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Tinsel Tote

Odd-Shaped and Oversized Ornaments

The pieces you would actually miss are the ones a 3-inch grid has no answer for.

By Scooter M.Published Last verified

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The short answer

Merge bays for anything up to about 9 inches: four 3-inch slots make a 6-inch bay, nine make a 9-inch one. Above that, use the original box inside a rigid bin. Do not force an oversized piece into a 3-inch bay, and do not leave it loose in a carrier bag, which is what most people end up doing.

What counts as odd-shaped

Awkward ornament types and what each needs
TypeTypical sizeSlots if mergedBetter option
Finial / spire6-12 in tall6-9Original box, or a merged bay lying down
Tree topper9-18 inOut of scopeOriginal box in a rigid bin
Ceramic house or figure4-6 in4Merged bay, padded
Beaded or wire drop5-8 in long2-4Merged bay, laid flat
Projecting arm or wing4-8 in4Merged bay, one per bay
Framed or flat ornament4-6 in2-4Laid flat in a shallow layer

How merging bays actually works

The Simple Houseware box publishes 48 interlocking dividers with 7 slots each. Each divider drops into slots in the ones running the other way, so pulling one divider out joins two bays and pulling two joins four.

Plan it before you pack rather than during. Decide how many merged bays you need, build them at one end of the box, and keep the standard 3-inch grid at the other. Rebuilding the layout with the box half full is how dividers get bent.

Finials specifically

A finial is long, thin, top-heavy and usually glass, which is close to the worst combination for storage. Two approaches work.

Lay it down in a merged bay running the length of the box, with tissue under and beside it but not compressed over it. Or keep it in the fitted tube it came in, and put that tube in the bin with the rest of the hardware. What does not work is standing it upright in a bay it barely fits, because the weight is at the top and any tilt puts the whole load on one edge of the glass.

Toppers are their own problem

A tree topper is typically 9 to 18 inches, often lit, often the single most sentimental object in the box. No ornament storage system on the market is designed for it, and the honest answer is that it should not be in one.

Put it in its original box if you have it. If you do not, wrap it loosely in unprinted tissue, sit it in a rigid bin with soft items packed around but not on it, and note on the outside of the bin that the topper is in there. A 27-gallon Stacker publishes 18 7/8 inches of interior height, which stands most toppers upright — and standing upright is what a topper wants, because that is the orientation it was designed to bear its own weight in.

Ceramic villages are a separate category

If the awkward pieces are lit ceramic houses, you do not have an ornament storage problem, you have a village storage problem: dozens of pieces of wildly different sizes, each with a cord and a bulb. Divided containers still win, but the sizing is different and the cords change the packing order. See Christmas village storage.

Label the merged bays

Once a box has a non-uniform layout, it needs a note. A photograph taken before you close the lid is the fastest version; a strip of tape on the inside of the lid saying “finials, left end” is the durable one. Next December you will be unpacking in a hurry, and a forced repack is when the merged-bay pieces get damaged. General labeling method is on labeling so you find it next year.

What to buy for this

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

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.

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.

Questions people ask

How do you store a Christmas tree topper?
Separately, in its own rigid container, or in a merged bay of six to nine slots in an adjustable ornament box. A topper is the largest, most fragile and most irreplaceable ornament most households own, and it is also the one most often left loose in a bag because nothing fits it. Its original box, inside a rigid bin, is the best answer if you still have it.
What holds ornaments bigger than 3 inches?
An adjustable-divider box, where removing dividers merges four 3-inch bays into one 6-inch bay. A fixed-grid box has no mechanism for it. If the piece is larger than about 9 inches it is out of scope for any ornament box and belongs in a rigid bin with padding.
Can I store odd-shaped ornaments in their original boxes?
Yes, and it is usually the best option, because a fitted manufacturer box was molded around that exact shape. The rule is that those boxes then go inside a rigid bin rather than being stacked loose, because cardboard corners collapse under weight.

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