Now that the craziness of decorating for Christmas has past, here are some helpful tips on how to pack-up and ship-out to make next year’s decorating process a breeze:
1. Take Inventory
Before you start your Christmas pack-up, take inventory of the decorations you have so that you don’t buy items you already own next year. Use an old spiral notebook as your decorating journal: use a number system to label the boxes and the items on your list according to what box they’re in. That way when you only want to get down some of the decorations, you’ll know exactly which boxes to take down from the attic. Another helpful packing tip is to pack all the items that you usually want out first in one box and label it “Open First.”
2. De-junk before you box it up
If something is broken, loosing its luster, or just not used anymore – get rid of it! Don’t keep storing things that you don’t use (especially if you have limited storage space, like us!).
3. Wrap-up your Christmas lights
On an empty coffee tin! The two most tangled things in the world: Garden hoses and Christmas lights… This year rinse out an old coffee can and cut a slit in the lid. Slid the plug-end of the Christmas lights through the end of the lid and then wrap the lights around the tin (we used this idea for the garland as well). You can keep extra bulbs and extension cords inside the tin. If you finally have the perfect decorations, label each roll of lights so that you know exactly where to hang them next year, and before you unroll the lights, plug them in to an outlet to make sure that they still work. Also, make sure to store colored lights in the dark to keep them from fading.
4. Pack your ornaments like you’re going to ship them
We have a paper shredder that we took the shredding from and used as packing material for our delicate ornaments. Used gift wrap is also great to use to protect precious memories until next year. If you bought new ornaments this year, keep the containers that they came in so that they have the safest home possible. If you didn’t keep the original container, try using partitioned liquor or wine boxes (We shop at Costco so we grabbed a few boxes on our way out to use). For food-ornaments, put them in a sandwich bag so that they don’t attract unwanted guests while they are left unattended all year.
5. Treat tablecloths like a pretty dress
Instead of creasing up your holiday linens by folding them, use skirt hangers for tablecloths, place mats, and even napkins. Use a trash bag to cover them (like a garment bag) before storing them in the attic so that they don’t get dirty.
6. Tame Tangled Ribbons
Ribbons and other wrapping-essentials (scissors, tape, name-tags, etc.) can be difficult to track down (and untangle) from year-to-year. You can make your own wrapping station with a shoebox and a paper towel roll. Cut the paper towel roll so that it fits long-ways inside the show box. Cut slits in the side of the shoe box that are large enough for the ribbon to go through. Slide each roll of ribbon onto the paper towel roll and place it inside the shoe-box. After feeding each piece of ribbon through the slits, you can use the back of the box to store tape, scissors, and name-tags until next year.
Merry Christmas everyone! 🙂
ellafullerton 