’Tis the season! There’s something magical about strolling down your town’s main street and seeing all the twinkling lights and holiday decorations lining the neighbourhood. Even more magical is how cozy your home starts to feel as soon as you put up the tree, menorah, sentiment ornaments, or any other symbolic accoutrements for the season.
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What’s not so magical? Dissembling 100 yards of string lights, figuring out what to do with the poinsettias, and finding a box big enough to fit the wreath. Figuring out the best way to store holiday decorations might just be the key to making the post-holiday slump that much more manageable. The good news is that there are tons of products and DIY projects that make storing your holiday decorations just a touch easier.
1. Use An Egg Carton To Store Ornaments
Well, an empty egg carton. Next time you’re picking up your weekly groceries, make sure you pick up extra-large eggs. The crates will be bigger, and therefore able to store your ornaments separately. Even more, if you’re someone that grabs your morning coffee at the neighbourhood shop, hold onto the cup holders you use to keep it from burning your hands. When sandwiched together, they’re great for storing bigger ornaments. You could also go the traditional route and buy a dedicated ornament organizer, like this one from Bed Bath & Beyond, or this one from Target.
2. Use A Hanger To Store Your Wreath
Don’t want to crush your carefully constructed wreath? If you don’t want to dish out $25+ on a bag made specifically for wreaths, just DIY it with a wire hanger: Bend the bottom around your Christmas wreath, then hang them as you would a sweater or dress keep their shape.
3. Use Plastic Wrap To Store Your Christmas Tree
Who wants to disassemble their readymade Christmas tree? Instead, if you use shrink wrap to carefully tuck away your tree, you’ll save space and time—both now, and next year, when it’s time to open it back up. Next year, just cut open the shrink wrap and fluff the branches back into places. Bonus points if you keep the lights hanging on it while in storage.
4. Use A Coffee Tin To Store String Lights
String lights are particularly challenging when it comes to storage—not only are they notoriously hard to detangle, but they’re also breakable. Just cut a slit on the clean plastic lid of a coffee can, push through the plug end of a string of lights, then wrap the rest of the lights around the outside of the can. This can also work with a paper towel roll in a pinch.
5. Use A Garment Bag To Store Wrapping Paper
No matter what you celebrate, you’re probably going to wrap *something* for someone in the next few weeks. Instead of just throwing all your wrapping paper into a closet to under a bed, keep them straight by storing them in a clear garment bag. If you’re looking for a full-service storage solution, this hanging organizer from Amazon can also store bows, scissors, ribbon, and every other item you’d need to wrap a gift.
6. Get Creative With Other Random Decorative Items
To protect stockings, table cloths, tree skirts, and other fabric decorations, a plastic vacuum-sealable bag will keep them safe from bugs, dust, and mould—and they’ll take their shape as soon as you open the bag next year.
7. Put Your Candles In Cardboard Tubes
Do you decorate with long candlesticks? Take a note from Martha herself: Wrap them with tissue paper, then slip them into a cardboard paper towel tube to keep them safe. Just be sure you keep them in a room-temperature location, lest they melt.
Lastly, be sure to take a picture when all of your decorations are up for you to refer to next year. You'd better be able to delegate decorating to other family members—or at the very least, have them help as you go. You’ll be amazed how much time this can save you. Happy decorating!
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