Dec
25

Store Your Christmas Decorations the Right Way

The Christmas season is a time for food, family, decorations, and presents. But once all the festivities are over, and it's time to get back to real life, you may be wondering where to store the decorations you've taken down. There are several options that can work for your storage needs, but the best one could be a self storage unit. If you store your decorations properly they'll last for a lot of years. That way you can keep enjoying them each holiday season without worries over damage, insects, or other problems.

Proper storage can even make it easier to decorate the next time. When you aren't fighting balled-up tinsel and tangled lights you can decorate faster and reduce the chances of a frustrating experience. Here are some of the best ways to store decorations, so you can use them every year and enjoy decorating your home or business for the holiday season.

Getting Started is the Hardest Part

Sometimes getting started is the most difficult part of organizing things after the holidays. There are a lot of ornaments and strings of lights. There may also be other decorations like table toppers, Christmas villages, inflatables for the front yard, figurines, cards, and much more. Of course there's also the tree to put away if you have an artificial one. With all of those items to consider it's very important that you have enough space to keep them all safe and secure.

It's not just about the overall space though. It's also about the boxes, totes, and other containers you might use to store your decorations. If they aren't the right size or shape you can find that you aren't able to store things effectively. That could lead to an "I'll do it next year" attitude instead of going ahead and organizing things this holiday season. Even though it's not necessarily easy or fun to get started, once you start you'll find that it's much more enjoyable to have good decoration organization for your next holiday.

Using the Right Boxes Makes a Big Difference

The right boxes are among the most important considerations. Keep in mind that it doesn't actually have to be cardboard boxes if that's not what you want to use. There are plastic totes, tree bags, shrink wrap, dust covers, and even custom bags and boxes that can all be used to store the holiday decorations that are important to you. If you have heirloom items you need to handle more carefully you'll likely want to choose options that are more solid and secure than you would pick for less valuable decoration items.

Whether you choose cardboard, plastic, or a combination of several items the best course of action is to make sure you're using boxes that are the right size and shape. Sturdiness is also a consideration, especially if some of the items you use for decorating are fragile or heavy (or both). You don't want to have to shove on bin lids to get them closed, or try to fold the flaps on misshapen boxes that are overstuffed with holiday joy. Better boxes can cost a little more, but they're worth it for the protection they offer.

Make Tangled Lights a Thing of the Past

Christmas lights are the biggest source of frustration for a lot of people when they decorate for the holidays. No matter how carefully they're coiled up, they always seem to get tangled when it's time to hang them up the next year. But you can avoid issues with tangled lights when you store them the right way. A wire hanger bent into a square can be used to wrap lights around, so they don't tangle. If you don't have any wire hangers, you can make notches in a square piece of cardboard and do the same thing.

Then you can put the lights into a box without worrying about tangles and aggravation the next time you plan to use them. If you have a lot of lights that are strung together you can also use a hose holder. Just coil the lights up around the holder in the same way you would wrap up a hose. They can't tangle when they're wrapped up that way, so you can have peace of mind all year in knowing that you won't have a light fight on your hands when it's time to put the decorations up again.

Protecting Ornaments to Last for Years

Some of the ornaments you have may have been handed down through generations. They could be very precious to you and not something you just want to stick in a box for months at a time. There are ornament boxes you can buy that provide a divided space to place each ornament. That's much safer than just putting your ornaments loosely into a box, even if you wrap them individually. You can also put your ornaments back into their original boxes, but those boxes aren't designed for long-term storage.

They'll last for a couple of years, but after that they start to break down and come apart. That can put your ornaments at risk, so it's better if you choose sturdier boxes that are newer. When you buy boxes that are designed to hold ornaments you also have confidence that they're protected more fully if the box is accidentally dropped or if you set something on top of it. While it's not a guarantee, and ornaments can still get damaged, it's a great way to make sure you're protecting your ornaments well.

Good Storage Can Mean Easier Holidays

With good storage for your Christmas lights and decorations, you can have an easier and better holiday season. You'll be less frustrated, and it's also easier to decorate faster and more fully when you aren't untangling lights or trying to compensate for broken ornaments. A happy holiday season isn't dependent on decorations, but it can be a big part of the enjoyment for many people. It's worth taking some time to organize and store decorations properly, in order to keep it fun and cheerful for the next season.

When you choose a storage option for you decorations, make sure you have a climate-controlled space to store the boxes and bins. A storage unit is one of the best ways to keep your decorations safe and protected from harm, especially if you have a lot of them. If you put them in an attic or basement they can be subjected to too much heat and cold, along with dryness or moisture. But a climate-controlled unit helps you avoid all of that, so you don't have to worry about the health of your decorations.

Finding a good storage unit that's climate-controlled and the right size for your decorations doesn't have to be difficult, when you know where to look. The same is true for boxes, bins, and other storage solutions. You don't have to settle for anything less than the satisfaction of knowing your decorations will be accessible and ready to use for your next Christmas adventure. It's common to say that you're going to organize and store your decorations well, but a lot of people still don't. You can be the one who gets it done.

By Jerilyn Alvarez
Just a Georgia Peach looking to learn how business works one job at a time and trying to make a difference to others each day! Enjoy writing about everyday experiences and connecting with others. #Marketing #Blogging #CustomerRelationships #VolunteerService is what I am about. Pursuing a degree in Business Management specializing in Customer Relations Management. As a Marketing Assistant, Jerilyn manages all social media accounts for EZstorit, outreach for SEO and contributes to blog articles.