If you put up outside lights, how do you store them?

We use the round wheel things to wrap them around. DH is a neat freak and loves them. Very easy to use. We store the reels in plastic tubs.

My husband folds them neatly, if they don't come on wheel.

ETA: We also store all lights in plastic bins.

DH collects empty wire spools from construction projects and repurposes them to store Christmas lights.

We use the wind up spools that are sold for extension cords. I also label the end with "begin on the fence in __ location so that the cords, plugs and wiring all comes out the way it should.

Our outdoor lights are draped on the back picket fence and surround the back yard.

Have you considered the net lights for your bushes? They are the easiest lights we have ever had. To store I take each net off and bring inside until dry (each one neatly in it's own pile), then put each net in a plastic kitchen trash bag, layer the bags in a plastic tote and store until next year. They do not get tangled. It helps to have 2 people place them on the bushes. Each person holds a plug end and you stretch the net across the bush. Sometimes it takes more than one net depending on the size of the bush, but they all connect end to end to go along a long section of shrubs. We placed about 20 nets in under an hour.

For regular strings of lights we use cardboard and wrap them around it.

If you have beaded garlands without lights, I found putting each one in a ziploc bag of it's own and leaving 1 end sticking out and caught in the zipper closure works well. Unzip while holding the end and slowly pull to remove garland without any tangles.

Good luck!

A million years ago I worked at corporate headquarters for a now defunct pre-cursor of big box stores. In the middle of summer we planned Christmas displays in a mock store. I thought this was the GREATEST job ever!! lol
My boss was a total control freak! She had us decorate and un-decorate stuff over and over. We had to carefully wrap each branch of a tree or wreath in lights with no cords showing for photos to go out to all 160+ store.
We had to take the lights off and store them for the next design a few days later.

To this day I carefully fold my lights back & forth at each bulb into compact light bundles. I bind them with the cord if long enough or rubber bands in small groups and they fit neatly in small plastic tubs.

We roll them up on our hand, secure the roll with a zip tie and store in gallon zip bags in bins marked by area or tree.