It’s the most wonderful time of the year … until you have to undeck the halls, that is. Holiday decorations are always more fun to put up than put away, but it’s important to store them correctly to eliminate breakage as well as make it easy to pull out next season. These helpful tips and tricks for storing ornaments will help you maximize space and minimize breakage and stress!
1. Inspect ornaments as you put them away. Are any broken? Missing pieces? Beyond repair? Weeding out broken ornaments and lights means less wasted space and a smooth tree decorating session next year.
2. Choose the right container for the job. No matter how you store them, you’ll want ornaments to be protected from damage. I prefer hard-sided clear plastic bins specifically made for ornament storage, because the stiff plastic protects the sides yet allows you to see what’s inside so you don’t accidentally drop the box when rearranging bins in, say, July. Plastic bins also protect from critters that may accidentally reside in storage spaces, such as attics and basements.
They sell ornaments bins just for this purpose, or you can create your own with a clear bin and inserts, such as you’d find in boxes you can get for free at wine and spirit stores.
For especially fragile, special or vintage ornaments, you’ll want to wrap them in acid-free tissue paper and/or bubble wrap. Avoid newspaper because the ink may transfer and ruin your ornaments.
Light strings always seem to break while in storage, don’t they? You can reduce the chances of this happening by using a specially designed container to protect fragile bulbs. We love this light strand organizer because it keeps strands tangle free and allows you to simply unroll them right onto the tree next year.
Check out these creative containers for additional ways to safely pack away various-sized ornaments.
3. Place essential tree accessories where you can reach them first, so you don’t have to dig. Your tree stand and ornament hooks are must-haves before you decorate your tree; make these the LAST pieces you pack away so they’re on top of the pile for next season. My ornament hooks are stored in the top shelf of my bin so I never have to search for them.
4. Choose storage space carefully. While it’s impossible to eliminate the chance of disaster, being purposeful about where you store your items can help reduce the chance of accidental damage. For example, one year I stored Christmas candles with my ornaments in my attic. In frigid December, I wasn’t thinking about the summer heat, and I wasn’t very happy with myself when I found my ornaments cemented in melted wax the following year. Floods can happen too; when our sump pump went out during a storm last year, I was rushing to move my basement-stored Christmas bins off the floor. Placing them on a table to begin with would have been a much better idea.
4. Label, label, label. Grab a permanent marker and label those bins! I like to write “Christmas 1”, “Christmas 2”, etc., on the top and sides of my bins, making the labels easy to locate. How do I know what’s actually inside? See step #5.
5. Keep an inventory. When you live in a small or rented space, you often need to get creative with storage. Keeping an inventory of WHAT you have as well as WHERE you have it can really make finding decorations easier come holiday time.
Here is a free downloadable and printable Christmas decorations inventory sheet
This can save you time AND money so you don’t have to re-purchase misplaced items. Simply print it out and list the item name, a general note about its contents, and its location. Keep the inventory in a Christmas file folder or somewhere you’ll see it often. Now you won’t misplace your ornaments, stockings or wreaths again — even if they’re cleverly stashed in various places around the home.
Spending a little extra time making sure your ornaments and decorations are safely packed away will mean more time for enjoying your tree when next December rolls around. Plus, if you move mid-year, everything will be boxed, bubble-wrapped and ready to go. Happy organizing!