25 Easy Christmas Organizing Ideas for a Less Cluttered Holiday

Christmas has a stuff problem. The holiday begins with your normal amount of household stuff.

Then you add:

Boxes of decorations.

A tree.

Wrapping paper.

Gifts you've bought.

Gifts people give you.

Shipping boxes.

Christmas cards.

Extra food.

Serving dishes.

Coats.

Toys.

Ribbon.

Batteries.

And approximately 400 tiny pieces of packaging apparently designed to prevent a Barbie doll from escaping captivity.

By December 24, your house hasn't necessarily become disorganized.

It has simply been asked to absorb a small retail operation.

The answer isn't buying 27 matching Christmas storage bins.

It's giving holiday stuff somewhere to go before it starts spreading across every available surface.

Here are 25 easy ways to do exactly that.

1. Clear a Little Space Before Christmas Arrives

Before adding decorations, remove some everyday clutter. You don't need to declutter the whole house.

Concentrate on the places Christmas is about to occupy:

• Entry table
• Mantel
• Living-room surfaces
• Dining table
• Kitchen counters
• Guest room

Put away ordinary decorative items temporarily if needed. Christmas looks considerably better when it isn't layered over everything you already own.

Your ceramic reindeer shouldn't have to fight the family mail for territory.

2. Give Christmas a Landing Zone

Choose one place for incoming holiday items.

This might be:

• Part of a closet
• A shelf
• A corner of a spare room
• A few designated bins

Use it for things such as:

• Gifts
• Shipping boxes awaiting attention
• Wrapping supplies
• Party items
• Holiday purchases

Without a landing zone, Christmas distributes itself throughout the house.

A candle in the kitchen.

Gift in the bedroom.

Ribbon on the dining table.

Three Amazon boxes in the hallway.

And somewhere, a stocking stuffer you won't see again until February.

Contain the operation.

3. Keep All Unwrapped Gifts Together

Choose one gift-holding area. Put every gift you buy there until it's wrapped.

This prevents:

“I know I bought her something else.”

You probably did.

It's behind a suitcase in the hall closet because that seemed like an excellent hiding place on November 17. Keep gifts together.

If children are likely to investigate, choose somewhere appropriately secure.

4. Create a Wrapping Station

Gather your:

• Wrapping paper
• Gift bags
• Tissue
• Tape
• Scissors
• Tags
• Ribbon
• Pens

Put them in one location. A basket, drawer, bin, or portable container works perfectly well.

You do not need a Pinterest wrapping room. You need to know where the tape is. This is a much more achievable ambition.

5. Stop Buying Wrapping Paper Until You Check What You Own

Before buying holiday wrapping supplies, inspect last year's leftovers. You may discover:

Four rolls of paper.

Seventeen gift bags.

Enough tissue paper to open a boutique. And no tape.

This is why we check. Use existing supplies before adding more. The easiest thing to organize is the thing you didn't buy twice.

6. Put Gift Bags Back Into Circulation

Gift bags are Christmas workhorses. Reuse any that are still in good condition.

Store them:

• Flat
• Nested by size
• In one larger bag
• In a shallow bin

Keep tissue paper separately if that makes it easier to use.

You do not need 63 gift bags because “they're still good.” Keep a useful supply.

Release the bag with the glitter reindeer that's been shedding since 2014. It has served.

7. Wrap Gifts as You Buy Them

Don't wait until you've bought all the gifts. Wrap periodically throughout December. This has two advantages.

First, you don't face a wrapping marathon. Second, wrapped gifts are easier to identify as finished.

Label them immediately. An unlabeled wrapped gift isn't mysterious or festive. It is a future administrative problem.

8. Create a Spot for Gifts Going Out

9. Create a Spot for Gifts Coming In

Incoming gifts need somewhere to go, too. This is especially important if you have children.

Before Christmas, make some space in:

• Toy storage
• Closets
• Bookshelves
• Dressers

You don't have to conduct a brutal pre-Christmas purge.

