Storing your Christmas Decorations

January 6 marks the traditional day to pack away your Christmas tree for another year. Decorations can be a mix of memories and treasures – and come in odd shapes and sizes – so should be stored with care to preserve them for as long as possible.

Storing ROUND Christmas decorations

If you don’t have the original packaging use a showboat and other box that you can divide into compartments. Decoration and cart organisers from craft shops can work well too. Use tissue paper to wrap each decoration and fit them snuggly into each compartment

Storing your Christmas Wreath

A hat box will work a treat – or hang them on the back of a cupboard or the spare bedroom door with a wire hanger. Place a dry-cleaner or large plastic garbage bag to protect it from dust. It will then be ready for next Christmas – ready to hang and display.

Storing Christmas lights

The cardboard tubes from kitchen foil and plastic wrap are perfect to wrap and roll your christmas light strings as you pull them down from the tree – no mining of wires and easy to unroll for next Christmas. Then store the rolled up lights in a plastic container to keep moisture away from your lights.

Storing flat hanging decorations

Wrap each flat decoration in tissue paper and stack in a shoebox. Don’t forget to label the box so you know what’s inside.

Storing your Christmas candles

If yo have the room – the best place to store your candles is in the fridge – this will help them burn slower, last longer, when you’re ready to use them. If that doesn’t work for you, wrap them in cellophane and find a cool place in your house to keep them. Wrapping them individually in cellophane will keep them from transferring colour or melting together in the summer months storage.

Storing those oddly shaped decorations

These can be tricky… wrap each decoration in tissue paper, then a layer of bubble wrap, and place gently in a plastic storage box. Place layers of bubble wrap around and between decorations as you place them in the box. Don’t forget to label the box so you remember what’s in there when ready for next Christmas.

Storing your Advent Calendars

If your Advent Calendar is made of fabric, fold and store it in the top of the box with your oddly shaped decorations. If its made of paper or cardboard, wrap in bubble wrap and store flat in a cupboard. You can store small, loose pieces in the pockets of your Advent Calendar.

Storing the Christmas Table dinner set and pieces

Make next year as easy as possible for yourself – store all your fine Christmas dining pieces in one place, the napkins, china and centrepieces. Stack and store according to size.

And don’f forget – when you unwrap your decorations and prepare the tree for next Christmas, carefully flatten the tissue paper and bubble wrap to use again to wrap, store and care for your Christmas treasures and memories.