How to Keep Holiday Decorations in Good Condition?

The winter holidays are gone, and we need to take the good with the bad. Yes, we are back at work, and there are no public holidays in sight for the next three months, but hey, at least Mariah Carey, Dean Martin and Wham had finally shut up… at least for a year.

Keep Holiday Decorations in Good Condition:

So, while Christmas is already gone, we all have one final task before we close that chapter – cleaning up. This doesn’t mean just taking away all the garbage our New Year’s Eve guests have accumulated, but taking off all our holiday decorations and carefully storing them for next winter.

Now, there are several ways to do that, but if you want to keep your holiday decoration in good condition and enjoy it for more than 2-3 seasons, you should follow these nine steps very carefully. Let’s begin. 

Declutter your decorations each year

Getting a new toy each year is part of the holiday celebrations. Whether you found a fantastic new toy on the Christmas market or someone in the office who had no idea what to get you for secret Santa had purchased one for you, it does not matter. The fact is that each year you get at least one new ornament to put on your three or home. Naturally, over time you will have so many toys that you will start wondering where to put them.

However, a good idea is to retire some of your decorations after the end of the holiday season. When taking down your decoration, make a conscious decision whether to keep each ornament or not. For example, you might want to get rid of some old toys whose colours have already faded. Or you might have broken a piece or two while hanging the decoration. Make sure you go through everything you own and decide whether to keep it.

Get the needed supplies

Just like you needed supplies when decorating your home, now you need supplies to take it off. Naturally, most of it you already have in your home. Still, ensure you have enough boxes, zip ties and everything else you will need to put your decoration away. Then, if need be, make a quick run to the store, although if that isn’t your first rodeo, you’re probably already prepared. So, before you go ahead, lay down your supplies based on your action plan. For example, if you get all the decorations in your living room first, then take your zip ties, boxes and everything else there and make enough room to wrap the glass toys securely without any risk of breaking them.

Categorise the holiday items

Speaking of an action plan, you must choose how to categorise your items. There are several ways to go in this regard. Some prefer to put similar things together. For example, all Christmas lights go together, as do all snowmen, Santas, etc. The other common categorisation strategy is by the decoration’s location.

This means that all your ornaments from the bedroom would go in one spot, no matter if it’s lights, snowmen, garlands or anything else. It depends on your preferences and how you prefer to put your decoration on. Yes, next year, you will have to put the same items back on your tree, windows and doors, so you better categorise based on that. So, if you have a strict plan and place the same ornaments at the same spots each year, then classifying by location is the way to go. On the other hand, if you go each year with a different decoration, you better organise your storage based on item types.

Take care of the Christmas tree

If you use an artificial Christmas tree, you’d need to store it for next winter properly so it would look just as stunning. Naturally, that’s the largest thing you’ll need to store, so it deserves a special place. When preparing your tree for storage, ensure you’ve removed all toys, lights and garlands. A forgotten glass ornament will break once you fold the three.

We’d suggest avoiding using the original box of the tree, as it will deteriorate and most likely damage the tree in the long run. You can never fold the tree to factory standards so that it can fit right in the same box. So better take a Christmas tree bag and put it inside. You can place a cotton ball soaked in some essential oils like peppermint, lavender or other natural pest repellants to avoid losing your tree to pests.

Finally, keep your tree upright. Otherwise, it will get squashed on one side.

Organise the ornaments safely

Ornaments, especially glass ones, are the most fragile part of your decoration, so it stands to reason to give them a bit more time and be extra careful. You can go one of several ways with those ornaments. You can put them in their original boxes, which, however, would take you much more space.

You can also buy a new dedicated ornament box, which will save you space, but waste you some money, or you can go ahead and do your own ornament box or wrap each ornament carefully and place them all in the same box. Naturally, this will save you space and money, but it will take time. What you will do depends entirely on you. Make sure the fragile ornaments are on top, while those made of plastic or wood are at the bottom of the pile.

Gather garlands properly

When it comes to Christmas, garlands should be what bad kids get as presents. Unfortunately, while they are beautiful and bring some holiday joy, they are indeed the bane of holiday decorations. No matter the type, they tangle easily and are almost impossible to untangle. Do yourself a favour, take them off and store them carefully, so you’ll have it easier next year.

The best way to go about garlands is to simply loop them, as you’d do with your hose. You can even use a rope or a smaller garland to tie them up at the end. Then, put them in a plastic bag so they don’t get tangled with one another and press them down so the air can escape. Yes, this will take a bit more supplies, but the end result is worth it.

Sort the string lights

String lights are much like garlands, only a bit more frustrating to deal with. All you need is a moment of absentmindedness, and soon you will find yourself with a giant ball of wires all tangled together like a cat’s furball. The best solution here is to purchase a wind-up wheel for your lights, but if you can’t afford it, a simple rectangular cardboard will do the trick. Just wrap the lights around the cardboard and place them in a box or a bag. Either way, it will become relatively small and easy to store.

Storing Christmas wreaths

Christmas wreaths are gorgeous, and we often want to keep them the whole year around. Still, society dictates that we must keep our doors beautiful for only about 3 weeks every year. Otherwise, you look weird. Wreaths are the easiest to store. All you need is an S-shaped hook to hang them in the closet. Or, if they are not as fragile, you can also store them in a separate box, carefully wrapped in plastic or bubble wrap.

Choose your storage destination carefully

Finally, you need to choose where to store your Christmas decorations. If you have an attic or a basement, that’s an excellent place to start. Don’t put them directly on the floor in case of a flood, and keep them away from heat sources like heaters or boilers.

Still, if the decoration is big enough, consider hiring a storage unit or space where you can put them until next Christmas. Typically good storage service providers will offer you the perfect solution to your needs. Furthermore, more often than not, storage unit conditions are far better than any self-storage solution you might have.

Follow these nine tips to ensure your Christmas decoration is as beautiful as it was this year.