How to Properly Store Your Christmas Decorations – Part 1

Now that the Christmas season is behind us, it is time pack up all of your decorations for another year and get your home back to normal for 2016.  For some reason, the un-decorating part of Christmas is never as glamorous or as fun as the decorating process, but it is equally as important.  Remember, how all of your Christmas decorations go away will be how they will come out next December.  In other words, if this is a rush job with everything crammed into boxes, be prepared to sort through a mess the next holiday season.  Here are some tips on how to properly pack and store your precious Christmas decorations.

Tree Storage

If you have a real Christmas tree, you will not need to worry about how to store your tree for the year.  If, however, you have an artificial Christmas tree, proper storage is very important to prevent breaking any of the limbs or the trunk.  With an artificial tree you will also need to think about where you are going to store it.

Artificial trees can be heavy, and even when packed up they can be cumbersome.  Chances are you will not be storing your tree in the attic.  Instead, because of its size and weight, think about storing your tree on the same floor you use your tree, perhaps a nearby closet or spare room.

Christmas Lights

With both indoor and outdoor Christmas lights, proper storage is essential.  For some reason, if lights are stuffed in bags or put in storage trunks, they will inevitably tangle over the duration of their storage and leave you with a rat’s nest of tangled cords, like a scene reminiscent of National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation.

To avoid this mess, it is recommended that you think about rolling each strand of lights individually on a roller.  This will prevent any tangling and will allow a very easy transition next Christmas season.  Once you have wrapped your lights around a spool, you can gently place them in some type of storage bin to prevent any bulbs from breaking.

Ornaments

Christmas ornaments can be some of the most precious of all Christmas decorations.  They represent many memories and are usually very personal and, unfortunately, usually very breakable.  It is essential to properly store these memories to prevent them from breaking.

Wrap each precious ornament in tissue paper to prevent movement, and then make sure each ornament does not come in contact with other ornaments.  Once you are satisfied with how they are stored, make sure they are not squished by heavier objects and are put away in an undisturbed place until next holiday season.

Luckily, most real estate near Simon Fraser University has some type of storage unit for all of your Christmas decorations.  Whether it is a home, townhouse or apartment, you should be able to find the space needed to store your Christmas decorations.