First, make sure you weed out the items you no longer want. This is where donating is greatly appreciated! Donate all of your unwanted holiday decs to your local thrift store and give someone else the cheer of your decorations you so happily enjoyed! It will make you feel good too, even though the holidays are over doesn't mean the giving season is over!!
Now that you have narrowed down what you want to keep for next year, sort all of the items into groups, for example:
1. outdoor
2. indoor
3. tree ornaments
4. holiday cards
5. decorative items
6. linens
7. wrapping items
Gather boxes for storage (preferably clear, see through tubs). Start packing all of your sorted items into the boxes and start numbering them for relevance. #1 should be holiday cards since you start out the season sending cards and the last number should be wrapping items since you don't need those until near the end. That way you only get out the boxes that you need throughout the season as opposed to getting everything all out at once! Another good idea is to make a note on each box of things that need to be replaced (i.e. lights).
Make sure you wipe down all outdoor decorations, wrap your wreaths in plastic sacks, and to avoid the cliche tangled holiday lights, use an extension cord holder or a piece of card board to keep it all in order.
Here is a good idea of what to do to store those breakable ornaments:
Happy Holidays and an even happier New Year!
