Organizing Holiday Decorations with Kids’ Help

Last December, I opened one of our holiday bins to find tangled lights wrapped around a crushed papier-mâché ornament my son made in kindergarten. Half the lights didn’t work, and my daughter asked, “Where’s the reindeer I painted?” It was somewhere in one of six unmarked bins.

When everything came down that January, I did a full audit, rebuilt our storage system and gave the kids the safe jobs. We’ve used the same system ever since, and the kids seem gentler with decorations now that each has ornaments of their own to pack.

In this article (7 sections)

1. How to Organize Holiday Decorations: Start with an Audit
2. Holiday Decoration Storage Ideas and Containers
3. Color-Code Your Holiday Bins: A System Kids Can Follow
4. Kid-Friendly Roles During Decorating and Pack-Up
5. Where to Store Holiday Decorations: Climate Considerations
6. Holiday Traditions That Make Pack-Up Stick
7. Holiday Decoration Storage FAQ

How to Organize Holiday Decorations: Start with an Audit

Before you buy a single storage bin, see what you actually have. Do the audit at pack-up in early January, when everything is already coming down. Spread it all out on the living room floor: ornaments, lights, wreaths, garland, stockings and figurines.

Before the kids join in, an adult does a first pass. Move glass, hooks, small ornaments, candles, light strings and anything with batteries to a table or counter out of reach. What stays on the floor is the kid-approved pile: sturdy, large, unbreakable pieces.

This is where the kids come in. Put on holiday music and let kids 4 and up rediscover forgotten treasures from the approved pile. An adult holds up anything fragile for them to look at.

Children under 4, including babies and toddlers, stay away from the spread-out items. A 3-year-old can match bin colors and carry empty lids from the edge of the room. Serve cocoa warm, not hot, at the kitchen table, away from the sorting area.

Sort everything into three piles: Keep, Donate/Gift, and Toss. Be honest about broken items, decorations that no longer match your style, and duplicates.

Let kids advocate for their favorites. If your eight-year-old is passionate about the glitter-covered pinecone from preschool, it stays. Each child can also choose 3–5 sturdy ornaments that are “theirs” to look after. For a 3-year-old, an adult does the wrapping and packing.

As you sort, create a simple inventory on your phone or a piece of paper. Keep it with the Holiday Decor Storage Kit from this page.

Record what you have for each holiday. It stops over-buying at post-holiday sales and shows you gaps before the season arrives. From here on, follow a one-in, one-out rule for anything new.

Before anything goes into a bin, run these checks:

• An adult plugs in and tests every string of lights, then unplugs it before anyone handles it. Discard strings with frayed wire, cracked sockets or loose connections.
• Look for a UL or ETL mark when you replace strings, and never use indoor-only lights outdoors. Don’t pinch cords under bin lids.
• Check candles for cracks or melting damage, and switch to flameless candles around young children. Lock up matches and lighters.
• Wash fabric items (stockings, table runners) and dry them fully before packing, so they don’t mildew.
• Never store edible items such as chocolate advent calendars in seasonal bins. Finish or discard them at season’s end.

Holiday Decoration Storage Ideas and Containers

Cardboard boxes collapse, absorb moisture and hide what’s inside, so plastic bins or purpose-made containers are worth the money.

Ornaments

Choose an ornament box with adjustable dividers (typically $15-30). For heirloom pieces, look for individual padded compartments. Kids 4 and up can wrap sturdy ornaments in tissue paper and place them in their slots.

Lights

A holiday light storage reel (roughly $10-15) keeps strings untangled. An adult tests and unplugs each strand first. Children under 6 don’t handle light cords, but kids 4–5 can hold the reel or label it. Once a strand is tested and unplugged, kids 6 and up can wind it onto the reel or a cardboard strip while an adult watches.

Or wrap lights around cardboard cut from cereal boxes. It’s free and works well. Never leave wrapped cords within a child’s reach.

Wreaths

A wreath storage bag (about $8-15) protects the shape and keeps dust out. Hang it in a conditioned closet or room on a securely anchored hook rather than stacking heavy bins on top of it.

Artificial trees

Store the tree in its original box or a tree bag (about $20-30), upright or on its side on a closet floor or garage shelf.

Small items

A rolling 3-drawer storage cart (roughly $30-45) suits figurines, candle holders and table decor. Label each drawer by room or holiday. Table scatter, beads and mini baubles are choking hazards, so they stay out of reach of children under 4.

Color-Code Your Holiday Bins: A System Kids Can Follow

Here’s the organizing trick that works best for us: assign a bin color to each holiday. Color is easy for preschoolers to follow, so even a 3-year-old can help match lids to bins. Our family holiday decor storage guide goes deeper on bin layouts.

