Now that holidays are ending, it’s time to start thinking about packing up the Christmas decorations. Neatly wrapping all the ornaments and making sure the lights stay untangled as you wrangle them into boxes might seem like tedious tasks. However, taking the time to do things the right way now will prevent headaches next year when you go to decorate. Additionally, proper packing is essential to ensuring your decorations stay in good shape while sitting in storage. Here we’ll unpack the best ways to box your holiday décor.
Supplies for Packing Christmas Decorations
Before you set about stripping the tree of its festive decorations, make sure you have all the needed supplies on hand:
- Ornament storage boxes
- Christmas light storage boxes
- The original Christmas tree box, a tree bag, or plastic tote(s)
- Tissue or packing paper
- Egg cartons or small boxes for wrapping ornaments
- Twist Ties
- Large Ziploc bags
How to Store a Christmas Tree With or Without the Box
If you are like most people, Christmas decorating is comprised of digging ornaments and decorations out of every dark corner of your home and crossing your fingers that your pre-lit tree still lights up the whole way. Maybe you are vowing to organize your decorations better (and more carefully) in to make decorating easier next year. If that is the case, here are some tips on how to store your artificial Christmas tree, even if you threw the boxes out.
Store Your Tree Assembled
The path of least resistance, if you have the space for it, is to store your tree fully assembled. Since your tree will be camping out for an entire year, covering it is a good idea to keep it clean and pest free. In fact, you can buy pre-sized Christmas tree bags for that very purpose. If you don’t want to spring for a Christmas tree bag, you can use old sheets or tarps to wrap it up. A major perk of keeping your tree assembled is that you can leave the lights up and save time next year!
Since most NYC apartments are short on storage, consider renting a small storage space for your tree and other holiday decorations. Storage is also perfect for out-of-season clothing, sports equipment, and other infrequently items you may not have room to store in your home.
Disassembling and Protecting
If keeping your tree intact isn’t an option because it would take up too much space, consider ways to pack the disassembled tree. While storing it in the box it came with is always an option, it can be a pain to squeeze all the pieces back inside. Also, cardboard doesn’t hold up well for long. Plastic totes or duffle bags better protect trees from moisture and damage.
You can also shop around for tree storage containers, which are uniquely designed to protect your stored tree. Consider where you will keep it and how dense your tree is when choosing storage containers. Some containers come with wheels to roll heavy trees. If you need to haul it into an attic, finding multiple containers to store your tree in pieces might be a better decision.
How to Pack Christmas Ornaments for Moving and Storage
Christmas ornaments can be fragile, and keeping them in good shape from year to year can be a challenge. One solution for ball ornaments is using old egg cartons to store them. They will be easy to take in and out, and the specially designed box will protect them from breaking or scuffing. You can stack these cartons into a larger box or plastic tote to keep the ornaments together. Old liquor boxes or even plastic cups also help keep ornaments separate and protected while in storage. Wrap individual, delicate ornaments in tissue paper to help prevent breaking and missing parts.
How to Store Christmas Lights Tangle Free
Follow these simple steps to keep your Christmas lights tangle free:
- Unplug the lights
- Unstring the lights from the tree
- Check each bulb and replace any if necessary
- Coil and lights and secure with twist ties
- Drop in Ziploc bags and place in plastic tote
When you are thinking about ways to store your Christmas lights, it helps to think ahead. While stuffing them in a box or bag will work, untangling them next year will be a hassle. There is also a chance that you’ll find out half your strand doesn’t light up next year. Check to make sure all bulbs work as you take lights off your tree and replace bulbs if necessary. Wrap the lights in a coil and secure them with twist ties before placing them in individual Ziploc bags to protect them until next year. These simple steps protect bulbs from breaking and lines from tangling, which will make decorating next year more straightforward.
Taking down Christmas decorations and putting them back in storage isn’t the most fun job in the world, but can decrease headaches later if you are careful. The key is to consider how to protect your ornaments while storing them in a manner that makes them easy to get out next year. It will also save you some headache to clearly label their boxes and store them together, so you don’t have to dig through half your attic or storage unit for missing decorations.
