The holiday season is full of warmth, sparkle, and joyful chaos. Between shopping, decorating, and planning gatherings, it’s easy for spaces in your home to feel squeezed. That same energy that makes the season cheerful can also make your house feel cramped, especially when gifts and decorations start piling up. If your closets are already tight and every flat surface has something on it, November is the time to take action before the real rush begins.
Creating room for what’s coming doesn’t have to be a stressful project. Getting ahead of it with some practical organization can make a big difference. By being intentional with what stays, what goes, and what gets stored, you can avoid that overwhelmed feeling when the decorations come out and presents roll in. A home organizer helps you find space you didn’t think you had, and that’s a real gift in itself.
Decluttering Before The Holidays
Before adding anything new, you’ll want to make some space. The stuff that’s already there? A good portion of it probably isn’t adding value to your everyday life. Think about old toys, decor you no longer put out, or gadgets collecting dust. Taking time to go through those now means less shuffling things around in December.
An easy way to get started is by sticking to a simple 3-pile method:
– Keep: Items you use often and still love
– Donate: Items that are in good shape but no longer serve you
– Discard: Broken, outdated, or unusable items that can be thrown out or recycled
Focus on the areas that take the biggest hits during the holidays, like closets, living rooms, play spaces, and pantry shelves. For example, if you know your kitchen will be a hub during the holidays, clean off the counters and sort the drawers before the holiday baking begins. You’ll thank yourself later when things aren’t falling out every time you open a cabinet.
Old decorations from past seasons can take up a lot of room. If you find yourself skipping over that glittered centerpiece every year, it’s probably time to say goodbye. Outdated color schemes or broken lights shouldn’t keep a spot in storage. Let them go to make room for the styles and memories you enjoy today.
Start small, but stay steady. A small drawer today adds up. A cleared shelf tomorrow sets the stage for the tree next week. You don’t have to do the whole house at once, but you do need to start somewhere.
Maximizing Storage For Holiday Gifts
Once space has been cleared, it’s time to think about how to store holiday items smartly, especially gifts. Whether you’re hiding presents from curious kids or trying to organize gifts for others, storage solutions need to work harder during this season.
Here are some useful ideas to help create order without giving up too much space:
– Use storage bins labeled for each family member. This makes it easier to sort and wrap gifts ahead of time
– Consider multi-functional furniture like ottomans with lift-tops or benches with compartments to stash items out of view
– Look up. Vertical space, like shelves above door frames or stackable bins in closets, can hold a surprising amount
– Slide flat containers under beds or couches to hide extra supplies like ribbon, wrapping paper, or smaller gifts
Try grouping similar items together, especially if you shop early. Place kids’ gifts in one set of bins, adult presents in another, and store party supplies separately. Keeping things sorted reduces the chance of forgetting what you’ve already bought or wrapped.
Clear bins let you see what’s inside at a glance. If privacy is important, go for solid ones with labels so you’re still organized but everything’s out of sight. Either way, a bit of planning here can save tons of time and help avoid the last-minute scramble on Christmas Eve.
Organizing Holiday Decorations
Once your gifts are sorted and out of the way, it’s time to tackle the holiday decorations. These items often come out once a year but take up prime storage space year-round. Organizing them well now will make things easier not just for this season but for every one that follows.
Start by grouping decorations by category. Keep outdoor lights separate from indoor garland, tree ornaments away from wreaths, and so on. This cuts down on the digging and makes it faster to decorate when you’re ready. Store each group in its own labeled bin so that everything has a home and is easy to find. Clear containers are helpful if you want a quick peek at what’s inside, but solid bins with large labels work just as well.
Take advantage of storage space you don’t access daily. A guest room closet, a shelf in the garage, or the back of a laundry room cabinet could double as a storage spot for holiday décor. If you use seasonal bins, color-coding can help. Red and green for Christmas, orange for fall, and so on. That alone makes it easier when pulling things out or putting them back.
Ornaments tend to be fragile and oddly shaped. Instead of tossing them all in a big box, divide them up using dividers or smaller boxes that go inside a large bin. This protects the more delicate items and prevents accidental breakage. Light strands get tangled fast, so wrap them around a piece of cardboard or use a light reel before storing.
When you’re packing things back up at the end of the season, think ahead. What worked well, what didn’t? If you didn’t use it this year, ask yourself if it’s worth keeping. This is a good time to part with items that no longer match your style or feel like more chore than cheer.
Holiday Organization Maintenance Tips
Once decorations are out and gifts start collecting beneath the tree, it’s easy for messes to sneak in. Staying on top of it doesn’t have to mean a constant battle against clutter. With a few small habits, your space can stay calmer through the holiday season.
Here are a few ways to keep things running smoothly:
– Set a weekly reset. Pick a morning or evening once a week to tidy up shared spaces like the living room, kitchen counters, or entryway
– Use baskets or catchall trays for high-traffic areas. These can hold items that tend to scatter, like mail, keys, or holiday cards
– Assign temporary homes. If gifts start arriving early, give them a spot. That might be a shelf in the closet, a container under the bed, or even a covered bin in the laundry room
– Empty trash and recycling more often. With more packages, wrapping materials, and mail arriving, these fill up fast
– Keep a donate box nearby. As new gifts come in, identify older items you can pass along. This keeps things from piling up too quickly
Holiday routines already come with added layers like visitors, traveling, and special meals. Staying organized through small daily actions can keep your home from tipping into chaos. If you live with others, divide up tasks so everything doesn’t fall on one person. Even small help from kids, like tossing out trash or putting items in a basket, can make a difference.
Make Room for What Matters This Season
A holiday season with fewer messes and more intention feels lighter and more relaxed. When you walk into a kitchen that has space left on the counters or sit in a living room where everything has its place, it’s easier to actually enjoy what the season is about.
You’ve already taken the first big steps by decluttering early and rethinking how gifts and decorations are stored. By staying ahead of the buildup and adding a few quick habits to your weekly routine, you keep things manageable instead of stressful. Finding what you need and putting it away again becomes simple, freeing up time for the things that matter most.
Organizing ahead of the holidays doesn’t just clear your shelves, it clears your head. Whether you’re decorating with your kids, cooking for a group, or wrapping gifts late at night, having space around you helps bring a little more peace into your home. That’s a gift that stays long after the tree’s put away.
Wrapping up your holiday organization can create the peaceful and festive home you’ve envisioned. If you’re looking to optimize your space and keep everything tidy through the celebrations and beyond, consider working with a professional home organizer. Where Style Meets Order specializes in making spaces functional and inviting, ensuring you can focus more on enjoying the season with your loved ones.