Christmas Storage Sorted

How to Keep Decorations, Gifts, and Seasonal Stuff from Taking Over Your Home

TL;DR

• Irish homes are not built for six weeks of Christmas overflow, and the attic, if there is one, was already full before December arrived
• A small self storage unit holds all your decorations, seasonal gear, and gifts from around €8 a week. Less than most people spend on Christmas cards
• 24-hour access across all three Storage World locations means you can retrieve presents on Christmas Eve without asking anyone for a favour
• Clearing the spare room into a unit for the duration of a family visit is one of the most practical things a storage unit can do
• Book in September or October because December is busy and the right size unit is not guaranteed if you leave it late

There is a moment every Irish household knows. It usually arrives in the second week of December, somewhere between putting up the tree and realising that a relative is due to stay for four nights in approximately ten days.

The spare room, which was going to be tidied up before Christmas, is still full of the things it was full of in October. The decorations came out of the attic in six different boxes and two bin bags and are now spread across the sitting room floor. The gifts that seemed like a good idea to buy early are hidden in three separate locations, two of which you can no longer remember, and one of which the dog has already discovered.

Sound familiar? You are in very good company.

The good news is that most of this is avoidable. A self storage unit for the Christmas period takes the pressure off in a way that is hard to fully appreciate until you have tried it. Here is how it works in practice.

The Irish Christmas Space Problem

Irish homes, particularly in Dublin and Limerick, are not large. The average Dublin apartment or terraced house was not designed with six weeks of seasonal overflow in mind. There is no basement. The attic, if one exists, reached capacity sometime around 2019 and has not meaningfully recovered since. The garage, where applicable, is doing its best.

And then Christmas arrives with its own set of space requirements. The tree. The decorations. The wrapping station that expands to fill whatever surface is available. Presents that need to stay hidden from children who are considerably more resourceful than they let on. Relatives coming to stay who would ideally sleep in a room rather than alongside everything that has been quietly accumulating in there since last January.

None of this is unusual, and all of it is solvable. A short-term personal storage unit gives the Christmas things somewhere proper to live, frees up the rooms that are supposed to be rooms, and means December can be enjoyed rather than managed.

What People Actually Use Christmas Storage For

Hiding the presents

This is a more common use than people admit publicly. Keeping gifts in a storage unit until you are ready to wrap them solves two problems at once: children cannot find them, and they are not taking up the wardrobe, the top shelf of the hot press, or the back of the car. Storage World facilities offer 24-hour access, including over the Christmas period, so you can retrieve everything on Christmas Eve without any drama. Full details are on the access and security page.

Clearing the spare room for visitors

If relatives are due to stay and the spare room is currently functioning as an overflow storage area, a short-term unit is the most practical solution available. Move everything out, restore the room to its intended purpose for the duration of the visit, and move things back in January. It takes a morning and it makes the whole visit considerably more relaxed for everyone involved.

Decorations and seasonal gear

Christmas decorations take up a disproportionate amount of space for things that are in use for six weeks a year. A small unit holds the tree, the boxes of decorations, the lights, the wreaths, and all the rest of it, and means they come out next year in the same condition they went in rather than having spent eleven months wedged into a cupboard under pressure.

Furniture and occasional items

The good dining table and chairs that come out for Christmas dinner. The extra folding chairs that live awkwardly behind a door the rest of the year. Decorative pieces that do not quite suit the house for eleven months but are exactly right in December. All of these are reasonable candidates for a seasonal unit.

Post-Christmas clearout

January is when a lot of people decide to finally deal with things that have been sitting around the house for too long. A storage unit is a useful halfway house for anything you are not ready to commit to getting rid of but need out of the way while you think about it. The January declutter guide on the blog covers this in more detail.

How Much Does Seasonal Storage Cost?

A small self storage unit at Storage World starts from €8 a week. For most households, a small unit (9 to 25 sq ft) holds all the Christmas decorations and seasonal gear with room for gifts and a few additional items. If you are also clearing a room for visitors, a medium unit (35 to 75 sq ft) gives more flexibility.

The full pricing breakdown is on our website, and the quick quote tool gives you an accurate figure for your specific requirements in about two minutes. Promotional offers, including up to 50% off your first rental period, are available at certain times — worth checking before you book.

Not sure what size you need? The self storage sizes page will walk you through the options based on what you are planning to store. You can also browse self storage unit sizes with examples of what fits in each, which helps if you are trying to picture it.

How to Store Christmas Decorations So They Actually Survive the Year

Most Christmas decorations that come out of storage in poor condition went in that way. A bit of care at the packing stage makes a noticeable difference.

Wrap baubles and fragile ornaments individually in tissue paper or packing paper before they go into a box. The original packaging is ideal if you still have it. If not, plenty of cushioning around each item and a box that nothing heavy is going to be stacked on top of is the next best thing.

The tree should go back in its original box if possible. If that is long gone, a purpose-made tree bag keeps the branches in reasonable shape and protects from dust. A tree stuffed into a bin bag and left for eleven months tends to develop interesting new dimensions.

Christmas lights deserve their own moment here. Wind them around a piece of cardboard or a proper lights reel before they go into the box. The alternative is forty-five minutes of untangling in late November, which is nobody’s idea of getting into the festive spirit.

Packing supplies including tissue paper, bubble wrap, and the right box sizes are available at our boxes and packaging shop. Worth picking up before you start rather than improvising with whatever is to hand.

Book Earlier Than You Think You Need To

December is consistently one of the busiest periods for self storage across Dublin and Limerick. If you are planning to use a unit for Christmas, booking in September or October means you get the size you want, at the location you want, without having to work around what is left.

Storage World has facilities at Dublin City Centre on the South Circular Road, Sandyford in south Dublin, and Ballysimon Road in Limerick. Location details and directions are at our locations page. You can book online at storageworld.ie or call the team at your nearest facility.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I access my storage unit on Christmas Day or St Stephen’s Day?

Yes. Storage World facilities offer 24-hour access across all three locations, including over the Christmas period. Full details are on the access and security page.

What is the best way to store Christmas decorations so they survive the year?

Wrap fragile ornaments individually in tissue paper or packing paper. Store the tree in its original box or a purpose-made tree bag. Wind lights around a piece of cardboard or a dedicated reel before boxing them. Keep decoration boxes somewhere in the unit where nothing heavy will be stacked on top. Packing supplies are available at our boxes and packaging shop.

Is it worth getting a storage unit just for Christmas?

For a lot of Irish households, yes. If you are dealing with a small home, relatives coming to stay, presents that need to stay hidden, or simply the volume of stuff that arrives every December, a short-term rental for a few months costs less than most people expect and solves problems that tend to recur every single year.

How much does it cost to store Christmas things seasonally?

A small self storage unit starts from €8 a week at Storage World. A seasonal rental from October through to January typically costs less than most people spend on Christmas cards. The quick quote tool gives you an accurate figure for your specific situation.

Can I store Christmas presents in a unit so the children do not find them?

Yes, and it is one of the more popular uses of a storage unit around Christmas. The unit is accessible whenever you need it and nothing is going to be discovered during an exploratory search of the hot press. Storage World facilities are open 24 hours a day across all three locations.

Ready to get sorted before the rush? Get a quick quote or give the team a call. Book early and December becomes a lot more manageable.