What comes to mind immediately, based on my ancient experience in inventory, is to create a grid system. It wouldn't have to be much more than taped letters/numbers on the wall and floor of the attic or closet used for storage. So the walls might have A,B,C,D,E spaced about two feet apart; the floor might have 1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8 spaced about two feet apart. Then you create a spreadsheet on the computer listing each item, and B4, or wherever it is located. The nice thing about using a spreadsheet application is that you can just randomly enter items, or add items, and then sort alphabetically to make it easier to use. You can also add fields such as where the item is used, and sort on those fields as well. Just an idea, probably worth exactly what you paid for it!

How about plastic bins with pictures of the vignette(s) taped to the outside...you will then have a ready reference of where in the room you put the items in the bin. You could also label them Fall, Spring,etc. to find them quickly. Bins could be stored on inexpensive metal shelving from HD along with larger items that don't fit in bins.

Out here where I live we don't have basements or attics, so storage is much more limited. We store most all of our seasonal decs in 32-gallon plastic storage bins stacked in a large closet out in our attached garage. I can understand your dilemma and have felt that way myself, but until I want to jettison the big bins and buy all smaller ones, I'm stuck. I have about 20 of these too-big bins at present. About 12 for Christmas, 1 Thanksgiving, 3 Halloween, 1 Autumn, 2 Easter and 1 for Summer decs.

Although we keep our Christmas decs up until the day after Twelfth Night, by New Year I'm getting tired of red & green so I've started switching my dinner table decs and dinnerware to my Winter ones which I'll use until mid or late March. Those are dark blue, silver and white. Many of those decs, like yours, are already in use someplace in the house for Christmas, but I gather them together now to use exclusively on my table.

OK, now that I've explained how I (stupidly) organized mine, here's my advice about a more practical, sane way of storing holiday decs: go with smaller than 32-gallon bins (LOL)!!!

That size is hard to carry by yourself, can get very heavy when fully loaded and doesn't give you the opportunity to keep things more separated. Maybe 20-gallon plastic bins. They're tough, have tight lids to keep out dampness, dust, bugs and mice and can be easily labeled. They can be stacked 5-6 high and, if all are the same brand and size, should stack safely and securely with no wobbling. And, at that size, they would probably be lightweight enough for you to carry and move around by yourself. There are semi-clear ones available now that make it easy to see what's in each one, if you'd like to go that route. My ultimate goal is to go with that size someday soon. Then I'll be able to separate my holiday and non-holiday-but-seasonal decs and also be able to access and switch them around more easily.

OMG, just thinking about the possibilities makes me want to head off to Wal-Mart this instant and just do it!
Lynn.

I have the big plastic bins in the garage, some on shelves, some just sitting on the floor here and there. Half of the stuff in them I don't even bother with anymore. My solution for the Christmas decorations was to purge. Then I bought much smaller bins too like lynn, combined items from two bins into one, placed a cupboard in the computer room, and fit them all in there. The few other seasonal decs I have are in baskets on shelves in another armoire.

I used to keep the tree out in the garage too. What a hassle to carry it out and up the porch steps every year (attached garage, but no door direct into house). Finally last year, I purged my coat closet off the living room to make room for the tree and slid the tree in there. Plus - left the garlands on it. So much easier and stress free.

I guess to answer your question - mine was to purge, cut back, keep only what I use most often. In fact this year I didn't even put that much out, so I will purge those items left in the bins.

Ive purged my Christmas decor, and have it all stored in the attic in bins. That stuff is totally Matha`d...sorted by type/color/theme, bins numbered & labled and I habe a corresponding notebook with inventory. I have all THAT under control.

Its all the other things that I can`t figure out. Do I group them by type (trays, candles, greenery), by season, by theme? Mamy are multi-functional or interchangeable. Obviously jack o`lanterns are Halloween, but curly willow stakes can be used in the spring. Its the interchangeable stuff I need help figuring out.

Those I 'd store by type. I think it would be easier to find what you need quickly that way. It would also be easier to store like things together. As it is, right now, my holiday greenery is getting crushed and I'm constantly worried that my ceramic pieces will get bumped and break. So, what size of bins are you using for the majority of your decorations?
Lynn

I agree that storing by type seems to make the most sense for seasonally generic items. I have the huge bins for large Christmas items, but I use smaller semi-clear bins for other items. I love the clear bins because I can see what's in them without reading the label.

