool EVER!
If you haven’t read it yet, please be sure to check out my introductory post to this amazing free phone app!
In summary, ToteScan is a FREE phone app that uses QR code labels to organize your storage bins, shelves, and anywhere that you have a lot of items you need to find easily!
You can see below how the bins looks neat, and each one has a QR label on it (BTW, this is only about half of my Christmas bins… hehee!). These labels can be easily scanned with your Smart phone, and will tell you exactly what is in each bin, where the bin is located, and any additional details you want to add!
Here are a few unique Christmas storage containers that can be used with ToteScan, as well:
New Discoveries Using Totescan
Since first using Totescan in January of 2021, I’ve learned some new-to-me options that are available and super useful!
Editing an Item in Totescan
This is the main screen, where you can search for a term or word.
For example, if you want to look for any type of garland, just use the word ‘garland’ in the search field and all the garlands in the app will appear.
To edit an item, simply tap on it. (Notice the King of Christmas garland didn’t have a photo).
The next screen is where you tap on “Edit”.
This window will open, and you can add photos, change titles and/or descriptions. If your item has a barcode, you can even use the “Scan Item’s Barcode” button (at the bottom of the window) and it will add the photo and description for you!!!
Moving or Deleting an Item in Totescan
After you save your edit, it will take you back to the Item Detail screen.
Sometimes you might find that you need to reorganize some items from one bin to another (or even purge an item).
At the bottom of the window, you can tap “Move” to move the item to a different tote (in the app… not actually physically… The app is amazing, but it’s not a miracle-worker!)
You can also tap the delete Trash Can to completely remove the item from the app.
This next screen will then populate, and you can scan the actual tote where you moved the item to. In this case, I was moving the garland to my new Christmas tree ‘container’. (See, you can use the app on any type of bin, shelf, tote, etc.)
To get the most out of the free Totescan app, you might want to purchase the following affordable items (you may even have these in your stash already):
- The ToteScan app, of course… just search for it in your app store (be sure to update the app if you have an android)
- QR Code Labels
- 3 x 5 index cards
- Plastic sleeves (fold the index card just a bit to make them fit… and this keeps them snug inside, as well)
For more organizing help, take a look at these free organization printables!
When will you be ‘putting away’ Christmas? Do you transition your Christmas decor to winter?
Let me know if you have any questions about what I think are the best Christmas decor storage solutions!
We STILL have our decorations up, Julie! We always tend to hold onto Christmas later than most people do. My husband gets so sad when it all comes down, and I really do enjoy them, too. (He would leave the decorations up well into February, if I let him!) These are some great tips, and I love your flocked tree!
I’m actually thinking about keeping my tree up next years with just the lights… a January tree of sorts. Maybe it will take off?
Love this post Julie! I’ll be using your idea of the tree box inside the bag after next Christmas. You are brilliant my friend!
Oh, I’m so glad you found a tip to use!
I really needed this article today. Love these ideas.
I appreciate you sharing this with Sweet Tea & Friends this month sweet friend.
You are so welcome, Paula… So happy to have joined!