30 Oct Halloween Decoration Overload
Have you noticed the popularity of Halloween decorations has grown considerably? Halloween has become the second biggest decoration holiday next to Christmas, with Easter in third place and Valentine’s Day, the 4th of July, and St. Patrick’s Day following closely behind. It wasn’t always this way, but has become the new normal in the age of excess.
When I was a kid, holiday decorations were pretty minimal. Sure, there were those houses that went above and beyond, but most houses would have a few decorations on the door, some fake cobwebs in the bushes and a few jack-o-lanterns on the stoop. These days, more and more houses and lawns are overloaded with Halloween decorations, and families are really feeling the pressure to “keep up with the Jones’.” Of course the more decorated houses are festive and fun, but what happens when the holiday is over, and you’ve got numerous decorations to pack up and store for the next year?
As a Professional Organizer, I’m often helping families find more space in their garages, attics, and basements for minimally used items. While I can’t create space out of thin air, I can advise clients on how to use their space more efficiently, thereby finding better ways to store items and creating the illusion of more space. In all the houses I’ve worked in, I’ve come across boxes, bags and bins full of holiday decorations (many that are broken or don’t even work). It’s amazing what we hold onto and use only once a year!
Image courtesy of Sterilite: http://blog.sterilite.com/
Why do we do it? Well first, because holidays are fun. Second, how do you resist some of the cute holiday-themed items out there? Believe it or not, I used to fall prey to this too, but packing up and moving every few years really gets you to question what you own. Third, we’re conditioned to believe we have to be prepared for every situation, which has created a stockpile mentality for the majority of us. I’m not against decorations; I just would urge you to not go overboard, and to be more conscious of the items you have and use.
How do you keep holiday decorations under control? My advice would be to have 1-2 bins each (maximum) of Halloween and Easter decorations, and maybe 1 bin at most for the rest of the holidays. Be sure to label your bins, or even use color-coded bins to distinguish between holidays. Christmas is an exception; you might need more than 2 bins, but don’t go crazy. Think about the space that you have and try to keep within those limits.
Image courtesy of AtticMaxx: http://atticmaxx.com/
How do you store these items? I find it best to clean items before returning them to storage. Wrap items in a layer of tissue or newspaper and make sure to store them in a clean container with an airtight lid. I prefer bins because they are sturdy and easy to clean; also rodents are less likely to chew through them to nest. Sterilite makes a great assortment of storage bins and containers to choose from and AtticMaxx can help you create storage solutions in the tightest of spaces.
Want help packing and storing your holiday decorations? Let Me Organize It can help. We’ll gladly assist with dismantling, cleaning, protecting and storing your holiday decorations. Contact us to book a session soon!
Team LMOI wishes you and your family a happy, safe and spooky Halloween!
Roogna
Posted at 14:00h, 05 AugustXmas can get more than 2 bins, but you want to limit Halloween? Clearly, you don’t understand some people’s priorities. Our Halloween vastly outweighs our Xmas and we like it that way. Halloween is our favorite holiday, and we hope to increase the quality of our decorations for it (which probably means increasing quantity too). And that’s not counting all the wonderful decorations that are larger and don’t fit in totes or boxes (where are the organizational tips for those?). We use them ALL too (and don’t hold onto broken things). I appreciate organizational tips, but you basically shame people that have “too many” especially of non-Xmas decorations, and that’s just unprofessional.
Lauren Mang
Posted at 18:02h, 22 MayRoogna, I’m sorry if I came across as judgemental about Christmas vs. Halloween decorations. I have come across families – like yours – that favor Halloween over Christmas and do have more bins to store for that holiday. I didn’t mean to shame or make you feel judged. It’s just been my experience that Christmas tends to have so many decoration components that it is usually the largest category of “holiday” bins that I find in storage.
Organizational tips for storing items that don’t fit in bins: garbage bags, heavy duty contractor bags, clear mattress bags – these are all great for keeping dust and bugs/rodents (we have a rodent issue in my area) off odd-sized items. You could also look into garment bags, trunks, or even boxes if you are ok to store cardboard.
I appreciate your taking the time to comment and am sorry I didn’t respond before now. Thanks for reading and being honest with me – I so appreciate the feedback and will keep this in mind in the future.
Kelly Vail
Posted at 17:43h, 05 NovemberGreat ideas and suggestions.
I’ve made the mistake of taking all the Halloween decorations down and put it in our spare room. Now I need to go through everything and move it a second time into bins, with a third time to the storage area in the garage! I typically like keeping moving things around to a minimal, but this year I made a mistake.
Lauren Mang
Posted at 04:43h, 06 NovemberAs my parents taught me, mistakes are ok so long as we learn from them. Don’t be too hard on yourself. It sounds like you’ve learned from this year and you’ll do things differently next year. It’ll be more efficient to only touch them once (or twice, over three times), but I just noticed with a client that we put away certain Halloween decorations already, but the kids still have candy in their bags (which also go in the bin) AND she’s got autumn decorations that also go in the Halloween bin that won’t get put away until after Thanksgiving (when the Christmas decorations will come out). Bottom line: we’re all doing the best we can. If you can touch the bins just twice (once to get out; once to put away) then I think that will be more efficient. Let me know if I can help in any way. Thanks for stopping by, reading the blog, and sharing/engaging with me!