I have a box/bin for each change. Some times the change happens monthly, most times it happens more seasonally--and I have more than one bin then. All bins are labeled on the outside so I can find them easily. "Spring/Easter/Summer etc." There is at times overlap and that is dealt with as it happens. I can always go back and tuck in one more thing into the box where next I would first want to see it the following year. The upside of all this change is I have my hands on all my accessories twice a year. I give them a look over and decide if I am done with them, if I need to replace or just reduce. My base is only so big so when I find some fun treasure in my travels it goes in a catch all waiting box until that season appears then as I unpack I usually find something to discard so my boxes of kitch have decreased more than increased over the years. I find changing the smalls out not only adds to a festiveness in the house it makes looking at the same old furniture year after year bearable.

If you are keeping the seasonal stuff sorted by season or holiday (Halloween, Christmas, winter, summer) then I'd store the rest of the things by type--vases, trays, candles. I think that would work if you want to start mixing and matching things. You'd know you want a vase, for example, and then you could go and look at all the vases in one place.

If that doesn't work for you, maybe by color?

Clear boxes in appropriate sizes, ziploks, labels, and color-coding.

Season, type, color,

Use clear bins in sizes appropriate to what you're storing. I sort within the box, too. Eg., each beaded garland gets its own ziplok in a clear shoebox so I can see them all on the shelf, but they don't get tangled. I also label the bins with season/holiday if appropriate, and color or vignette type of stuff. I also color-code the labels (just a half-piece of paper taped to the inside), Red sharpie for Christmas, Yellow for Spring, etc. Can you tell I'm visually-oriented?! Kind of double-triple-jogs my mind for ideas when I'm putting something together. You can also take pictures of your vignettes for tips for the next time.

Those Big Bags and 2.5-gallon ziploks are good for things like trays that might be hard to access in a box, but you want to keep dust-free on a shelf.

Oh, great idea about the big bags and ziplocks! Some things you just can't put in a bin. I'm trying to find places to stash a lot of my decor items in the house rather than in the shed-I've got several cubbies in the china cabinet and other storage furniture. I'm hoping to clear out a cupboard for the interchangeable stuff.

Lynn, I use 18 gallon Sterelite. I chose the colored bins, because they tend to hold up longer, and Sterelite because their shape is best for me. The 18 gallon are an easy size to manage, I can lift those myself. I do have a couple larger that stash the long/big things.

Every bin has been numbered 1of 9, 2 of 9, etc and I have a corresponding list I keep in my 'home' notebook. That way I can tell DH (or whoever is brave enough to get up in that attic) I need boxes 4, 6 and 7-since those contain the theme or colors I want to use. The lables are just duct tape, so I can change the numbers if (when) I add more bins.

I also have dedicated wreath boxes and wrapping paper containers-also labled/numbered and corresponded. I admit, i have an obsession with storage boxes! I just bought some more to replace a couple of clear large bins that have cracked-another reason I use the colored-they last longer. I discovered that Sterelite has a tray insert this year for the 18 gallon bins-perfect to hold that small stuff!

I like the sorting by item and then color-I see another visit coming up to a local chain store that has a great selection of storage bins. I don't like the container store-but the dollar store has a pretty good selection if you're not picky about color. Baskets and tubs and bins-oh my!

OMG, Pesky, it's all your fault . . . and thank you!!! You've inspired me and because of it, I found a great deal on Walmart.com for 18 gallon Rubbermaid Roughneck storage bins. One dozen/ $99! That is a huge savings and so . . . I went a bit crazy and just ordered 24 of those bins (2 orders of 12). There is also free shipping on them.

My poor DH is probably going to initially flip out, but in the end he'll see that this is a good thing. We're strong and healthy but we're both in our sixties now and neither one of us needs to risk injuring ourselves lifting and hauling the big 30 (32?) gallon bins we now use. They'll be delivered on January 6th, just in time for me to pack away my Christmas things after Twelfth Night. I'll then repack my Autumn, Thanksgiving and Halloween decs in the remaining (18-gal) bins. It will be a relief to have everything stored in bins that I can carry myself and not have to wait until DH is home from work and in the mood for some heavy lifting.

I'll put the 30-gallon bins to use storing things we don't use that much (camping equipment) or are storing for our kids out in the main part of our attached garage, as they do stack nicely. Like you, I LOVE keeping my things organized.

I am so happy you started this thread and got me motivated to make this big change now, before I packed away everything once again in those huge bins. Thanks!
Lynn

I love those large ziplocks! I had one left, and I put all of my Christmas sprays, silk flowers, & bottle brush trees in them.

