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Store Christmas decor safely and carefully
Store Christmas decor safely and carefully
By Alan J. Heavens
The Philadelphia Inquirer
The first strains of "Auld Lang Syne" had yet to ring out, but some people are already thinking about packing up the Christmas gear. Here are some suggestions for keeping your decorations unbroken, untangled, and generally unscathed.
Location, location: The ideal storage spot is a dry, clean space large enough to hold everything - a closet, a nook in the attic, or shelves in the basement. (It will save precious time next holiday because you'll actually remember where everything is.)
If you opt for the basement, keep the storage boxes off the floor so they won't absorb moisture. In the attic, be certain that your storage space is impervious to squirrels and other rodents that enjoy chewing boxes and their contents to shreds.
Need to know: What kind of storage requirements your decorations have. Obviously, the crystal ornaments should be stowed away differently (think lined boxes) than the artificial wreaths (think containers that will preserve their shape).
Be sure to ask: "Are the storage containers I've chosen sturdy enough?" Reinforce cardboard boxes with packing tape so they don't fall apart when they're full, and don't over-pack them. With plastic containers, check that the lids fit securely.
Packing protocol: It's best to keep decorations in their original boxes. But if you must go the whatever-is-available storage-box route, have plenty of tissue paper on hand to wrap breakable ornaments, and add some bubble wrap to cushion them from shocks.
Sort ornaments by size, weight and fragility. Ornaments made of plastic and wood can be kept in the same box, wrapped in tissue paper and layered from the heaviest at the bottom to the lightest on top. You might want to put an old towel or extra tissue paper between the layers, as a cushion. Wrap fragile ornaments individually in a small box that can be placed in a larger box with other breakables.
Good advice: Don't use newspaper to wrap ornaments: The ink may rub off onto delicate pieces.
You can avoid wrapping altogether by purchasing inexpensive containers designed for fragile ornaments. These boxes, made of polypropylene plastic, have dozens of individual compartments that can be customized using adjustable dividers. They can hold up to 60 ornaments, and cost $12 to $18.
An eye to hooks: Remove the hooks before packing ornaments away, and store the hooks separately. That way, you won't have to fish around next yuletide for hooks that have come unattached, and no one will prick a finger.
An ounce of prevention: Place anything that might deteriorate - children's homemade ornaments from gingerbread or dough, for example - in a separate box. Make sure branches and other artificial-tree parts are stored together.
Don't get stranded: After plugging them in one more time to see whether they're worth saving, wind strands of lights neatly. Hold the plug in one hand with your arm bent in an "L" shape, and with the other hand loop the strand down around your elbow and up between your thumb and forefinger. Do the same with ropes of artificial garland.
Think ahead: Inventory each box's contents and label it accordingly. Mark boxes that need opening first (think Advent calendars and tree stands). Save assembly directions. Make a list of what you'll need to buy for next Christmas, and staple it to the December 2007 calendar page. (If you're a decorating early bird, make that November.)
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© 2007, The Philadelphia Inquirer.
Visit Philadelphia Online, the Inquirer's World Wide Web site, at http://www.philly.com
Distributed by McClatchy-Tribune Information Services.
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