Putting your Christmas decorations
away
Are you taking your Christmas
decorations down? Storing Christmas decorations properly, can be a challenge.
Most people will take them down, within the first ten days after Christmas.
Why not make this a family project, as it can be fun to do it together.
If you have saved the packaging
that your decorations came in originally, you may be able to re-package them,
the same way. Sometimes, it seems that they don't fit, no matter how hard you
try to put them back.
So what is the next best option?
Here are valuable tips for
storing Christmas decorations.
Fragile ornaments: Gather your
fragile ornaments first, so that they do not get broken when you are removing
everything else from the Christmas tree or from wherever you may have
hung or placed them. Wrap each one individually in tissue paper, newspaper or
plastic wrap You can use sandwich bags, freezer bags, bubble wrap and plastic
bags of different sizes and shapes. Put all of your favorites into one large
cookie tin. Tupperware containers of different sizes and shapes are perfect
for storing decorations. Tape the lid shut with masking tape or scotch tape and
label the container with a marking pen, as ‘Christmas: fragile favorites’ or
use a label maker. Store them somewhere safe, like the top kitchen shelf.
Other Christmas ornaments: Collect
all of your other Christmas ornaments and sort them into piles. Package each
kind of ornament together. For example, glass balls can go back into their
original boxes. Breakable ornaments can be wrapped individually and placed in
small, cookie tins. Wooden ornaments can be put in small, cardboard boxes.
Plastic ornaments can be put in a plastic bag. Place everything in one larger
container. Seal it and label the container as ‘other Christmas ornaments'.
Children's ornaments: Ornaments
that your children have made or ones that are special to your children, can be
sorted according to why they are special. Wrap them as necessary and place them
in a larger container. Seal it and label it as ‘Christmas: children's
ornaments. If you have any decorations or ornaments that you or your children
will not use again, put them in a special box for a garage sale.
Tinsel: Tinsel can be stored in
a clear plastic bag.
Indoor Christmas lights: Gather
your various strings of Christmas lights. Use the original boxes for storage,
if possible. You can take each string of lights and wrap it around a piece of
cardboard or wind it into a ball. Each string of lights should be placed in a
separate bag or a small box. Put them in one larger box and label this box as ‘indoor
Christmas lights'. Place extra light bulbs in a small, plastic container
and store it with the strings of lights.
Christmas tree: Take down your
Christmas tree, carefully. If it is a real one, place it outside.
You may be able to recycle it or have it shredded for compost. Put a large, piece of plastic over or under it, before you move the tree, so that you don't
have needles all over. Empty the container that it was standing in
and wash it. If it is an artificial tree, dismantle the tree, carefully. Fold
up the branches and tie them in place. If your artificial tree has a sectional
stand, use a rubber band to tie the pieces together. Use another to tie it to
the base of your tree, so you know where it is for next year. Now box your tree
and tape it shut. Label it as ‘Christmas tree'.
Outdoor Christmas lights: Your
outdoor Christmas lights can be separated into different strings, wound into
balls and placed in individual, plastic bags. Make certain that they are
completely dry, before they are packaged for storage. If you have extra boxes
of light bulbs, place them in plastic containers with the string of lights that
they match. Remove or replace broken light bulbs. That way you will know
that the lights work when you want to use them again. Place all of your outdoor
lights in one large plastic container, seal it and label it ‘outdoor Christmas
lights’.
Candles: Gather your Christmas
candles and wrap them individually with cellophane wrap or place them in
individual plastic bags. Square metal cookie tins are great for storing
candles, as they will stay dry. Tape the tin shut and label it as ‘Christmas
candles’. You may need candles in an emergency, so store them where they are accessible.
A kitchen cupboard or a linen closet is a good place to store candles. Candles
that you will not re-use, can be placed in a separate container or melted down,
at a later date or place them in a garage sale box.
Candle holders: Candle holders can
be a variety of styles and sizes. Carefully remove wax from them. Putting them
into the freezer unit of your refrigerator for a while, will allow wax to
harden and make it easy to remove. As a last resort, place the candle holder
into hot water and melt the wax. Pour it out of the candle holder, into a tin
can. Save it to make another candle. If you have copper or pewter
candle holders, make certain they are clean before wrapping and storing them.
Always store your candle holders where that you can access them in an emergency.
Put them in a box and label them ‘Christmas candle holders’.
Christmas ribbons and bows: Sort
your Christmas ribbons and bows according to size and color. Place them in
plastic bags. Do not crush them. Wrap them in tissue paper to hold their shape.
Put them in a larger container and label it as ‘Christmas ribbons and bows’.
Artificial flowers: Sort your
artificial flowers by size, kind or color and put them in plastic bags. When
you have all of them, store them in a large plastic bag or a
cardboard box. Seal the container and label it as ‘artificial Christmas
flowers'.
Center pieces: Wrap your
Christmas center pieces individually or place them in plastic bags, so that
they do not get dusty. Put them in a larger container and label it as ‘Christmas
center pieces’.
Plates, vases or bowls: If you
have crystal or glass, plates, vases or bowls that you only use for Christmas,
wash and dry them, carefully. Store the fragile ones in your china cabinet.
Otherwise, wrap them individually and store them in a large, plastic container.
Label the container as ‘Christmas plates, vases or bowls'.
Table clothes, napkins and
doilies: Wash your Christmas table clothes, napkins and doilies before you put
them away. Store them in clear plastic bags, in your linen closet. Label them
‘Christmas table cloths’.
Christmas wreaths: Discard pine
or spruce Christmas wreaths that have needles. Other Christmas wreaths can be
placed in large plastic bags. Be careful not to crush or break the branches or any
of the ornaments on your wreaths. Use tissue paper to help retain their shape.
Label your container as ‘Christmas wreaths’. Tupperware containers or large
plastic bins are excellent for storing larger items like this.
Extra Christmas cake, cookies,
candies and nuts: Baking will store well in plastic containers or cookie tins.
Some of them may freeze well.
Christmas plants: If you have
Christmas plants past their prime, you may want to trim them back,
water them and place them where that you can still enjoy them.
Do a last minute check to make
certain that you have not missed any of your Christmas decorations. Once you
have everything collected and put into containers, find a shelf in a dry place
in the basement, attic or garage, where you can store it together. If all of
the containers have been properly labeled, you will be able to find them next
Christmas.
The secret to storing Christmas
decorations, is to keep the same kind of items together, but packaged
individually. When you place your decorations on the shelves in storage, leave
the ones that you will need first, at the front.
Last but not least, you may
want to vacuum the area where your Christmas tree has been standing, just in
case there are any pine needles, broken ornaments or small wire ornament
hangers, on the floor. Fold any extra card board boxes, wrapping paper or
tissue paper or place it for recycling. Pack the reusable Christmas bags into
one larger bag and store it with your Christmas wrapping paper.
Storing your decorations
properly is a task that takes some time, but you will be glad that you took the
time to do it right.
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