Storing Holiday Decorations: A Season-by-Season Guide
Holiday decorations spend 11 months in storage and one month out. That storage time is when almost all decoration damage happens — crushed ornaments, tangled lights, mildewed wreaths, faded inflatables — and it’s almost all preventable. This season-by-season guide walks through how to store each holiday’s decorations so they come out of storage the way they went in.
Start with the Right-Size Storage Unit
Most households don’t need a full storage unit dedicated to holiday decorations, but a small 5×5 or 5×10 unit is often the right choice for households that decorate heavily for multiple holidays, live in smaller homes without attic space, or have grown-child decor they aren’t ready to part with. If everything currently lives in a single closet, a 5×5 is likely enough; if it spans two or three closets, a 5×10 gives more room.
Christmas Ornaments: Compartmentalize, Don’t Pile
Christmas ornaments are the most fragile holiday item most households store, and the most commonly damaged. Never pack ornaments loose in a general box. Use specialty ornament boxes with dividers, or improvise with egg cartons for smaller ornaments and cardboard dividers for larger ones. Wrap glass and ceramic ornaments individually in tissue paper before placing them in dividers. Label the box by ornament type — glass, ceramic, sentimental, kid-made — so you can find what you need without opening every box.
Christmas Tree Lights and String Lights
Tangled lights are a January frustration and a November time-sink. The prevention is simple: wrap each string of lights around a piece of cardboard (a cereal box cut flat works well), then place the wrapped bundles in a labeled bin. Never coil lights into a loose pile — the wires twist over months in storage and become nearly impossible to untangle without breaking bulbs. Test every strand before storing so you replace broken ones on your schedule, not on decorating day.
Artificial Christmas Trees
If your artificial tree came with its original box, use it. If not, buy a padded tree storage bag with wheels — they cost less than replacing a damaged tree. Break the tree down into its sections rather than folding branches under tension, which can crack pre-lit wiring and permanently deform the branches. For a very tall or wide tree, consider storing the base separately to save floor space.
Wreaths and Garland
Wreaths and garland deform in storage when hung or stacked incorrectly. Store wreaths flat or in specialty wreath storage bags that support the entire perimeter. Real garland should be replaced yearly — it dries out — but artificial garland stores well when coiled loosely into a bin lined with tissue paper. Never fold garland; the wire inside develops permanent kinks.
Halloween Decorations: Rot-Prone Materials
Halloween decor tends to include materials that don’t tolerate long-term storage well: fabric costumes, foam props, latex masks, and inflatable pumpkins. Wash and fully dry any fabric before storing to prevent mildew and pests. Foam props should be stored in bins with a light dusting of desiccant packets. Latex masks and props degrade fast and often need to be replaced every few years regardless of how carefully they’re stored.
Halloween Inflatables and Outdoor Decor
Inflatable Halloween decorations need to be completely dry before storage. Any residual moisture causes mildew and permanent staining. Deflate fully, wipe down, and let air-dry for 24 hours before packing. Store in a breathable bag, not a sealed plastic bin. Motors and fans should be stored separately and labeled.
Thanksgiving Decorations: Small Volume, Simple Prep
Thanksgiving decorations are typically the smallest holiday collection — table linens, centerpieces, seasonal candles, a few figurines. Store table linens washed and folded in a breathable cotton bag rather than plastic. Store candles in a temperature-controlled space if possible; heat can deform them and cause colors to bleed. A single small bin usually holds a household’s entire Thanksgiving decor.
Easter Decorations
Easter items include a lot of fragile plastic — decorated eggs, figurines, baskets — that crack when compressed. Use small dividers or wrap each item individually. If you store fabric Easter items (tablecloths, table runners), wash them before storing and use a breathable bag. Chocolate and food items are obviously not for long-term storage; discard immediately after the holiday.
Independence Day Decorations
Independence Day decor is usually low-maintenance: flags, banners, table linens, small figurines. Store flags folded properly and in a dry bag to prevent fading and mildew. Any battery-powered items — string lights, small inflatables — should have batteries removed before storage. Batteries left in over months can leak and destroy the electronics they’re inside.
Storage Format: Climate-Controlled vs. Drive-Up
Standard drive-up storage is fine for most holiday decorations that live in sealed plastic bins — durable ornaments, artificial trees, lights, wreaths, and hardware. For sentimental or heirloom decorations — heirloom ornaments, antique Nativity figures, delicate handmade items — climate-controlled storage prevents the temperature and humidity swings that damage older, more delicate materials. Ten of Arborstone Storage’s 62 facilities offer climate-controlled units.
Label Bins by Holiday and Contents
The most-frustrating storage moment is opening five bins to find one specific decoration. Label every bin with the holiday name and a short summary of contents on the top and on one side — that way you can identify a stacked bin from either angle. Systematic labeling saves hours of digging every November.
Organize by Holiday, Not by Item Type
Group bins so all Christmas decor is together, all Halloween decor is together, and so on. When holidays roll around, you’re moving a stack of bins into the house rather than pulling individual items out of a shared bin. This also makes it easier to donate or discard when a holiday’s collection gets too big.
Rotate Seasonally
The best-organized households rotate holiday storage: at the start of a holiday season, the incoming decor moves toward the front of the unit and the outgoing decor moves to the back. Over the course of the year, everything gets touched and checked at least once. This catches damage early — a wet spot on a bin, a family of ants, a mildew smell — before it spreads.
When It’s Time to Let Go
Holiday storage tends to accumulate. If you’ve stored decorations for three consecutive years without using them, they’re candidates for donation. Store what you use, not what you might use — a smaller collection is easier to store, easier to unpack, and easier to display.
Find the Right Storage Unit for Your Holiday Collection
Every Arborstone Storage facility across Oklahoma, Texas, and Arkansas carries small unit sizes — 5×5, 5×10 — that fit a typical household’s holiday decorations with room to spare. Ten facilities also offer climate-controlled units for heirloom pieces. Browse all Arborstone locations to find the facility nearest you.
Final Thoughts
Holiday decorations should be part of the tradition, not a source of dread every November when the boxes come out. Clean, dry, and compartmentalize each holiday’s items separately, label everything clearly, and choose climate-controlled storage for the heirloom pieces. Every decoration you store carefully this year comes out ready to display next year.