Clear the Garage, Cue the Holidays

Let’s be honest… the garage is usually the land of “I’ll deal with it later.”

Old sports gear, boxes from three moves ago, and that half-working completely tied up ‘strand’ of lights you swore would behave this year — it all ends up here. But when the holidays roll around, the garage suddenly becomes holiday HQ: halloween costumes that need to be re-discovered, skeletons literally coming out of the walls, home of the tree, the hiding spot for presents, and the place where lights go to sulk until December.

Here’s the truth: if your garage is chaotic, your holidays feel chaotic. The upside? A little prep now = far less stress later.

Step 1: Declutter Before the Chaos of the holidays are upon you

Think of this as an opportunity to clear space for the good stuff, see how I reframed this? This is a positive exercise that needs to happen otherwise, where will the new toys, the latest cute holiday decor that you can’t pass up and all the treats you’ll inevitably stock up on go… on the floor and in the way. So jump in, stop procrastinating and toss the broken ornaments, donate the outgrown bikes, schedule an appointment with hazardous waste and finally let go of the paint and stain from 3 houses ago and the “mystery boxes” you’ve ignored for years.

If you wouldn’t keep it in your main house, why let it take up prime real estate in your garage?

Step 2: Create Holiday-Friendly Zones

Zones = sanity savers (and fewer festive arguments).

• Décor Zone: All your holiday bins in one spot. Label them so you don’t end up opening the Easter / Valentine / Halloween box when you’re after Holiday lights.

  
  

• Gift Zone: A sneaky corner or covered bin to stash presents. Bonus: prevents the annual tradition of re-buying gifts you forgot you’d already bought. Also doubles as a shield against “helpful” children who fancy themselves detectives.

  
  

• Sports/Tools Zone: Off-season gear lives here, so you’re not clattering into hockey sticks while dragging the tree inside.

Step 3: Smarter Storage = Happier Holidays

• Clear bins mean no guesswork.

  
  

• Wrap lights around cardboard or invest in reels so you’re not spending three hours with your partner debating the “proper technique” for detangling 40 feet of fairy lights.

  
  

• A rolling cart or shelf for wrapping supplies means you can turn any room into Santa’s workshop… until someone barges in uninvited and pretends they didn’t see the Lego set you were trying to hide.

Step 4: Stress Less, Enjoy More

When your garage is organized, here’s what happens:

1. You can actually park inside when the in-laws of guests descend (no more musical chairs in the driveway).

   
   

2. Decorating takes hours, not days — and you’ll have fewer moments of wondering whether the ladder incident will end up on YouTube.

   
   

3. You spend more time sipping cocoa (or mulled wine, if we’re being honest) and less time muttering at extension cords and partners / teens who keep disappearing for bathroom breaks to the constant background of excited kids asking, “Is it ready yet?” every five minutes.

Your Turn

Pick one shelf, one bin, or one corner this week and give it some love. A little momentum goes a long way — and future you (Serene Holiday You) will be silently applauding present you while dodging family chaos.

Need a hand making it all happen? That’s what we’re here for. We’ll bring the bins, labels, and the game plan — you bring the cocoa and sit back and watch the transformation.

Happy Organizing,

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