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Tinsel Tote

The Pack-Down Checklist

Start at the top of the tree and finish with the labels. Two to three hours for a whole house, done once.

By Scooter M.Published Last verified

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The short answer

Two to three hours for a whole house if the containers are ready before you start. Work top-down: topper, ornaments, garland, lights, tree, room, labels. The last step — writing next year's list and putting it in the top bin — is the one that makes next January shorter than this one.

Before you start

Three things, all of which take five minutes and each of which saves half an hour.

  • Get every container out and open. Walking to the garage mid-pack for a bin you forgot is the single biggest time sink in this job.
  • Clear a floor space to sort on. You are going to make four piles of ornaments and you need somewhere to make them.
  • Two bags: rubbish, and replace. Dead strands and broken ornaments go in the first. Things you need more of next year go on a list in the second.

The checklist

  1. 1

    Topper off and packed

    Original box if you have it, otherwise loosely wrapped in unprinted tissue and into a rigid bin. Do this first, while you have space and patience.

  2. 2

    Ornaments from the top of the tree down

    Sort into four piles on the floor as you go: under 3 inches, 3 to 4, 4 to 6, over 6. Every hook comes off and goes in a small bag. Anything broken goes in the rubbish bag now rather than being stored and thrown away next year.

  3. 3

    Build the divider layout, then pack

    Merged bays for the large pieces at one end, standard grid at the other. One ornament per compartment. Photograph the finished layout on your phone before you close the lid.

  4. 4

    Garland and any ribbon off the tree

    Coil into a loose circle, tie in two or three places, lay flat. Never fold: the wire core keeps every crease you put in it.

  5. 5

    Lights, one strand at a time

    Plug each one in and check it before it comes off. Wind from the plug end onto its own reel under light even tension. Write the run and the length on the reel. Then start the next strand, not before.

  6. 6

    The tree

    Now that it is bare. Take it apart and measure the longest section, or fold the branches upward if it is going away assembled. Buy the bag against that measurement, not the tree's advertised height.

  7. 7

    Wreaths

    Bow off, tips shaken out, flat into a container five or six inches larger than the wreath. Hang the container if you have a hook.

  8. 8

    Wrapping paper and the wrapping kit

    Secure every loose end, rolls flat and parallel, bags flattened underneath, tape and scissors in a pocket, bows on top with nothing pressing.

  9. 9

    The rest of the room

    Mantel, table, stockings, candles, the nativity, cards. Group by room rather than by type, because that is how you will look for it in December.

  10. 10

    Outdoor, if it is dry

    Inflatables need a day of drying before they are packed, so start that early or leave this step for tomorrow. Exterior light strands the same.

  11. 11

    Label every container on its short end

    Three or four words, readable from the aisle. Not the lid, which is invisible in a stack.

  12. 12

    Stack: heaviest at the bottom, ornaments and wreaths on top

    And anything you might need before December where you can reach it without unstacking.

  13. 13

    Write next year's list and put it in the top bin

    What broke, what ran out, what did not fit, what you meant to buy. Next January you open the top bin and the list is the first thing you see.

What to buy before the afternoon starts

The one part of this that cannot be improvised is having the right containers. If you are buying, buy against these numbers rather than against a category name.

What to have ready before you start
ForBuy onTarget
The treeLongest section lengthBag length over your measurement plus 3-4 in
OrnamentsCompartment adjustabilityAdjustable dividers if your collection is mixed
LightsReels, not total capacityOne reel per strand
WreathsDiameter and depthContainer 5-6 in larger than the wreath
WrapInterior lengthOver 40 in if you own 40 in rolls
Everything elseInterior heightSized to the tallest item going in

The step everyone skips

Writing next year's list takes two minutes at the end of an afternoon when you least want to do anything else, and it is the highest-value thing on this page.

You are the only person who knows, right now, that the ornament box was too small, that two light strands are dead, that you ran out of tissue paper, and that the wreath came out flat because the container was the same size as the wreath. In eleven months you will not remember any of it.

Write it down, put it in the top bin, and next January starts with the answer instead of the problem. That is the same argument as the labeling system on labeling so you find it next year, and the full reference version of this method is at how to store holiday decorations.

What to buy for this

The products that answer the question above, with the manufacturer's published numbers and what each one costs you.

Sterilite 27 Gal. Stacker Tote

Sterilite publishes the inside dimensions as well as the outside: 20 1/8 by 14 1/8 by 18 7/8 inches. Interior height is the only figure that tells you whether a wreath box stands up in it.

