January 20, 2021 Posted in How-to
Anastasia Hill

Apart from being the next fashion icon, Anastasia is also a freelance writer and expert on moving (and packing clothes).

Best Tips on How to Store Christmas Ornaments and Save Them for the Next Season

Now that Christmas has passed, it’s very useful to know how to store Christmas ornaments the right way so that they remain pretty and shiny for the next year. Organizing, wrapping, and protecting your decorations will help you keep them in one piece for a long time and you’ll be able to unpack them easily when the next season comes. The best thing is that you won’t even have to buy anything for these simple and cost-effective tips – just use what you already have at home.

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Check out how to pack all of your decorations properly

If you were wondering how to store Christmas decorations, we will show you all the creative ways that are also budget-friendly. Many of the items we decorate our homes with are delicate and easily breakable. If you want all of them to stay intact, take a look at our suggestions, try them out, and see why we claim that it’s the best way to store Christmas ornaments.

What Happens If You Don’t Know How to Store Christmas Ornaments?

If you don’t mind buying new decorations every year, you wouldn’t be here reading this. Any ornament that isn’t stored properly can get chipped or damaged very easily, string lights tangle in a blink of an eye, and you might lose some of your favorite glass or ceramics items. All of this can cause a lot of frustration and you can spend hours just untangling your tinsels. We know that packaging fragile items isn’t much fun, but learning packing tips & tricks will save you a lot of time when the unpacking time comes again. It’s just like when you unpack after a move – the more time you spend organizing, the easier you will unpack.

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Before You Start Learning How to Store Christmas Ornaments, Make Sure You Declutter

The key to the best way to store Christmas ornaments is to know what you should or shouldn’t keep for the next season. If you don’t like some ornament anymore, don’t keep it – give it to someone or just throw it away. If some of the light bulbs don’t work anymore, toss them. Keeping unnecessary stuff will only create a mess, and that’s the last thing you need. You can also donate unwanted items to a local charity or an organization.

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Getting rid of any item you don’t want to have the next season is one of the best ideas

The Best Way to Start Packing Is by Organizing

A crucial thing when learning the tips for packing quickly is to stay organized. Don’t just bring all the decorations, put them on the floor and wonder what to do with them. Start small – first, you should get all the different types of packing materials you will need. You can use the packing materials for moving since the process is the same. Estimate how many best-sized boxes for moving and packing paper for moving you will require depending on how many bulbs and other ornaments you have. Then you can start with one type of decoration of your choice.

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Get all the supplies such as boxes, tape, and markers

How Do You Store Christmas Ornaments?

Packing delicate decorations isn’t much different than learning how to pack glassware for moving. It would be best if you kept the original packages. If you threw them away or you didn’t have a hard package when buying the decorations, you can improvise depending on their size and shape. The most usual way is to use egg cartons for smaller Christmas bulbs and a plastic apple container for the bigger ones. If you want to get more creative, here’s what you should do.

How to Make DIY Storage?

If you have empty plastic storage or a bigger cardboard box left from the unpacking of presents, you can make a DIY handmade version for storing all kinds of decorations.  Make customized cardboard dividers so that the ornaments don’t chip from knocking into each other. Another option is to buy some plastic cups and to glue them to a piece of cardboard that fits inside of a box you have. Then just place a bulb in each cup and stack them inside of the box. Put as many levels that can fit inside of the storage. If you get a box that’s not transparent, don’t forget to label it.

You can cover each ornament in bubble wrap, newspaper, or tissue paper, for additional protection. Take a look at the video below to see how it’s done in practice.

How to Pack Non-Breakables?

Decorations that aren’t made from thin glass or ceramics usually aren’t complicated for storing, but it’s useful to know how to pack them the right way. If you used beads to decorate your home, you can keep them in bottles so that they don’t tangle. Tinsels are also easily tangled and their strips can fall off if they’re not handled properly. You can just roll them up and put them inside of a shoebox. Separate each tinsel so that they don’t entangle. Bows made of ribbon and metal bells also fall in this category.

You Can Also Use a Ziplock Bag

Oddly shaped items that are not that breakable or delicate can be placed in resealable bags and then put in a big cardboard box or a container. This also applies to all the glittery stuff. You can put some hair spray on them to keep the glitter from falling off.