These colors are only suggestions, so pick whatever your family will remember. The clear bin holds items you use for more than one holiday, like plain string lights. The shared bin holds the small sets for holidays that don’t need a bin of their own.

Aim for one bin per major holiday, with the small holidays sharing one. Most families land on 4-6 bins that way.

Colored storage bins often run $8-15 each in a 66-quart size. A full one gets heavy fast, so an adult carries every packed bin, whatever its size. Smaller 27-quart bins are easier for kids to carry empty, or with a few light, soft items inside for ages 8 and up. Planning the orange bin? See our neutral Halloween decor guide.

Let kids create the labels. Give them index cards, markers, and stickers, and have them draw or write what’s inside each bin. A six-year-old’s drawing of a Christmas tree on the bin lid is both functional and easy to spot. Cover the cards with clear packing tape to protect them.

1. Pick colors. Assign one color per holiday or season.
2. Number the bins. Within each color, use Red Bin 1, Red Bin 2 and so on, so the master list can point to a specific bin.
3. Make a master list. Map bin numbers to contents.
4. Post it. Tape a copy inside a cabinet door or store it digitally.
5. Update yearly. Revise the list when you pack up.

Swapping kids’ clothes with the seasons too? Try the fall closet swap system.

Kid-Friendly Roles During Decorating and Pack-Up

In our house, packing up went wrong when one tired parent did it alone and rushed. Making it a family activity means it gets done right and everyone knows where things live.

Give each age a job that matches what they can safely handle. An adult supervises at all times.

Where to Store Holiday Decorations: Climate Considerations

Where you store holiday decorations matters as much as how you store them. Extreme heat, cold, and humidity can destroy decorations over time.

Attics suit only sturdy, non-heat-sensitive items, sealed in lidded bins.

Garages are fine for durable items but watch out for moisture and pests. Elevate bins off the floor on shelving units. Choose shelving rated for the weight of your loaded bins, and anchor it to the wall so it can’t tip. For more garage ideas, see our seasonal gear rotation guide.

Under-bed storage is ideal for flat items like table runners, tree skirts, and wrapping paper. A shallow underbed box (often about $8-15) fits under most bed frames and keeps items dust-free. Our under-bed storage guide has more on using that space.

Closet shelves in a climate-controlled part of the house suit lights, electronics, candles, glass and fabric stockings. Add one or two bins of the most-used decorations. Keep the current season’s decorations most accessible, and rotate bins so the next upcoming holiday is always in front.

Holiday Traditions That Make Pack-Up Stick

A small ritual at each end of the season gives kids a reason to care where things go. In our house, the Saturday after Thanksgiving is “Decoration Day,” when we open the red bins together. Pack-up follows in early January.

At pack-up, kids 4 and up help with the tissue paper while an adult handles the glass. If anything breaks, an adult sweeps it up while the kids stay clear.

Pick one or more of these to start this year:

• Memory cards. Each child writes or draws a favorite holiday memory and tucks it into a bin. Reading them is the first activity of decorating day.
• Note to your future selves. Put it in the first bin you’ll open next year.
• Special ornament box. Give each child a shoebox for the ornaments that matter most to them. It can go with them when they move out.
• A “last photo.” Snap a picture of favorite decorations before they go into storage.

With labeled bins and a job for every kid, next December starts with opening the right box instead of hunting for it. For more on keeping holiday decor safe around little ones, see childproof holiday decorating.

Holiday Decoration Storage FAQ

What is the best way to store Christmas lights?

Have an adult test and unplug each strand, then wind it onto a light reel or a piece of cardboard. Kids 6 and up can wind while an adult watches. Store them in a climate-controlled space, away from heat.

How do you store ornaments?

Use a divided ornament box, wrap each piece in tissue paper, and keep heirloom or glass ornaments in their own compartments handled by an adult.

How old should kids be to help?

A 3-year-old can match lids to bin colors and carry empty lids or bins with an adult, with no ornaments or small pieces. Ages 4–5 can also wrap sturdy soft items in tissue and sort large, unbreakable items by color. Kids 6 and up can wind tested, unplugged lights while an adult watches.

Where should you store holiday decorations?

A closet or conditioned room is best for lights and wreaths. Garages work for durable bins on shelves, and attics suit only sturdy, heat-proof items.

How do you organize holiday decorations in a small space?

Aim for one bin per holiday, use under-bed boxes for flat items, and keep only the current season’s bin easy to reach. Use a shared bin for small holidays like Valentine’s Day.

How do you store artificial trees?

Use the original box or a tree bag, and store the tree upright or on its side in a closet or on a garage shelf. An adult handles the tree and stand.