Kind of on topic, but I finally ran out of room in my table linen drawer so I stored all the the tablecloths etc., in one of those ziplocks.

I bought those inexpensive media boxes from ikea, the cardboard ones with the labels. They come in all different sizes. They fit perfectly in upper cabinets and the larger ones fit great in lower cabinets.

I have them in different sizes in cabinets in my laundry room. One has votive candles, one has tapers, one has vase fillers, etc. The large vases and candle holders and other decorative items I have stored just on other shelves in the same cabinet. It makes it easy to see where everything is and I don't have to hunt. My MIL has a similar system in a spare closet where she put a bookcase against one wall. The boxes fit perfectly on a standard bookcase.

Very large season/holiday specific things I store in bins in our storage room. These are bins I take out once a year and put back once a year. I don't keep anything in these bins that can be used for multiple seasons or holidays.

I've just started the storage bin thingy. Taking all my décor out of mildewy cardboard boxes and placing into mostly clear bins.

The large red bins, seen in this photo of my new climate controlled storage room, house my Santa collection. The red and green fabric boxes hold my ball ornaments. I have a new larger box on order.

The rest of the storage is in see-thru bins. I tried to put items from one area in each bin. Examples: Dining room table décor, mantle, back stairwell, etc.

I'm about ready to head to bed so I didn't read everyone's comments so I hope this wasn't already said.... what about using plastic pull out drawers for the small light weight items like candle sticks and other decor that works for many different seasons/holidays?

Justgotabe-that is a really good idea! I have one of those in my storage shed that i need to empty out and I could us that for some things.

Lynn...that is a great deal! You will like the 18 gallon size-it's so much more convenient-doesn't hold as much, but it's a lot easier to deal with.

Newhome-I'm jealous-a climate control storage! Be still my heart! I'm just lucky that my storage has a skylight-but it's certainly not climate controlled.

I use the 64 gallon bins that look like newhomes red bins.They have the locking handles on them.I also save and use remnants of quilt batting left overs from quilts to wrap things in before putting into the bi n s,also lots of papertowels,and plastic bags.

Another good thing to buy is those large decorative plastic bags they sell for big gifts to hold bigger things,like a tree i made from a tomato cage.The big tree i had came with it's.own big long zippered bag,i gave that one to my dil after xmas 2012,as i knew i would never use that one again,and she needed a new one.

All of my bins are marked in big black letters as to what is in them,ie,santas,snowmen,spring,fall etc.

My very best and most fragile ornaments are stored in large decorative boxes in the closet of my sewing room,and i have a note in those boxes as to who gets them when i pass from this world.

All the lights and greenery are in their own separate bins.
Kathi

justgotabme - That's a wonderful idea. I think there is one under my guestroom sink that my daughter stored make-up in when she lived here 5 years ago. It would fit perfectly under my middle shelving unit. I had planned to buy some smaller clear bins to slide in and out of the wire units to hold candles, holders, etc....and still will, as I have a lot of smaller items to store. I have a whole other table to use for seasonal storage. I already have my Thanksgiving and Mercury glass bins (blue and white) stuck in the corner. This winter, I will clean out my laundry room where my candles, containers, rocks, etc. are currently being stored and move to the storage shelves.

kathi_mdgd - I love the idea of using batting. I have some of that from past projects. I used a lot of bubble wrap and packing paper. My Santa storage containers have liquor box inserts inside. Of course, if we were to make a move, I would have to pack everything a bit more carefully.

I would like to see your tomato cage tree and hear how you made it. :)

pesky1 - The climate controlled rooms are in my basement. Two areas at the bottom of the stairs (and the stairs) were finished off in our full basement. We didn't need any more room in the house, but I was tired of going down those wobbly stairs and sifting through dusty boxes to find my décor items.

It started out that one area would be finished off for my Christmas storage, then we opened up another area. They are not large areas, but we designed them around a support beam in the basement and have also left room for future owners to expand. The two sets of double doors open to large unfinished areas. One area is plumbed for a kitchenette, and then a bathroom with bedroom space beyond (with a large double window.) The other area consist of three large areas for a family room, theatre room and another bedroom if needed. A hallway leads from these to a one car garage. There is also a fallout shelter tucked under our screened porch. All concrete.

In the 7 years that we have lived in "our new home", the children have moved in and out and left things along the way. We have had relatives that have passed away and the children picked out furniture items for future homes. Guess who gets stuck with it in the meantime? Those items are now stored in climate control.

