What to throw and what to keep when storing your holiday gear

Storage units allow you to pack away all the holiday gear you are not currently using, freeing up room in your house after the holidays are over. As many of us know, this list of gear can keep growing as we add to the collection–more inflatables, anyone– or are gifted more things. Year after year, it may even start to take over.

No worries, though. You can always get another storage unit. Or you can pare down what you have. If you’re going for the 2nd option and looking to manage your collection, here are some storage tips to help you figure out what to throw and what to keep when storing your holiday gear.

It’s natural to go through a cycle of really liking something only to have the feeling fade. Learning to recognize when the balance has tipped will help you decide when to let something go. If you have decorations you haven’t put up in a while, or Christmas sweaters you haven’t worn, lawn ornaments that never come out of storage, you can let those items go.

If you have replaced older things with newer, cooler ones, get rid of the old ones. For instance, LED lights have pushed out the older style of lights. Holiday gear showing signs of wear can also go. Sad, worn decorations don’t evoke the holiday spirit anymore so don’t keep them. Anything that’s been damaged and is beyond further repair can be tossed. 

Of course, if something holds a great amount of sentimental value, there’s no reason to get rid of it. Those things can be stored for as long as you like.

Hopefully these tips will help you manage your storage unit so you can quickly and easily rotate holiday gear–and other possessions–as needed.