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Ornaments: Find a box or bin with partitions to keep ornaments from clanging against each other. Nest them in shredded paper or tissue paper; wrap the most delicate ornaments in bubble wrap.Cardboard drawers that pull out are great if they can sit on a shelf in the basement, off of the floor. Otherwise, go with plastic.•

Lights: Micek recommends the light storage boxes made by Iris; the lights wrap around corrugated cardboard "spools" and fit into a plastic container. Or make your own with a piece of cardboard. (Wrap lights around it and tape ends down.)•

Trees: A zippered bag will keep the tree clean and dry if you can store it on a shelf. Otherwise, find a sturdy plastic tub to store it on the floor. Some bags have handles and even wheels; others fit over a standing tree.•

Wreaths: Special plastic boxes will keep these from getting crushed, but they take up a lot of room. Another option: Use your "vertical space," says Micek, and put the wreaths in bags that hang on the wall or from a clothesline strung in a corner.