What to Pack Away First When You Start Undecorating Christmas
Inside: If taking down your Christmas decor feels overwhelming, this simple order for undecorating will help you know exactly what to pack away first, and why it works.
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There’s a very specific moment that happens every year right after Christmas. Life starts to slow down and suddenly all the holiday abundance and sparkle feels a little less magical, and a lot more like clutter.
Christmas decorations almost always come down much faster than they go up. So why do we dread it so much? For me, it’s not the actual undecorating that feels overwhelming. It’s the mess, the plastic bins strewn all over, and the feeling that everything is everywhere all at once.
The good news is that there really is an order that helps make undecorating easier, faster, and less chaotic! When you have a simple system, the whole process feels more manageable (and even a little satisfying).
Why the Order Matters When Taking Down Christmas Decorations.
Before jumping right into what to pack away first, it helps to understand why the order matters at all. I’ve learned that undecorating goes much more smoothly when you:
- Remove small visual clutter first
- Clear tabletop surfaces before tackling larger decor
- Save the most emotional pieces for when you’re not hurried or tired
- Prevent decor from piling up as you go
- See progress early, which makes the rest feel easier
This is why I don’t start with the tree. Taking it down first usually creates more mess, more emotion, and more chaos than necessary. When I leave it for last, everything else feels calmer and more manageable.
What to Pack Away First When Undecorating Christmas.
1. Decorative Accessories and Small Accents.
I always start with the holiday decor accents first. It’s a quick win, and that momentum really helps when you’re not feeling excited about undecorating. This includes things like:
- Decorative trees
- Holiday figurines
- Santa mugs, trays, and bowls
- Small signs and tabletop decor
These pieces tend to be scattered all over, and removing them instantly makes everything feel calmer! They also don’t require much decision-making, which makes them an easy place to begin.
I like to pack these by room, type, or theme, keeping similar items together so everything is easier to find next year.
2. Pillows, Throws, and Soft Decor.
Next, I move on to anything soft. Holiday pillows and throws take up a lot of visual and physical space, and swapping them out immediately makes the furniture feel “normal” again.
This step usually includes things like:
- Holiday throw pillows and covers
- Christmas throws or blankets
- Decorative tea towels and bathroom hand towels
- Stockings
- Seasonal rugs or mats
- Holiday bedding
Once those are off, this is usually when I:
- Put everyday pillow covers back on
- Wash throws, towels, or bedding if they need it
- Store all soft decor together
This step alone can make a room feel halfway reset!
3. Kitchen and Dining Christmas Decor.
Once the main living areas feel lighter, I head to the kitchen and dining spaces.
This usually includes:
- Holiday dish towels
- Countertop decor
- Seasonal centerpieces
- Christmas dishware or serving pieces
- Holiday mugs or glassware
- Decorative trays or tiered stands
- Table linens (placemats, runners, napkins)
- Chair ties or seasonal accents
Clearing these functional areas feels especially good as routines start creeping back in after the holidays.
4. Wreaths, Garlands, and Greenery.
After the surfaces are cleared, it’s time to tackle the larger decorative elements.
This usually includes:
- Mantel garlands
- Staircase banister garland
- Any other garlands around doors or windows
- Wreaths on inside doors, mirrors, or windows
- Swags or greenery on shelves or cabinets
- Faux branches tucked into vases
- Tabletop greenery on buffets or consoles
These pieces can shed, tangle, and take up a lot of room, so I like to remove them and the resulting debris before moving on to ornaments and trees. Taking them down at this stage keeps the mess contained and makes the next steps feel much more manageable.
If I’ve added ribbon or ornaments to garlands, greenery, or tabletop arrangements, I remove those and put them aside together to store them later with like decor from my trees. This is also where I slow down and store greenery and florals carefully so they keep their shape for next year.
I also remove any fairy lights or small string lights from the garlands or greenery, and store them with my other lighting.
Want to make next year even easier? Once you’ve taken everything down, I share my best tips for storing Christmas decorations so ornaments, greenery, and trees stay protected and easy to find next season.
5. Ornaments and Tree Decorations.
This can be the most sentimental (and breakable) part of undecorating, so I slow down here and follow an order that helps protect fragile and meaningful pieces. The goal is to remove anything that could fall or break before pulling out larger elements.