Just create capacity. The house is about to receive stuff. Pretending otherwise does not reduce the volume.

10. Keep Shipping Boxes Under Control

11. Create a Returns Area

Holiday returns can linger for months because nobody knows where the receipt is, what store the item came from, or whether the return window has expired.

Designate one spot for:

• Items to return
• Receipts
• Return labels
• Packaging that must be retained

Deal with returns promptly.

Otherwise, the return pile eventually becomes household inventory.

And now you own it.

12. Give Christmas Cards One Home

13. Create a Holiday Mail Station

December brings more than cards. There may be:

• Invitations
• Shipping notices
• Gift receipts
• Coupons
• Event information
• School paperwork

Deal with important information immediately. Recycle obvious junk. Put actionable papers in one place.

Paper clutter thrives on the sentence:

“I'll deal with that later.”

December provides an unusually fertile growing season.

14. Corral Holiday Decorations by Area

As you decorate, group items according to where they go. For example:

Tree

Mantel

Dining room

Outdoor

Entry

This makes decorating easier now and storage easier later. It's much better than opening six boxes and discovering each contains:

One ornament.

A wreath hanger.

Three napkin rings.

And something electrical nobody can identify.

15. Keep Empty Decoration Boxes Together

Once decorations are out, don't scatter empty boxes throughout the garage, closets, and spare bedroom. Nest or stack them together if practical.

Then, when Christmas is over, you know where the storage containers are.

This sounds painfully obvious. January will reveal why it needed saying.

16. Don't Buy Storage Containers Yet

This is important. Do not decide in early December that the solution to holiday clutter is more storage bins. Wait until after Christmas.

First determine:

• What you're keeping
• What you're donating
• What's broken
• What you actually use
• How much storage you genuinely need

Then buy containers only if necessary. Buying storage before reducing the contents just puts the clutter in uniform. It does look impressive, though.

17. Give Decorations Defined Boundaries

Decide where Christmas decorations live. Perhaps:

• Three storage bins
• One shelving unit
• One closet section
• One defined garage area

When the storage area is full, that's information. It doesn't necessarily mean you need another shelving unit. It may mean the Christmas collection has reached capacity.

Boundaries make decisions considerably easier.

18. Keep Ornament Storage Simple

You don't need an elaborate system for every ornament. But fragile and sentimental ornaments deserve protection.

Separate as appropriate:

• Fragile ornaments
• Sentimental ornaments
• Everyday ornaments
• Children's ornaments

Use dividers, tissue, or purpose-made storage when genuinely useful. Label the container.

“Christmas Stuff” technically qualifies as a label. We can do better.

Disclosure: As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.

A practical storage option: A BALEINE Christmas Ornament Storage Box with Dividers keeps ornaments separated and protected, with adjustable compartments for different sizes.

It’s a useful option if your current system involves wrapping every ornament individually and hoping for the best.

19. Keep Tree Supplies Together

Store tree-related items as one category. For example:

• Tree stand
• Tree skirt
• Lights
• Extension cords used for the tree
• Ornament hooks
• Tree topper

If you use an artificial tree, keep its stand and necessary hardware with it.

Few holiday experiences are more character-building than owning a Christmas tree but being unable to locate the stand.

20. Create a Holiday Entertaining Zone

If you own holiday-specific serving pieces, keep them together. This might include:

• Platters
• Serving bowls
• Table linens
• Napkins
• Holiday glasses
• Special utensils

You don't necessarily need a dedicated cabinet. Just keep related items close together.

When guests are arriving in 45 minutes, you should not be conducting an archaeological excavation for the gravy boat.

21. Keep Seasonal Kitchen Items From Taking Over

Holiday mugs are charming. So are cookie tins. And serving trays. And novelty plates. Until the cabinets no longer close.

Use seasonal kitchen items during the season. But maintain a boundary. If the Christmas mug population increases every year, decide how many you actually use.

Nobody needs to establish a mug sanctuary.

