Pro Organizers Reveal How Downsizing Christmas Decor by Half Now Will Save You Time and Reduce Stress Next Year
It's the January reset I didn't know I needed
Every year when I am battling through tangled decorations and tattered tinsel, I promise myself I'll be more organized next year. This year, I have finally decided to break the cycle.
Instead of stuffing everything back into storage now that Christmas is over, I'm only keeping half of my festive decor for 2026. The rest – the tired tinsel, mismatched ornaments, and decor that no longer spark joy – are going. No guilt or second-guessing.
Why I’m Only Keeping Half My Christmas Decor This Year
It is generally recommended that everyone follow some post-Christmas decluttering rules each year to help remove broken items, duplicates, or pieces that they didn't enjoy this season.
However, I have decided to take it a step further and keep only the bare minimum, and for two key reasons.
Firstly, I typically decorate alone each Christmas season, making it a mammoth task that often ends in frustration and a sore back, no matter how much I try to romanticize the experience.
Secondly, I live in a small storage-less home, so all of my decorations have to be stashed in extra-large bags from The Container Store to be stored in my parents' house (a 40-minute drive away) from one December to the next. So, the less I have, the better.
This doesn't mean that I am gutting my collection down to minimalist Christmas decor ideas by any stretch. Next year, I will continue to use traditional colors and fun Christmas lighting to make my home cozy for the Holiday Season.
However, I am going to cut down how many rooms I decorate to only the shared living spaces (do I really need a tree in my home office, after all?), and be ruthless when decluttering, using the one-emotion decluttering method to toss out any decor that doesn't immediately make me feel festive joy when I pull it down to store away.
Keeping decor basic also prevents your home from becoming visually overstimulating over the holidays.
According to professional organizers, this approach to decluttering festive decorations while organizing Christmas decorations for storage is ideal for people like me who are desperate to decorate for Christmas without feeling overwhelmed year after year.
Brittany De la Fuente, designer and organizer with Saint Louis Closet Co., explains, 'Decluttering isn’t about getting rid of the magic; it’s about making room for it. A curated collection of holiday decor creates a calmer, more joyful decorating experience every season
'The end of the holiday season is the perfect time to declutter your decor because everything is still fresh in your mind; what you used, what you didn’t, and what’s no longer your style.
'By sorting and donating as you pack away, you’ll save yourself time and stress next year. When you open your bins [such as the Holiday Storage Totes from The Container Store] next December, you’ll find only the things you actually use neatly organized, labeled, and easy to access. It also helps reduce the need for extra storage, freeing up valuable space in your home for year-round use.'
One thing that helped me to cut down maybe piles and reduce clutter was to remember that Christmas is not in the items I hang in my home, but in the activities I do and the time I spend with my family and friends. Yes, a good tree and warm white Christmas lights from Walmart strung along the fireplace help set the atmosphere, but they are not the essential ingredient in creating cozy memories.
For example, when I host friends, it isn't the decorations I remember; it is the food we cook together and the games we play. The decor doesn't factor in.
Stripping Back Your Collection
If you need a little more guidance when deciding what to declutter, especially when with sentimental items, professional organizer Danica Carson, co-founder of The Uncluttered Life, suggests asking yourself the following questions:
- Is it in good shape? Are there cracks or tears, or missing pieces? If yes, maybe now is the time to donate or recycle it. If it’s something that can be repaired, you should do so before putting it away. Don’t make more work for yourself next year by kicking the can down the road on repairs.
- Do I still like this? Seems like an obvious question, but sometimes we become so used to decor pieces that we go blind to them.
- Will it still be good next year? Some things simply don’t last in storage when exposed to extreme temperatures that occur in attics and garages. For example, my son made this adorable ghost a few years ago, and I put it in storage for the following year. When I went to get it out, I found that parts had melted and the entire thing had become misshapen. I was sad to see it go, but there’s no sense in keeping decor that you can’t use again.
- Is it meaningful? Sometimes, we keep things that are broken or not our style because they remind us of a special person or time. I would never encourage people to give up something that brought them joy or peace. Just be sure to store those pieces together in their own bin for their protection.
What to Shop
All prices were correct at the time of publication.
This Christmas storage set comes with a tree bag, wreath bag, and ornament bag for quick, uniform decor storage. The bags are waterproof and fitted with double zippers for safe long-term storage.
Avoid the pain of detangling lights each Christmas by wrapping them neatly around these bagged light reels. They can also help lights last longer by preventing damaged wires.
This sturdy ornament bag individually packages up to 72 baubles to prevent scratches and breaks in long-term storage.
These large Christmas tree storage bags come with wheels and handles for easy manoeuvrability and quick storage, protecting your artificial tree from damage between uses. The label pocket also helps you to identify which tree is inside, if you have several around your home.
Keep your tabletop trees in tip-top shape with a sleek storage bag. Twist the tree top protector onto your tree top, then place into the bag to last for many seasons to come.
Keep your favorite accents safe from dust and damage after the festive season. Designed to make decorating quick and easy, these rolling storage cases help preserve beloved ornaments.
Meet the Experts
Brittany De La Fuente majored in Interior Design and minored in Architectural Design in college. For more than 12 years, she’s been creating beautifully organized closets and storage solutions at Saint Louis Closet Co. Known for her exceptional eye for detail and commitment to client satisfaction, Brittany consistently designs spaces that are as functional as they are stylish.
Danica blends her experiences from fine art classes with organizing interior spaces, creating interiors that are simple to maintain. She is also the creator and designer of The Uncluttered Life’s Declutter Deck and our newly launched Life Hack Decks, which help alleviate decision fatigue. These card prompt decks streamline routines and lessen the stress and anxiety many experience in daily life.
Really want to cut stress from the post-holiday period? Brush up on the most efficient way to take down Christmas decor to make this year's tidy and next year's decorations ten times simpler.
