Safely Storing Christmas Decorations

Whether you clean up the day after Christmas, the day after New Year’s, or later keep your decorations looking fresh and new by storing them correctly. Take a few minutes to store your breakables safely and you will not have to buy new Christmas decorations every year.

Christmas Storage Boxes

Sometimes it is impossible to return ornaments to the container in which they were purchased. Most of the flimsy cardboard containers should be discarded. The best way to store Christmas decorations is in a plastic storage container.

Small thin containers work best. There are plastic containers designed specifically for Christmas storage, but there is no need to put the extra money into special Christmas containers if you are willing to work a little to organize a standard flat, under-the-bed, plastic storage container.

Storing Christmas Lights

Lights that are not stored properly can be a nightmare the next Christmas season. Tangled lights are the bane of Christmas decorating. Make next year much easier on yourself by properly storing your Christmas lights.

Cut a square of cardboard and cut a small slit in one of the top corners. Thread the end of the lights through the slit and carefully wind the lights around the cardboard. When you reach the end of the strand cut another small slit to secure the Christmas lights. By storing your lights this way you will be able to easily reach the plug to check the lights before you unwind them next year.

When you place lights in a container, place a towel or piece of foam between them to prevent breakage.

Storing Glass Christmas Balls

Most of us use colorful glass Christmas balls to add color and fill in any gaps on the Christmas tree between our original ornaments. One of the best ways to store glass Christmas balls is in a disposable egg crate. You can even leave the hanger in place. The ornaments will be insulated when the Christmas storage box is heaved in the attic, garage, or under the bed.

Storing Your Christmas Tree

If you purchased a balled or rooted tree there is no need to store it. You can find a special place in the yard to plant it. If, however, you have an artificial tree you may be tempted to squeeze it back into its original container. It usually doesn’t fit and cramming it in the box squishes and disfigures the branches. It takes a lot of time to re-create a real looking Christmas tree next year.

If you have an attic or garage in which you can store your tree cover it with a tarp and secure it with strings. Leave it standing in an unused corner of the garage. This one Christmas decoration storage tip alone has saved us hours of angst when putting up the Christmas tree the following year.