The Aftermath
After the stockings are hung by the chimney with care, after decking the halls with boughs of holly, comes the after-Christmas quandary: After taking it down, where should all of this stuff go?
For many of us, it’s difficult to find room in a cramped closet or overstuffed attic for boxes of holiday decorations. Plus, if not stored properly, those treasured ornaments will break, wreaths will become crushed, strings of lights hopelessly tangled.
Have no fear, urged organization expert Maria Gracia, who runs the Web site www.getorganizednow.com. Taking a few simple steps will ensure that your Christmas decorations are well-preserved and efficiently stored.
First, choose one area of the house in which you will stow away decorations, Gracia said.
“A lot of people make the mistake of storing them in different places in the house,” which makes for much confusion when holiday time arrives again, she said. Rummaging all over the house to find your Santa Claus salt-and-pepper shakers does not a merry Christmas make.
Gracia recommended storing decorations in Rubbermaid or plastic boxes that will stack easily and resist moisture or crushing, unlike cardboard boxes.
To protect delicate ornaments, Gracia suggested purchasing special holiday ornament boxes, which have dividers to keep the ornaments separated and padded. The boxes are available on The Container Store’s Web site at www.containerstore.com.
For those people pinching pennies, Rosa Guel, Cameron County, Texas, extension agent in family resources, has another suggestion — use egg cartons for the smaller ornaments.
Wrapping ornaments in tissue paper also will protect them from breakage and moisture, Guel said.
Gracia suggested wrapping breakable ornaments in bubble paper or newspaper.
For holiday wreaths, Gracia recommended storing them in plastic bags. Punch a hole in the middle and tape the hole shut around the center of the wreath, then hang up the wreath using fabric or rope. That way, the wreath will stay full and won’t be crushed, she said.
It may seem obvious, but another way to avoid unpleasant surprises next year — in the form of broken ornaments — is to pack boxes with heavy decorations on the bottom and light decorations on the top, Guel said.
And then there’s that artificial Christmas tree. Gracia said it’s best to store it in its original box, if you still have it. If not, she suggested buying a Christmas tree bag, available at many department and hardware stores and on www.containerstore.com. It can be tough to find enough room for the entire tree, but try to keep it stored together, she said.
“We store it under the stairs in our basement,” Gracia said. “My parents, for another example, always used to store theirs in the garage on the beams.”
If you must separate the tree portions, be sure and label which one is the top, middle and bottom, Guel said.
“Otherwise, it gets really confusing,” she said.
As for storing Christmas lights, Gracia said the best strategy to keep them tangle-free is to wrap the strings of lights around a piece of cardboard, with a slit cut in the end for the plug.
Guel suggested tying individual strings with string or rubber bands to keep them from becoming tangled with one another and putting each string in a plastic bag.
Oh, and don’t forget to label, label, label, Gracia and Guel said.
“Label everything if possible,” Guel said.
If you’re hoping to declutter a bit while stowing away decorations, consider whether you really want to keep all of those decorations for future years, Gracia said. Consider those decorations’ sentimental value in your decision. For example, if you’ve accumulated way too many ornaments, you might consider donating store-bought ornaments while keeping the ones others have given to you, she said.
“Only keep those ornaments that have special meaning to you,” she said.
Gracia suggested donating decorations you no longer want to hospitals or nursing homes.
“It’s a good idea if you have decorations you don’t need anymore,” she said.
After shedding some of the unwanted decorations, it’s time to hit the post-Christmas sales and, well, buy more decorations. (Hey, no one will blame you — at many stores, prices for decorations are slashed by at least 50 percent). When shopping the post-holiday sales, look for more compact decorations or ones that can fold and store easily to avoid becoming overrun by clutter, Gracia suggested.
By shopping sensibly and storing effectively, your future holidays can be simple and lovely, experts concluded.
Here’s to future merry uncluttered Christmases.