How to Store Christmas Decorations After the Holidays

I love decorating the Christmas tree, but dread taking it down. With every season, ornaments, string lights, and tinsel become harder to fit into the usual boxes. These are storage methods that worked for our family. Always unplug lights, inspect cords for damage, and keep fragile glass ornaments and small pieces away from children and pets.

Tangled string lights are my husband's eternal nightmare. He winds them so they do not turn into one large knot; the hanger method did not work for us because it is awkward to store.

Wrapping tinsel around a toilet-paper roll is ingeniously simple.

Beaded garlands tangle as easily as string lights, but coil neatly into a regular plastic bottle.

Small ornaments fit into an egg carton or a divided candy box.

Clear storage jars for sugar, salt, or grains can be useful for ornaments too.

Zip-top bags worked well, except for ornaments that scuff when they rub together.

Glass ornaments that matter especially to us store well in rolls of foil-faced foam insulation from a hardware store.

A separate cup for each ornament was convenient but took up too much space, even in two layers.

It is simpler to make dividers in a shallow cardboard box or storage container; sectional underwear-drawer organisers work too.

Online suggestions include straps and plastic wrap for an artificial tree, but that can crush plastic needles. A wide corrugated-cardboard tube is our preferred option. Do not compress, staple, or tightly wrap electrical lights with the tree.