My husband came up with the idea to included the large openings with doors. I was against it at first, but now see their usefulness. When moving furniture in and out of those openings, it is a cinch! And all future owners need to do is remove the doors and case them out to expand further.

Here's a link to my storage room photos. Password is "storage". Click on each photo or watch slideshow to view photos in full.

Here is a link that might be useful: The Department Store - as we call it

This post was edited by newhomebuilder on Thu, Jan 2, 14 at 12:49

What has worked for me and granted I still have way too much stuff is the token plastic bins labeled Christmas, Easter, specifically spring, etc. that are stored in the attic.

In the attached garage I use Carlo Rossi wine boxes that are made to hold 4 gallon jugs. They are sturdy and stack perfectly. I can still lug them even when full. These boxes are labeled by color: red, cobalt blue, browns, greens, etc. I can get to them easily as they are used for monthly changing of the hutch top and mantel mostly. I really need to get a life.

Newhomebuilder: what wonderful storage! I am so envious of it, as our homes out here don't have basements. The huge boulders in the ground that would make excavating extremely expensive. We don't have attics either, although I'm not sure why. Packrats, probably. We have a 3-car attached garage, with the third part taken up by a large walk-in closet that we use for storage. Three-quarters of it for storage bins and the rest cedar closet for out-of-season clothes storage. Many of my friends think our storage is great. Compared to yours, it's pitiful (LOL). I love that yours is also climate-controlled. Thanks for sharing the pics.
Lynn

I don't want anyone to think I am advertising because I have no connection to this product except that I discovered it last year and fell in love. It's called Neat Roll and it's a fabric covered bendy thing that you put around an opened roll of paper to keep it from unrolling. I found it at Container Store, but it's cheaper to order directly from the web site.

We store our gift wrap rolls standing on end in a bin. I have tried using rubber bands, ribbon ties, etc. to keep the rolls neatly closed, but this little device works better than anything I devised because it doesn't crease the paper. Depending on how you store your rolls, you can use one in the middle of the roll or one on each end of the roll.

Anyway, just wanted to share. The web site is neatroll.com if you are interested.

lynn ~~ I can't find 18 gallon Rubbermaid roughnecks at Walmart.com at $99 a dozen ~~ what am I doing wrong? ~~~ HELP ~~ sound like a great deal ~~

ahh ~ maybe I found them (?) but... but... they aren't clear ~~

Pesky and Newhomebuilder, I'm glad you liked that idea. I have quite a few of various sizes of drawer bins using them for all sorts of things from desk supplies, printer paper, yarn, fabric and so on.
Oh and if you have fabric on bolts now is the time to buy the tall wrapping paper containers to store them in. I have at least a half dozen of them.
Here's sort of what my Christmas storage looks like. This photo was taken while in the process of reorganizing our basement which is why it's still a mess. I've since put the smaller trees in plastic containers and have most of rest better organized as this was taken to show the Christmas storage on the top shelf. Some of the red and green containers have my folks stuff in them which is why they don't have an itemized label on them. I'm still working on that a little each year. No progress was made this year as I spent most of the month of December in either Northern Cali or Hawaii so I didn't decorate our home.

lynninnewmexico - We had/have boulders in our area. Since we bought the house under construction, I am not sure how many they had to blast away. My garage is a mess. We have kids things stored in it, also.

Fun2BHere - Those are neat. Thanks for sharing. Reminds me of the snap bracelets that my kids had in elementary school.

justgotabme - Your storage reminds me of a neighbors basement. She bought heavy duty tarps in brown, and hung them by hooks to the rafters. The tarps disguised the storage shelves. Made everything look neater when coming into the basement. I had planned to do the same thing - even bought the tarps - when we instead decided to finish off the basement storage areas.

MHB, I love the idea of tarps. Thank you so much !
For us it wouldn't be so much to hide the storage, but to protect it from saw dust as our wood work shop is in this room. We planned on finishing the basement into a dinner/pool hall after moving in, but the kids wound up serving their country instead of living at home while going to college in near by Omaha. Since we were/are doing all the wood floors and wood trim we felt using the basement instead of the garage for the shop was a better idea. We probably have enough tarps in the garage to use to cover these shelves up. Again thank you so much!

I'm an organizing freak. LOVE organizing. It's a sickness. lol

Our DISH room, as we call it since our DISH TV equipment is located in that room has HVAC. DH also calls it our own Hobby Lobby since the fall and Christmas greenery/wreaths are hanging on two walls. We started using the Rubbermaid shelves (and the like - Home Depot sells sets now I like even more since they are deeper) in our last home. Took them apart and brought with us! I usually add an extra shelf than what comes in one package.