What to Do in Case You Have Some Packing Paper Left?

Leftover packing paper can be stored in a big box as well, but don’t fold it. Roll it up and put a rubber band around it. Be sure you don’t tie it too tightly so that the paper doesn’t wrinkle.

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Keep your paper nice and smooth so that you can use it again

How to Pack String Lights and Outdoor Decorations?

String lights can be rolled around any can (like a coffee can) if we’re talking about thinner ones that are used for the tree. Those that are used for the outside of your home, you can wrap around a piece of thicker cardboard, depending on their length. If you have really long string lights, you can take a bigger piece of cardboard, make small cuts on the sides with scissors, and then roll it over while putting the cord in the cuts. Tape the end of the cord on the cardboard. That way the cords won’t tangle and the bulbs won’t break. Just like with learning how to pack electronics for moving, string lights must be stored in a dry and cool place.

If the bigger decorations that go outside of your home such as figures of Santa or a reindeer don’t disassemble, you can just cover them in a plastic wrap and put them in your garage or the attic.

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String lights are safe for the next season if you pack them properly

How to Pack Wreaths and Artificial Trees?

Wreaths can be tricky, but with the right ideas, you have nothing to worry about. You will just need a hanger and some wire or a string to fasten them together. After that, just create a hole on the base of a plastic bag and slip a hook of a hanger through that hole. That way, you’ll make good protection from the dust. Just hang the wreath and leave it waiting for the next Christmas. If the wreath was outside, for example on your door, be sure you clean it from the dust before storing it. Do it gently with a hairdryer set on low or with a feather duster. You don’t want last years’ dirt on your decorations.

What to Do With an Artificial Tree?

If you have an artificial tree, take all the decorations off and take the tree apart. Fold the branches, make them as straight as possible, bundle them up, and put the tree back in the box it came in. If you don’t have it anymore, you can cover it in plastic wrap. The same applies to artificial garlands.

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Taking care of your decorations is easy and it will keep them in a good condition

Putting Away Christmas Decorations Can Also Be Done With Bags, Boxes, and Organizers Meant for That

There are also storage bags that you can buy in a store or order online on Amazon. There are ornament organizers of all shapes, sizes, and levels of sturdiness. You can find a soft bag like a suitcase and also hard plastic ones with or without individual compartments. They’re not exactly cheap, but they’re reusable.

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Decide whether you want a real organizer or a DIY version

Where Should I Store My Holiday Decorations?

The answer to this question will depend on whether you live in a house or an apartment If you’re wondering Is it OK to store Christmas decorations in the garage, the answer is yes, of course. Garages and attics are like storages for things we rarely use. The problem can appear if you have a small apartment with little space to spare. So, where should Christmas decorations be stored in an apartment? Wreaths that you put on hangers can be put on a clothing rack. All the boxes you filled with holiday decorations can be put under the bed, on top of a closet, or, if possible, in a separate room where you keep rarely used items.

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Boxes filled with decorations don’t take up that much space

If You’re Packing up Christmas Decorations for a Relocation, Pay Extra Attention to the Breakable Items

When it comes to cross country moving, it’s crucial that you pack everything well so that nothing breaks during the move. All the boxes and packing supplies you get should be high-quality. Learn all the tips and tricks there are to protect your delicates from damage.

If you’ve made your moving budget and you’re planning on moving during the holidays and all of this sounds difficult to you, the best possible solution is to get long-distance moving services, and cross country movers will do all of that for you. A professional cross country moving company will offer you their packing services, regardless of whether you’re moving cross country or you’re interested in international moving. This will help you avoid common moving mistakes and all trouble that happens when you’re moving in winter. Even though this isn’t the best time of year to move, cross country movers will use all of their moving hacks to decrease your anxiety about moving out and relocation depression, regardless of what your reasons to move are.

A part of cross country moving services is also a storage unit where you can leave your belongings and be worry-free that something will get damaged. A reputable long-distance moving company can also provide you with auto shipping and all other services you might need. With the right help of long-distance movers, cross-country moving becomes easy and all of your items will be safe.

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