22. Create a Christmas-Morning Cleanup Station

Before Christmas morning, prepare for what is about to happen.

Have designated bags or containers for:

• Trash
• Locally recyclable materials
• Reusable gift bags
• Ribbon worth keeping
• Packaging needed for returns

As gifts are opened, sort as you go.

This keeps the living room usable and prevents small gift parts from disappearing into wrapping-paper mountains.

Christmas morning generates debris with astonishing efficiency. Get ahead of it.

23. Give Every New Gift a Home

This is the step people skip. After Christmas, don't simply move new gifts from the living room to random locations.

Ask: Where will this actually live?

A new sweater needs closet or drawer space.

A new appliance needs cabinet space.

A new toy needs toy storage.

A new book needs shelf space.

If there's no room, something may need to move out.

The problem isn't that you received something new.

The problem begins when new things enter without anything else adjusting.

24. Declutter Decorations While You Put Them Away

January is the best time to edit Christmas decorations.

Why?

Because you just used them.

You know exactly what you:

• Loved
• Used
• Skipped
• Found broken
• Found annoying
• Forgot you owned
• Put out purely from guilt

Don't pack unwanted decorations away for another eleven months.

Donate appropriate items while they're still useful.

Discard broken items that aren't realistically repairable.

If you didn't want the singing Santa this year, storing him until next year is unlikely to improve the relationship.

25. Label Everything Before It Goes Back

When Christmas storage goes away, label containers specifically.

Better:

Tree Ornaments — Fragile

Outdoor Lights

Mantel + Stockings

Christmas Kitchen + Table

Wrapping Supplies

Less helpful:

XMAS

MISC

STUFF

You already know it's stuff. That's why it's in a box.

Tell Future You what kind.

The Five Christmas Clutter Hotspots

Christmas clutter tends to collect in predictable places.

Control these five and the entire house feels more organized.

1. Kitchen Counter

Mail, packages, food, and shopping bags arrive here.

Clear it daily.

2. Dining Table

Wrapping supplies and purchases migrate here. Give them another home.

Tables are surprisingly useful when you have them for eating.

3. Entryway

Coats, packages, bags, and shoes accumulate quickly.

Create defined landing areas.

4. Living Room

Decorations, gifts, and packaging all converge here.

Reset it for a few minutes each evening.

5. Guest Room

This becomes December's unofficial warehouse. If guests are coming, deal with it early.

Nothing motivates Christmas organization quite like discovering that Aunt Linda needs to sleep where you've stored 14 shopping bags.

A 30-Minute Christmas Organization Reset

If holiday stuff has begun taking over the house, set a timer for 30 minutes.

Minutes 0–5: Trash and recycling

Collect obvious packaging, junk mail, and trash.

Minutes 5–10: Gifts

Move all unwrapped gifts to the gift zone.

Minutes 10–15: Wrapping supplies

Gather paper, bags, ribbon, tape, and scissors.

Minutes 15–20: Decorations

Put unused decorations back with Christmas supplies.

Minutes 20–25: Paper

Deal with cards, receipts, and holiday mail.

Minutes 25–30: Main surfaces

Clear the dining table and kitchen counter.

Stop.

You don't need to organize the entire house. You just need Christmas to return to its assigned territory.

If You Only Organize Five Things Before Christmas

Short on time? Do these.

1. Gifts

One place for everything not yet given.

2. Wrapping supplies

One container.

3. Packages

Open and remove shipping boxes promptly.

4. Kitchen counter

Keep one major work surface clear.

5. Incoming gifts

Make room before Christmas morning.

These five solve a surprising amount of December chaos.

Don't Organize Christmas by Buying More Christmas Stuff

This deserves its own section. You do not automatically need:

Christmas wrapping organizer.

Christmas ornament organizer.

Christmas light organizer.

Christmas card organizer.

Christmas ribbon organizer.

Christmas wreath storage system.

Christmas mug rack.

Christmas cookie-cutter annex.