Published specifications

Capacity
27 gallons (108 quarts)Sterilite product page
Outside dimensions
25 3/4" L x 18 3/8" W x 19 3/8" HSterilite product page
Inside dimensions
20 1/8" L x 14 1/8" W x 18 7/8" H at the bottomSterilite product page
Stacking
Deep recessed lid for secure stacking; the 10, 19 and 27 Gal bins share a lid size and stack in the same footprintSterilite product page

What it gets right

  • Published inside dimensions, which almost no bin maker gives you and which is the only number that answers 'will my ornament box fit'
  • Shared lid size across three capacities means a mixed stack keeps one footprint
  • 18 7/8 inches of interior height stands a 13-inch ornament box upright with room over it

What it costs you

  • The 5.5-inch gap between outside and inside length is real: 25 3/4 inches of shelf buys you 20 1/8 inches of usable space
  • 27 gallons of holiday decorations is heavier than most people should carry down a ladder

Do not buy it if: You are storing one category per bin and want to lift it alone. A 66 qt box is about two thirds the volume and a great deal easier to handle.

Simple Houseware Heavy-Duty Ornament Storage Box (128)

48 interlocking dividers with seven slots each. That is the only design here that lets you build a 6-inch bay for the finial without wasting the other 127 slots.

Published specifications

Box dimensions
25.5" L x 13" W x 13" HSimple Houseware listing, Amazon
Dividers
48 interlocking heavy-duty cardboard dividers, each with 7 slots, so compartments are adjustableSimple Houseware listing, Amazon
Default compartment
3" x 3" x 3"Simple Houseware listing, Amazon
Lid and handles
Dual-zippered fabric lid, reinforced handles with hook-and-loop wrapSimple Houseware listing, Amazon
Extra storage
2 rear pocketsSimple Houseware listing, Amazon

What it gets right

  • Adjustable slots are the whole game: pull two dividers and a 3-inch bay becomes a 9-inch bay for the tree topper
  • Published divider count and slot count, so you can work out your own layout before it arrives
  • Rear pockets take the hooks, which otherwise end up loose in the bottom scratching everything

What it costs you

  • Cardboard dividers, not plastic. They survive being lifted out, not being soaked
  • 13" of height means one layer of tall ornaments, not two stacked trays

Do not buy it if: Every ornament you own is a uniform 3-inch ball. The adjustability is the reason to buy this and you would not use it.

Zober 600D Oxford Large Christmas Tree Storage Bag (9 ft)

The longest published interior in the flat-bag class at 65 inches, which is the number that decides whether a disassembled 9-foot tree goes in without a fight.

Published specifications

Bag dimensions
65" L x 15" W x 30" HZober listing, Amazon
Material
600D Oxford fabricZober listing, Amazon
Load capacity
50 lbZober listing, Amazon
Closure
ZipperZober listing, Amazon
Tree fit as stated
Fits 9 ft artificial trees, disassembledZober listing, Amazon

What it gets right

  • 65 inches of published length is the most generous flat-bag figure we found, so a 60-inch center pole is not a problem
  • 600D Oxford is a stated fabric weight, not a vague durability claim
  • The 50 lb load figure is published, which most makers in this category do not do

What it costs you

  • No wheels, so at 30 inches tall and loaded it is an awkward two-person carry up a ladder
  • A 65-inch bag needs 65 inches of shelf, which rules out most closet shelves

Do not buy it if: Your storage space is a closet shelf under five feet wide, or you are moving the bag up a pull-down attic ladder alone.

Questions people ask

How long does it take to pack up Christmas decorations?
Two to three hours for a fully decorated house if you work in order and have the containers ready, and considerably longer if you are hunting for boxes halfway through. The single biggest time saving is having the containers on hand before you start, which is why this list begins with a shopping step rather than a packing one.
What should I do before I start packing up Christmas?
Get the containers out and open, clear a floor space to sort on, and put a bag for rubbish and a bag for things to replace next to you. Most of the delay in a pack-down is walking between rooms looking for something, and all three of those prevent it.
What should I throw away when packing up Christmas?
Dead light strands, broken ornaments you will not repair, crushed gift bags, and any container that failed this year. Storing something broken means moving it twice and throwing it away next December instead. Decide now, while you are looking at it.
What is the one thing people forget when packing Christmas away?
Labeling, and specifically labeling the short end of the container rather than the lid. A lid label is invisible in a stack. The second most forgotten thing is testing light strands before they go away, which turns a December evening into a January thirty seconds.

Sources