I have many Rubbermaid containers that are probably 15 years old. The newest storage containers I saw at OfficeMax when they were on sale. They come in many sizes, clear and have snap closures on each end that don't come off (like some in the past). They are by Iris - will link below.

I've also been using the plastic storage drawers for years. Examples are for extra switches, plugs and covers. Wire. Electrical/extension cords. Extra tools, screws and nails I don't want weighing down my tool drawer in the laundry room. Sponge brushes. Paint brushes, unused. I bought a semi-small tool/screw drawer thingamajig to store sewing supplies.

We have a very large, tall ceiling storage room under our stairway. It also has HVAC. There I store the keep boxes (three children), their dolls/toys, Christmas ornaments that are wood or fabric, and some fragile. Sewing supplies. I also store extra/leftover fabric in the plastic drawers.

Did I say how much I LOVE to organize!? ;D

Pesky, I would group like things together on shelves (candlesticks, candles, vases, etc) so that you can see them all and use throughout the year. Specific holiday items could be in labeled boxes.

Here is a link that might be useful: Iris storage containers

This post was edited by allison0704 on Thu, Jan 2, 14 at 17:00

justgotabme - You are welcome!

Oh, I just remembered a second clear drawer holder that I use to have all my computer stuff in. I don't think there is a thing I need from it today. I'll dig that out when I can remember where I put it! :)

Lefleur1: the ones I ordered weren't clear, they're blue. I didn't want clear anyway. Sorry if I confused you. Did you find the set I bought? I just checked and they're still available 12/$99 with free shipping. I got an email this morning telling me that mine are on their way and will be arriving on Monday, January 6th.
Let me know if you need a link to the site.
Lynn

Newhome builder'
When I get a chance,i'll try to remember to look for pictures of the tomato cage tree.I made it in the mid to late 90's when I worked in a fabric store and we were decorating for Christmas and I got the idea.Luckily we were next door to Armstrong garden center so I went over there and got a tomato cage,twirled the top parts together to form a point for a topper,than I used the green artificial garland that we got in that year as part of our craft sale stuff,and wrapped it all around the frame to make it look like a tree and decorated it with lights,and mini ornaments that we also got in that year,and lots of ribbon bows,and papertwist angels.

We used it for 2 years In a row then the store started selling artificial trees and upped the craft dept so I brought the tree home and used it here.

One year for myself I also made a tree for the bathroom using one of the small,about a foot,foot & a half artificial trees that I cut a circle for,filled it with unpopped popcorn,hot glued the tree down into that and brought the sides up,tied a ribbon around it so it looked like a sack.Then I decorated it with mini rolls of toilet paper made from toothpicks and strips of Kleenex,also cut q-tips in 1/2,and with a dab of hot glue applied those,miniature lights,and some glass looking plastic beads,and some tinsel.Looked cute.I still have the tree in the shed,but havn't used it the last couple years,but need to fluff it up a bit before using it again.Topped it with a red good size ball off a pony tail holder.
Kathi

NHB I hope you find it.

I'm just loving all these storage stories! I have organized my craft room/office to the nth degree with every kind of organizational tool. I even have some of those boxes that Golddust showed.

I have to share the garage with DH-he runs his statuary stuff out of there, so I don't have much storage room. I do use the small plastic containers for painting supplies and various home improvement project supplies-one is electrical so anything related, including switch plates, cords or electric tape goes in there. Plumbing holds anything related to plumbing. I scored on some small parts bins from a hardware store years ago, so I divided up all those little things that clutter up tool boxes into those.

I have a 12X10 storage shed that is dedicated to MY storage-I can store the extra card tables & chairs, furniture I want to redo, and my home decor stuff out there. Currently, it's full of the wedding decor from DD's wedding-and pieces of furniture she wants for their own place when they move. So until it's all cleared out, I can't redo it to be my dream storage (shelves and drawers and bins, oh my!). I do get to store my Christmas decor in the attic over the garage, tho. The boxes only come out once a year-so it works well and I ONLY keep Christmas items in those bins.

