With the end of summer comes pumpkin spice, autumn foliage, plaid jackets, acorns, and other seasonal favorites. Not long after that, we transition to snowflakes, menorahs, Christmas lights, and more. The holidays will be just around the corner before we know it, so it’s time to dig out those storage trays filled with seasonal decorations!

If you love the holidays, you probably look forward to seeing all your favorite decorations each year (and maybe even adding to them). But packing and unpacking can be a nightmare if you don’t have a plan to keep everything organized. That’s where Maffucci Moving & Storage comes in with our unique moving services designed to make packing, storing, and unpacking your seasonal items a breeze. Unsure where to start? Don’t worry! The advice of Maffucci Moving & Storage has helped countless holiday fanatics get and stay organized.

What Do I Need to Get Organized?

Properly packing seasonal decorations is essential to ensure they stay safe and in peak condition year after year. Each holiday has countless decorations, like wreaths, garlands, window clings, lights, and more. But what works to pack one type won’t work for all of them. When packing tote trays until the start of the next season, it’s important to consider the material decorations are made of to protect them best.

For example, when packing fragile items such as glass ornaments or handwritten items, wrap them in bubble wrap or tissue paper. You could also use napkins or paper towels in a cinch if you run out of other materials. We recommend using boxes with dividers to keep them from hitting one another or egg cartons so they’re safely nestled and won’t be jostled. Consider filling empty spaces between decorations with packing peanuts or towels/potholders.

When packing holiday lights, tangles are your worst enemy. To prevent tangles, wrap them around cardboard or reuse the spool they came on (usually reserved for outside lights). To find them easily next year, put them in a clear container or ziplock bag.

What to Avoid When Packing and Storing Decorations

Unpacking seasonal decor is way more fun than packing it back up at the end of the season; we get that. However, taking the time to store it properly is important to prevent future self-irritators.

To avoid common packing and storage issues for decorations :

• Invest in plastic bins to protect from moisture, dust, and pests. Cardboard boxes, while cheaper, are more susceptible to collapsing and getting damaged.
• Place bins you use multiple times yearly in a spot for easy access. Place bins you only use once farther back.
• Neatly wrap lights and carefully pack decorations rather than pack in a hurry. Putting away things in a neater fashion than how you found them will make a difference when unpacking.

How to Sort Your Decorations

When you’re finally ready to sit down and sort through your decorations, you’ve got to have a plan. If you go in blindly, it’s easy to get overwhelmed when you’ve barely started the organization overhaul. We recommend beginning by evaluating your closet space to understand what can stay in the house and what needs to go up, up, and away (into your attic). After that, take inventory of all your decorations. Donate decorations you no longer use and make a pile of ones you’d like to keep that need repairs.

Other sorting tips include:

1. Grouping by holiday/season. Put Christmas, Halloween, Easter, Thanksgiving, etc., together so they’re easier to locate and unpack.
2. Clearly label boxes. Label each box with its holiday and contents to save time and energy. Try using different-colored bins corresponding to the season (red for Christmas, orange for Halloween, pink for Valentine’s Day, etc.).
3. Categorizing by type. Once you’ve found all the decorations for one holiday, separate them further by decoration type. For example, make one bin for your wooden decoration, one for resin, and one for towels, blankets, and pillows.
4. Paying attention to fragility. Remember to pay extra attention to breakables and handmade decorations. Pack them with plenty of cushions so they don’t get ruined.

Packing Outdoor and Oversized Decorations

Outdoor decorations are usually the hardest to store, thanks to their funny shapes and often unbendable materials. To prevent your outdoor and oversized holiday decor from getting damaged, take a look at our packing tips:

• Ensure inflatable decor is completely deflated and dry to avoid mold growth
• Don’t fold too tight to avoid damage
• Elevate them off the ground to stop moisture from affecting cords
• Cover oversized items with garbage bags to avoid paint damage
• Pack away from sharp edges
• Wind electrical cords up and store in a box together

Tips for Unpacking

The best way to ensure an easy unpacking one year is to pack it efficiently the year before. Luckily, if last year’s version of you didn’t get the memo, you get a redo this year. To simplify unpacking, read up on organizational strategies to streamline the process. Useful methods include:

• Keeping empty boxes easily accessible for when you’re ready to pack up. Tossing them around haphazardly will make a bigger mess than necessary.
• Separating seasonal decor from regular items in storage to avoid mixing them.
• Updating your inventory during the process.
• Taking pictures of everything in the bins before unloading to know how it goes back in.
• Writing notes and taping them to the bins about what goes where.
• Keeping a list of things that need to be replaced.

Optimized Storage Solutions

There’s nothing worse than getting excited to see your favorite seasonal items again, only to discover the box has been left in disarray. Optimizing how you store the decorations is critical to solving this problem. Especially if you’re planning a move before the holiday season, taking inventory and finding a safe, efficient packing method is the only way to ensure your decor stays in tip-top shape.

Store decorations in a cool, dry place without direct sunlight. Keeping them in sunlight for too long could cause them to deteriorate (other than outside decorations) and the color to fade. Even though your basement or attic has the most storage space, decorations will be damaged if it’s too moist and prone to extreme temperatures/pests. The best practice is to keep your decorations in a clean, climate-controlled environment.

Types of Storage Solutions

As we mentioned before, not all decorations can be stored similarly. For example, you can’t pack a snow globe like you can a plug-in jack-o-lantern. The former requires a lot more protective wrapping than the latter. Be sure to use the correct storage solution for the different types of decoration, such as:

• Tree bags for artificial Christmas trees
• Plastic boxes with original snow globe containers
• Wreath boxes, garment bags, or trash bags for wreaths
• Ornament totes with dividers for breakables
• Boxes with dividers and paper for dishes
• Vacuum-sealed bags for linens and fabric-based items

Once you’ve packed the boxes, consider the best way to store them. Generally speaking, uniform storage containers, such as bins of the same size and shape, are easier to stack and will save you space. This way, you can avoid boxes that stick out farther than others. We recommend installing coat racks or shelving along the walls to maximize your space.

Maffucci Moving & Storage – Helping with All Your Seasonal Storage Needs

Nothing says you’re ready for the holidays like a nicely decorated home. For it to get that way, you need to be able to see what you’ve got decoration-wise and what you’d still like to get. Choose a storage solution you can rely on to keep them looking their best.

Maffucci Moving & Storage understands how overwhelming it can be to find the best way to store your seasonal decorations. That’s why we offer a state-of-the-art storage facility that can preserve decor for years, allowing you a more enjoyable, smooth decorating experience.

Contact Maffucci Moving & Storage for a complimentary moving and storage estimate. Whether you’re in the early planning stages or prepared to move, our team offers personalized guidance and support to make your move as cost-effective as possible.