Increase your home storage space during the holiday season or at least decrease the amount of items you need to store. Here are some simple ideas to save home storage space during the holiday season.

Save Storage Space in Your Closet

Rent your formal attire for holiday party attendance instead of buying it, especially if you attend these events infrequently.

Save Storage Space in Your Refrigerator

Purchase some inexpensive plastic containers so you can send leftovers packing with the dinner party guests. Or make a trip to a local homeless shelter the next day with your excess goodies.

Save Storage Space in Your Photo Albums and Photo Boxes

Now is the time to invest in a digital camera if you do not already own one (and a computer so you can transfer the images from it). Start making electronic photo albums to pass around to friends and family members. If you'd like to have some photos that you can hold, touch and display, turn one or two of the electronic photo albums into coffee table photo books for your home. Online photo stores like PhotoWorks.com can do this for you (for a price, of course). Photo books are organized, take less space and add to your home decor. And you'll get more people to "voluntarily" look at your photos by leaving the books laying around as coffee table books.

Save Storage Space in Your Holiday Ornament Storage Boxes

Get rid of light strands that don't work and ornaments and decorations that are broken, chipped or otherwise beyond repair. That singing, dancing Santa you bought years ago isn't that anymore if he's broken! If you have some old ornaments that are still in good shape but that don't bring joy to you anymore, donate them to a thrift shop. But do so before the holidays end. That's when these items move. Donate them at any other time of the year and they may end up in a landfill. The reason is that even thrift or Goodwill type stores do not have room to store everything year-round because donated items keep coming and shoppers often are searching for seasonal items at these stores.

Save Storage Space in Friend's and Coworkers' Homes Too

While you're at it, save storage space in other people's homes too. Buy intangible and/or consumable gifts for friends like restaurant gift certificates and movie passes. Stay away from department store gift certificates or any gift certificate your friends would use to purchase tangible clutter for their homes. But don't give them something too personable like a health club membership or massage gift certificate unless you know them well enough to know their likes and dislikes in this area. Some could find the first idea offensive. As for the second, people like to choose their spa.

Don't forget---chocolate is a consumable gift, highly sought and loved by many. It takes little space in anyone's home since it's one of those gifts that disappear quickly! If you want to be unique, buy the really good stuff---luxurious chocolates your friends might not splurge on for themselves.

If you're short of gift ideas for co-workers, think cookies. Homemade cookies are always welcome and are not too personable to give to bosses and even co-workers you don't know well. Plus people who can't match your gift exchange or spend too much won't feel obligated (and stressed) to do so.

Can't bake? Fake it by purchasing some assorted store bakery cookies and putting them into nice disposable containers or on decorative paper plates covered with foil. Tape a bow on top of the foil in the center. When gift recipients ask for the recipe, just smile and tell them it's a family secret.

Enjoy your Christmas holiday season and save storage space with these ideas. When the new year rolls around you'll be glad you don't have to deal with finding home storage space for what could have become more clutter in your home. And some of your friends will appreciate you not giving them more "stuff" too.