Here’s the order that tends to work best:
Start with the most fragile and sentimental ornaments.
I always begin with the ornaments I care about most, especially anything breakable.
This includes:
- Glass or vintage ornaments
- Sentimental or handmade pieces
- Heavier ornaments that could knock others loose
I work from the top of the tree down, placing these straight into their boxes so they’re not sitting out or getting bumped.
Remove the everyday ornaments.
Next, I move on to the rest of the ornaments:
- Standard ball ornaments
- Shatterproof ornaments
- Fillers
At this point, the tree already feels lighter and less risky to work around.
Take off the tree topper.
Once most of the ornaments are off, I remove the tree topper. It’s much easier to handle when you’re not reaching around dangling ornaments, and there’s less chance of knocking anything loose below.
Remove ribbon.
If you’ve woven ribbon through the tree, this is when I take it out. With the ornaments gone, the ribbon slides out more easily and is less likely to snag branches or decorations.
I pull it out gently section by section and fold or roll it right away so it stores neatly.
Finish with picks, florals, and sprays.
Last come the decorative picks, florals, and sprays. With everything else removed, they’re easy to see and simple to pull out without resistance.
This includes:
- Decorative picks or sprays
- Faux florals or greenery branches
- Accent stems tucked into the tree
Lights (if you add your own).
If you put lights on your tree, remove them after all decorations are off and before the tree comes down. Working top to bottom helps prevent tangles. I don’t personally add lights to my tree, but this is the cleanest place for this step if you do.
A few things that make the tree undecorating step easier:
- I keep ornament boxes nearby so things go straight into storage
- I separate especially sentimental pieces as I go
- I don’t rush this part—it’s worth slowing down to keep things from breaking
6. Christmas Trees and Tree Skirts.
Once all the decorations are off, the tree itself can finally come down.
If you have an artificial tree, these tips make takedown and storage much easier (If you have a real tree, dispose of it as soon as possible after the decorations are off):
- Before dismantling it, take a quick walk around the tree to make sure there aren’t any ornament hooks, ribbon tails, or stray decor pieces still tucked into the branches.
- Take the tree apart section by section, then fold branches slowly and gently rather than forcing them flat.
- Store the tree stand with the tree so it’s easy to find next year.
- If you don’t already have one, I highly recommend a tree storage bag with built-in compression straps. The straps help cinch the tree down so it fits neatly and keeps the branches from shifting during storage.
Tree skirts and tree collars come off last. Both tend to catch fallen needles, glitter, flocking, hooks, and bits of decor, so waiting until the very end helps keep the mess contained. I give them a quick shake outside before storing. I also like to store the extension cords and timers I use for that tree right along with it, so everything stays together.
7. Lights, Extension Cords, and Timers.
At this point, most of the lights have already been taken care of as part of the earlier steps—fairy lights removed with garlands and greenery, and tree lights handled with the tree itself if you use them.
This final step is really about gathering and storing what remains.
- Extension cords
- Timers
- Power strips used for Christmas decor
I like to store these with the decor they belong to whenever possible, whether that’s with the tree or with other seasonal pieces. Keeping cords and timers paired with their decor eliminates the guesswork when decorating again.
What You Can Leave Up a Little Longer (If You Want To).
If you’re not quite ready to say goodbye to all of the Christmas comfort, that’s completely fine!
Here are some accents that work beautifully through January:
- Neutral winter greenery
- Pine cones
- White lights
- Cozy textures like knit throws, faux fur accents, and neutral pillows
Taking Christmas down always sounds worse than it actually is, especially if you’re not pulling everything out at once. A simple order helps keeps the mess under control and makes it easy to stop when you’ve had enough for the day!
A few things worth remembering:
- You don’t have to do it all in one day
- Starting with small items builds momentum
- Sentimental pieces deserve a little extra care
- Storing related items together makes next year easier
If putting Christmas away has you craving a fresh start, I also share a simple, realistic approach for decluttering to build on that calm, reset feeling in the post, “How to Declutter Your Home for a Fresh Start in the New Year“.
Congrats, you’re done for another holiday season! Soak in the calm and restored order, and the good feeling that comes from knowing you’ve made next year easier.
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