4 underbed storage containers will fit under the average queen size bed, smaller beds might only fit 2..they work really well for storing holiday ornaments, wreaths, etc.

artificial trees can go in the rafters in most garages if well sealed, real trees esp potted ones just go back outside..planted or as mulch and firewood.

best to keep any holiday dishes in the underbed totes with the decorations, they stay cleaner that way, and best to use gift bags rather than paper and bows, as they are generally nice enough to reuse..put any tags on the handle so they can be removed for reuse.

holiday linens can be packed around holiday dishes in the underbed totes too.

or use the really high up cabinets over frig for things that are too tall..

we have sent off all of our non LED lights to charities, as we no longer use them in our home, use only LED and flourescents most places to save on elec.

candles can obviously be used year around and also if you are careful of what you buy for holiday decorations you can also use them year around..try not to buy holiday specific..buy colorful items that would go with your house other season..

avoid holiday clothing..that is holiday specific..as well..as you only use it then..and it just sits the rest of the year..a couple pieces of holiday jewelry or accessories can dress it up to make it more festive.

Well, this is a good time to have a husband and wife discussion of your decorating philosophy and what's most important and how to compromise, if you aren't in sync. Just having a bigger house doesn't mean you have to now have a decoration for every table and stuff in every room. The magazine spreads kinda get the fever going, but it's a lot of work and storage.

If you really love holiday decorating, then go for it, and use various approaches--ronbre and others you can find--to get the most bang for buck and for storage.

But what I hear is, I know we will... and expectations of...(? an infant?).

For kicks, go to a few estate sales in which whole rooms of the peoples' homes have been taken hostage by Chrismas decorations (though if you have the space and enjoy it, of course you can have a "Christmas room"), and also you can see how tiresome and boring a lot of them are. Also gift decorations require thoughtful keeping or tossing--you know, which ones are truly sentimental favorites and which are not your taste and just not gonna be part of your scene.

This goes on forever with all of your household accumulations (toys, egads, can take over, with all the grands), so I suspect you will just live and learn as we all do or did. The main thing you want to try to keep in mind is, am I using and enjoying my things or are they using me and controlling how we live and what else we could do with our time and space?

On a more practical note, to your question, here are some ideas:
1--you may be using throw pillows. Nowadays, it's easy to find zipper covers. They cost a bit more to start, but you can then just have "the pillow" and a summer vs. winter covers that store flat and not too much space. NOT necessarily "Christmas" designs, but maybe, light floral vs. dark reds each for half of the year or so. To go even further, you could make them (if you sew) or do custom if it helps you get just the colors and patterns that make a difference. I have found good items at Target and Pottery Barn, though.

If you are a real Christmas-decor lover, and particularly if you like traditional Christmas colors, organize your home color scheme with basics that look good with those colors. One easy quick change scheme is background colors that look good with either rosy pinks and lighter greens or Christmas dark reds and greens. I have several rooms with wall colors and fabric colors in pale yellows or neutrals that work this way.

On that note--sure and it's grand to have the lilac and peuce Christmas tree color scheme, but traditional colors are lots easier to mix and match over the years. But don't let that stop you if you really want to have a pale blue and silver Christmas.
2) red (or any color) fabric ribbon can be used to decorate existing objects and then removed and rolled up.
3) Do you garden or have room for a number of shrubs? Plan for things you can cut and bring inside, then throw away. I cut hollies, camellias, evergreen ferns, nandina, collect pine cones, lots of things and supplement with small purchases of fresh flowers.
4)If your area gets in nice poinsettias at good prices, just plan to buy several each year and toss. They look great, especially several massed in a large room, festive and then are gone.
5) Table runners --as for entry chest or table--can store on a coat hanger. Again, maybe avoid happy santas, but go with color scheme. Same for table linens and china. Think basic white with a few red pieces, or vice versa--works for 3+ holidays in the year!
6) Focus some of your kitchen or dining acquisitions on things that look great all year but have holiday potential--put a few ornaments in a silver bowl, pine cones in a wooden bowl, or vice versa--going in whatever direction is your decor style.
7) books--you're going to be getting children's Christmas books--new and classics. You probably have some already. These (or some, if you keep some in baby's room) can be placed in a basket (used for something else), with a red bow, on the family room coffee table or by a reading chair, and voila, decoration.
8) Lots of things you can do with family photos that work yearround but can be collected or spiffed up for Christmas decor.
9) though you were asking about "small", big can be better, if fewer. A focal point in a room is better than lots of little things strewn about. But that's why to think of how you can use largish objects you use for other things the rest of the year.

