The Smartest Way to Sort Ornaments at the End of the Season

How you put ornaments away matters way more than you think. Tossing them in a bin “for now” guarantees you’ll open it next year to a stressful mess. Sorting them with future-you in mind makes decorating so much easier.

Sort by Zone, Not Just by Type

Instead of keeping all balls together and all special ornaments together, sort by where they go:

• Main tree
• Kids’ tree or playroom
• Keepsake ornaments
• Tabletop tree or garland

Next year you can grab one box, finish a whole area, and move on without dragging every ornament you own into one room.

Protect the Fragile Ones First

Set aside anything glass, ceramic, or irreplaceable. Use cardboard dividers, saved ornament boxes, or cut-up shoe boxes to give each one its own little slot.

You don’t need fancy storage to keep them safe—layers of tissue, paper towels, or old napkins work fine as long as things aren’t clanking together.

Use Small Boxes Inside Big Bins

Big plastic tubs are great for hauling, but they’re not good at keeping things separated. Tuck shoe boxes, small cardboard boxes, or basket-style containers inside the main bin and label each one: “kids’ ornaments,” “red fillers,” “specials.”

That way you’re not digging through one huge jumble every time.

Label by Year or Season if It Helps You

If you rotate styles or themes, label a box with the “look” or the year you built it: “neutral tree,” “colorful tree,” or “2019 collection.” It sounds extra, but it helps you see what you actually still like and what you’ve outgrown.

Keep Hooks and Hangers Together

Nothing’s more annoying than having ornaments and no hooks. Put extra hooks, ribbon, and string in a small labeled container and keep it in the same bin as your main tree ornaments.

Next year, you’re not hunting in five places to hang one more ornament.