I have a 3 car garage, but when one door is open, you can see the complete space. All my bins and assortment of furniture waiting to be painted is in the 3rd garage~since that door is never opened, the track isn't used. I purchased six 8' shutters from Habitat for Humanity for $20, and with zip ties, secured them to the track, first putting 2 screw eyes in the top end of each shutter. I love the fact that my 'stuff' can't be seen, and I can also work on a project in privacy. Making a 'draw drape' out of a drop cloth would be another idea. Make several slits in the drop cloth, insert a zip tie, secure around the track, and you're set. My 3 favorite things that i can't live w/o are my glue gun, Velcro, and zip ties! ;)

kathi_mdgd - You sound way craftier than me! The t. cage tree sounds lovely.

justgotabme - I found it, but then realized the one under the bathroom sink is missing. Now what did I do with that?

pesky1 - I hear you with the wedding storage and furniture! My sewing room has been taken over with the past wedding décor.

patty cakes - Funny! I also work out of my 3rd garage bay. I keep the door closed and open another. That way, I cannot be seen from the street. However, my husband has sworn me off spray painting in there after I accidently painted the car last summer. oooops!

Did y'all know that slightly dampened green florist clay takes off spray spatters from the car? It's also good for tar, bird poop and bugs. :)

NHB, I feel for you. My memory is not what it used to be and I'm always losing things I'm sure I "know" where they are. Or like the Packer Jersey I bought for our granddaughter that lives in Hawaii and whose Daddy is a Raiders fan. I was sure I remembered going to the post office and mailed it before I left for Cali the first of December and it had not arrived by the time we did in Hawaii the Sunday before Christmas. This morning as I was moving the bar stools to sweep and mop the kitchen floor there was the bag from Target with the extra Kashi Granola bars I meant to take with me to Cali and the Packer jersey. Guess I'll be making a trip to the post office later today to mail it. I wonder what I mailed when I thought I mailed the jersey as I remember the conversation I had with the postal clerk. LOL

My hubby and I have been talking about building an extra three car garage with a studio loft for all my sewing, crafts and wood working projects, but have yet to find the plan or someone to build it, as he hasn't the time now that he's traveling again. Our two car garage and most of a room in our basement is fill with old furniture I've purchased waiting to be refinished. The problem is I've no room to work on it! Another reason to hire a maid so I can have time to organize the wood work shop in the basement. Hubby has finally realized we needed and bought storage cabinets for the rest of the woodworking tools. We've not had the time to get down there together and work though. Maybe today when he gets home from his hair cut. Yep. I bet he'll agree too.

I have a huge loft above my laundry room that I found out was totally empty about a year ago. My "storage solution" was to take all of the linens out of my son's closets and put them in those huge bags you vacuum out the air from to make them smaller, then pitch them over the edge of the loft.

This is not an ideal storage plan....reading this thread has inspired me to perhaps visit the tomb of unused linens (cuz once pitched up there they haven't come back down) and organize it a bit. It would be a great place to store some of the extra decor that isn't specific to halloween and christmas.

I do have the good fortune to have huge eaves in the house where I store the holidays. For those items I store they by type (one eve holds all of the trees...which might be a challenge this year because I added another dozen LOL) Then another eave holds the ornaments which are stored based on the tree they go on. I store the "decor" based on theme (so peacock is one theme and is stored and labeled as such to be used in which ever room I want to go cocky with for the year) and the same holds for halloween (in another eave) with the skull room, spider, etc.

One thing I have learned is to NOT store all of the candles in one bin. Even the small bins get heavy as heck when filled with candles!

Now where do ya'll store the dead bodies? :p

justgotobme - I am 56 and have been doing things like forgetting gifts since the children were little.

igloochic - Oh my goodness...you must really decorate! That's a lot of stuff to store.

newhomebuilder, I'm 57 and though my memory has been fading for years I still find it hard to deal with. My son joked with me the other day when I walked into his room telling him that I'd found another Christmas gift for him, saying that Christmas has become a week long thing around here anymore. Anything I buy early gets set aside and forgotten. Luckily I don't have to hide them very well as at 31 one he no longer is curious. These were hid practically in plain site so he'd seen them, books, but thought they were his Dad's.
I do hide his 6 year old son's gifts because he does like to snoop. Grampa and I caught him in our room not long after I told the little guy not to go in there because we had his gifts out. He felt so bad and said he'd not do it again. He's really such a sweet boy, the temptation I put forth was just too much for him.

I have bought a mini storage unit at my home. I keep all the things that are not frequently used in this storage unit. Earlier I used to keep them in our outhouse after placing them in a cardboard. But now we have our cat residing there with her family so we can't keep it there. And so last year I bought this unit from Jiffy Self Storage.