Yes, your tree is already up but was it a nightmare digging through your ornaments and lights? Did you make an instant New Year’s Eve resolution to not go through that again? Now that it’s almost time to put everything away again, here are some great ideas so that when you take your tree down you know how to store everything in an organized and efficient way.
Lights – The most important thing to know about storing lights is to be sure that they are untangled. The cheapest and easiest way to store lights is to wind them up around your arm and then transfer them to a clear plastic bag. Label the plastic bag with where the lights were used so you can easily put them back up in the same place next year. Another good storage idea is to wrap them around sturdy cardboard covered in left over wrapping paper. Cut slits on both ends of the cardboard to secure the plugs.
Ornaments – For ornaments that are mostly the same size, you can purchase a divided-tray ornament container. Line each space with large squares of felt to protect delicate ornaments. If you are really particular, keep similar colors together.
Storing ornaments in big boxes is another good option. Cover the bottom of each box with several layers of tissue paper, and wrap each ornament in newspaper or tissue paper so ornaments won’t touch each other when you put them in rows. When you finish a layer, place a piece of fitted cardboard on top and continue with another layer of tissue paper.
Garland – Do you have specially cut artificial garland to fit a stair railing, mantel, and sideboard? Hang a labeled tag from each section for easy identification or store them separately in clearly marked bags.
Miscellaneous Décor – Putting elaborate decorations away can be easy with the original packaging. Store items with small pieces, such as nativity sets or holiday villages, in the boxes they came in. This will both ensure that the box is the right size and keep you from having to make a label to remember what’s inside.
