Christmas is a wonderous time of year, with a depressing after period. The turkey leftovers are used up, everyone’s thinking about how they didn’t stick to last years’ resolutions, and the decorations officially have to go away.
A few proactive steps can make the whole process less of a hassle. Remember pulling out boxes full of tangled items a couple of months ago? Wouldn’t you like to avoid that again? Then we’ve got the guide for you. Take a look at our tips for storing your Christmas decorations right.
Shrink wrap your tree
Isn’t it nice to pull out the Christmas tree and see all the white stuff float to the floor? No, not snow. Dust. Your tree’s been in an attic or cupboard for close to 11 months, which isn’t likely to see a duster. Besides, how are you supposed to get in between all those bristles? And then, God forbid there’s a leak in the attic, and your tree is damaged.
Make things easier this year by wrapping your tree in cling film. You can protect the tree and avoid the whole family sneezing as they put up the decorations.
Keep garlands in water bottles
All those tiny, conjoined bubbles of plastic are the worst thing to untangle. Wired earphones have nothing on these things that might simply pop and break if you pull too hard.
But garlands don’t have to be so difficult to store. Pour them into an old water bottle so that they’re compact enough to not move and get tangled again. They won’t be disturbed by anything else in the box that might cause them to break, and you need only tug one end to get them out without a fuss, or a fair bit of cussing as you tangle them.
Keep lights tangle free with cardboard
And then there are the Christmas lights! They’re more bulky and yet still prone to a long period of annoying untangling. Plus, the lights on the end inevitably get in the way as you’re trying to untangle them, resulting in a very frustrated Daddy who has to excuse himself while the kids decorate.
You can avoid this by wrapping Christmas lights around something. A piece of cardboard is particularly useful, as you can adjust the size. But other options include a hanger, a pole, or a large plastic bottle.
Rent a storage unit
Of course, you can make things a lot simpler too. If space is a major factor, you might want to find a storage unit. You can keep the bulky tree and all the boxes of trimmings in your storage unit all year long without having to worry about it. Your decorations will be well protected from the elements and any sticky hands inside the storage unit.
Plus, you can store as much as you want in there. Dip in in November to grab your winter coat and other seasonal wear and pick up the tree while you’re at it. There’s no fuss to getting into your unit. If you have the key, you can enter.