When you do store stuff, you might try to organize according to some kind of --well--organization, because you may decorate in waves. Tree stuff, fireplace stuff, x room, or whatever, lets you do a project at a time and not necessarily all each year--don't have to pull everything out to find one thing.

As you can see, I'm not big on typical Christmas gew-gaws and try to avoid just what you mentioned, having lots of stuff I only use for one month--'cept of course I have typical ornaments, heirloom nativity set, and DO have some knick-knacks--but really like to focus on the colors that evoke Christmas and coziness, plus nature, with stuff I have, and I find that easier.

I had a friend that put her Christmas decorations in a china pack box, put a table cloth over it -- covering the whole box, got a plexi glass top, and use them as night stands in her guest bedroom. This was when we were stationed in London, and there was very little storage in the houses.

I thought it was brilliant!!!

I agree with Frankie. Decide now what your limits will be. Some people with very small children do not put up a tree - too dangerous. (Trees have been known to tip over.) The ornaments you are expecting the grandparents to buy are not likely to take up much room. (If you are worried, ask them to keep it small.)

We just have one bed, so I wouldn't want that precious storage area taken up by Christmas ornaments. Our under-bed boxes are filled with sweaters, long johns, etc. that we need but don't wear often.

A suggestion - find space in your attic, basement, or garage. Buy boxes that will fit the space. Agree to never buy more Christmas ornaments than will fit in the boxes. If you have an overflow, then toss some of the older stuff. Fresh greens can be cut, decorated with ribbon, and tossed in January.

Some people apply this principle to everything. We sort through our clothes nearly every year because we have limited space, and we know that other people would love to have the garments we no longer wear for whatever reason.

Enjoy your new house and new baby! Christmas should be low key at this point, as you want to focus on the baby. Those moments are too fleeting.

Minimal decorations the last few years. A wreath on the door with a sign "Merry Christmas" (not Happy Holidays/Seasons Greeting), a small tabletop tree with only my favorite special ornaments, and a manger set I've owned for years. Gifts to my relatives are some homemade cookies. Gifts only to our 2 daughters, no one else. It's a minimal Christmas this year, folks!

Christmas decorations (and Hallowe'en and others) fall into the category of stuff you don't need close at hand, so I would go to something like an old dresser or bin in the furthest corner of the basement for this. Or the atttic, or whatever you have that is available, but not necessarily easy to get to. I always do Christmas a bit by the skin of my teeth (sometimes stuff stays up till June, other years I don't get it up at all) but it works best when I have one big plastic bin in the basement that I haul out once a year and then throw things back into.

KarinL

Well, we have been completely restrained so far. We have a real tree, wreath on the door, and a decorated mantle. The only new purchase we made was a little, tiny christmas stocking. I never got around to putting lights up on the outside - maybe next year. I did buy 4 red bins for decorations etc that will fit easily in the attic.

However, the first grandparent arrives Saturday and we've already starting getting baby gifts in the mail. We told all of the extended family that we don't want to accumulate mountains of "stuff." They all seemed to understand, but I got the feeling that they all thought "their" gifts would be fine and everyone else should be restrained. Oh well, mountain of "stuff" here we come! I guess I'm just going to have to become great friends with the people down at the local Goodwill shop.

I agree on the pointsettias. Treat them as cut flowers. we get them at Home Depot for 99 cents each. Buy at least six, or more, and place them around our front hall/foyer area. Very pretty and festive. And we throw them out come January. I know it's "possible" but very tricky to keep a pointsettia alive for a year. And don't get teachers anything with "world's best teacher" on it. A gift certificate is much kinder. Or a letter to the school prioncipal telling how wonderful "best teacher" is. Trust me, my best friend is a grade school teacher and owns about 100 "best teacher" coffee mugs.And she doesn't even drink coffee!