Some organizers are genuinely useful. But first use:

• Boxes you already have
• Bins you already own
• Drawers
• Shelves
• Bags
• Dividers
• Existing storage

Then solve actual problems.

Buying an organizer for every category is how organizing becomes another form of shopping.

And now you have to organize the organizers.

How to Store Christmas Decorations After the Holidays

When it's time to put Christmas away, don't attack the whole house at once. Work by category.

Step 1: Remove obvious trash

Broken hooks, dead batteries where appropriate for local disposal, damaged packaging, and things you're not keeping.

Step 2: Remove things you're donating

Don't pack them.

Step 3: Group like with like

Lights with lights.

Ornaments with ornaments.

Table linens with table linens.

Step 4: Protect fragile items

Wrap and separate as needed.

Step 5: Label containers

Be specific.

Step 6: Put frequently used items where they're reasonably accessible

You should not need mountaineering equipment next November to reach the tree stand.

The January Rule: Don't Store Decisions

January presents a wonderful temptation. You're tired of Christmas. You want the decorations gone.

So you throw everything into boxes and promise:

“I'll organize this next year.”

You will not.

Next year, you will open those boxes approximately 20 minutes before you want to decorate.

Make the decisions now.

Broken? Deal with it.

Don't like it? Donate it if appropriate.

Never use it? Question why you're storing it.

Needs repair? Either repair it or decide whether you realistically will.

Don't put unresolved decisions into a box and pay storage rent on them for eleven months.

Easy Christmas Organization Checklist

Before Decorating

•  Clear major surfaces
•  Decide where decorations will go
•  Group decorations by area
•  Keep empty boxes together

Gifts

•  Create gift-holding area
•  Separate outgoing gifts
•  Wrap regularly
•  Label immediately
•  Keep receipts together
•  Create return area

Wrapping

•  Check existing supplies
•  Gather everything in one place
•  Reuse gift bags
•  Keep scissors and tape with supplies
•  Don't buy duplicates unnecessarily

Packages and Paper

•  Open deliveries promptly
•  Break down unnecessary boxes
•  Keep return packaging only when needed
•  Give Christmas cards one home
•  Deal with holiday mail promptly

Christmas Morning

•  Prepare trash bag
•  Prepare recycling container
•  Collect reusable bags
•  Protect return packaging
•  Give new gifts homes

After Christmas

•  Remove broken decorations
•  Donate appropriate unwanted items
•  Group like items
•  Protect fragile items
•  Label storage clearly
•  Store by category
•  Don't store unresolved clutter

The Simplest Christmas Organization System

If all of this feels like too much, use this rule:

Everything Christmas needs a home.

Incoming gifts?

Home.

Wrapping paper?

Home.

Cards?

Home.

Decorations?

Home.

Shipping boxes?

Very temporary home.

When an object has a designated place, putting it away requires almost no decision.

When it doesn't, it lands on the nearest horizontal surface. That is how dining tables disappear.

The Bottom Line

Christmas creates clutter because it temporarily increases the amount of stuff moving through your house.

You don't need an elaborate organizational system to control it.

You need a few boundaries.

One place for gifts. One place for wrapping supplies. One place for cards. One place for returns.

Defined storage for decorations.

And enough empty space to absorb what's coming.

Most importantly, don't solve every Christmas organization problem by buying another container.

Reduce first. Group second. Store third.

Buy something only when you still have an actual storage problem to solve.

Then, when Christmas is over, don't simply cram everything back into boxes.

Use January's fresh memory to decide what deserves to come back next year.

Because the best Christmas organization system isn't the one with the prettiest labels.

It's the one that lets you find the tree stand.

Keep Going

For managing your calendar, gifts, meals, guests, and commitments, see How to Organize Holiday Life.

For simplifying Christmas as a whole, see Easy Christmas Holiday Tips.

If toys and gifts are about to overwhelm the children's rooms, use Organize Kids' Bedrooms for the Holidays.

And when Christmas is over, After-Holiday Cleaning will help you reset the house without simply moving the clutter into storage.