How to Store Christmas Ornaments

The stress and commotion of the Christmas season starts with a whirlwind, and usually ends with complete exhaustion. As a result, the dismantling of Christmas trees can be a haphazard affair, with ornaments randomly stuffed into cardboard boxes and shopping bags and shoved into the backs of closets or attics. This can lead to damage and loss of items, and makes the decorating next year that much more difficult and time-consuming as you sift through the mess.

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Storage space (cool, dry place)
• Plastic storage bins, preferably airtight
• Tissue paper or paper towels
• Bubble wrap (optional)
• Holiday divided bins (optional)
• Labels or gift tags

1. When purchasing new ornaments, retain the original boxes. The manufacturer creates packaging that's specially formed for the ornaments and includes bubble wrap and other materials to protect against damage. It's easiest to make use of that packaging to protect your ornaments, and boxes are much easier to stack and store than individual ornaments.

2. When repacking your ornaments after use, do not remove the hooks you used to hang them. It will make hanging ornaments the following year much easier and limits the need for having that box of hooks that always ends up in a tangled mess. For more delicate ornaments, store the hook in the box but away from the ornament itself, to prevent scratching.

3. Purchase a plastic storage bin larger than what you need, to allow for new ornaments you acquire in the future. An airtight bin is best, especially if you need to store ornaments in a basement or attic. If you need a large bin (and have room to store it), buy one with wheels to make transporting it easier. See Tips and Warnings.

4. Pack all of your ornament boxes into the bin so they fit snugly together. Any spaces left open can allow for shifting and possible damage to your ornaments. Globe ornaments that are merely resting in plastic forms should be packed right side up, but ornaments packed tightly with Styrofoam and bubble wrap inside can be placed in any direction they best fit. See Tips and Warnings.

5. All loose ornaments should be individually wrapped in tissue paper or paper towels. (You can reuse the crinkled tissue from gift bags and boxes!) Bubble wrap can be used if necessary, but it's much bulkier and takes up a lot more of the storage space.

6. Loose ornaments should be placed in a sturdy storage box or bin, which can then be placed inside the larger bins with the other boxed decorations.

7. 
   Choose ornament bins with divided storage.

   For best results, purchase special holiday storage bins that have divided levels or drawers. These come with special grid inserts that allow you to place individual ornaments in their own segments, protected from the items around them. See Tips and Warnings.

8. When buying storage bins, buy in red and green colors to make it easy to identify your holiday boxes in the closet or other storage area.

9. Label existing bins or boxes on the top and front. Festive gift tags or labels can be used to make boxes instantly identifiable as Christmas decorations.

10. Store items in a cool, dry place. Ornaments are only needed once a year, so ornament bins don't need to be as easily accessible as other stored items. If possible, make enough space so all holiday bins can be stored together.

Tips & Warnings

• If you must store ornaments in a damp or temperature-fluctuating area, buy sturdy, airtight containers with locking lids. Painted globe ornaments often tarnish in these conditions, so if possible, remove these more sensitive items and store in a climate-controlled location.
• Loose ornaments stored in special grid compartments may still shift and roll. If you have particularly delicate ornaments, wrap in a sheet of tissue paper or a paper towel before placing in the segment to help prevent shifting.
• Don't buy a bin bigger than you can lift! Remember, the bins will be much heavier when packed full with all of your ornaments. If you need a lot of storage, buy stackable bins in smaller sizes instead of one large bin.
• Don't fill storage bins all the way to the top, especially if bins will be stacked! The lids can depress and crush ornaments on the top. Use tissue paper as a cushion between the lid and top ornaments. (Alternately, you can store your soft garland or fabric decorations between the ornaments and lid.)

[ValerieDavid]

on 1/21/2009 Jenny, typically the inserts are made up of two different lengths of cardboard strips with notches in them. One size will fit the length of the box, the other the width. Take one piece with the notches up, then take another with the notches down and slide the notches together to lock them in place. When you lock all the pieces together, it should look like a tic-tac-toe grid. Hope this helps.

[JennyCup]

on 1/19/2009 Does anyone know how to put together those grid inserts? I bought 3 ornament boxes that have the cardboard inserts but no instructions on how to put them together. They have red lids and are from Lowes. Any help would be appreciated.

[CCrock]

on 1/8/2008 Perfect, I am just in the middle of packing away my christmas decorations and this article came in handy!