While Christmas decorating is a big job in itself, taking it all down now can seem much more daunting and much less fun. It is important to resist the strong urge to throw things into plastic containers and worry about it all next season, which of course, will just make next season’s decorating more frustrating. But don’t worry. You can master the Christmas Decoration clean-up and end the season as cheerfully as you began it.
Here’s how you can make the clean-up easier and next Christmas less stressful!
Use the “FedEx” Method to Organize Christmas Decorations
FedEx uses its famous “hub” model, where all packages ship to one location. There, they are sorted for distribution and delivery. This same method is great for organizing Christmas decorations!
I collect all the decorations from around the house (except the trees) and bring them to a central location. In my case, this is the kitchen table. Once gathered, I sort and re-group the decorations by type or by the room I typically put them in, or I just to store them in containers in a way that makes the most efficient use of the space. When I work with everything at once, I can see which decorations should be be retired or donated. I also start a running list of what I need for the following year.
Organize Tree by Tree
Once you have stored the Christmas decorations, start on the tree (or trees). I take the ornaments down first and individually wrap them in paper towels (if breakable) and then place into plastic zipper bags. While initially it may seem like a lot of paper and plastic zipper bags, I have used the same paper towels and bags for over ten years, with no broken ornaments!
Place the bags of ornaments in clear plastic storage containers. I typically group the ornaments by tree (I have three in total). The fancy ornaments for my larger tree go into two containers (I have a LOT of ornaments). Likewise, each of the two smaller trees has its own container, too. When you separate the ornaments in this way, it is more efficient to decorate the next season.
I use wired ribbon for the tree garland and toppers. Once the ornaments are packed, I carefully wind the ribbons, put them into plastic zipper bags, and place them in the containers as well. I wash the tree skirts or spot-cleane them and lay them on top for extra protection.
Lights
Last, I pack up the lights. I store all the lights in one container, combined with the extra boxes of lights that I have bought in case some don’t work next season. (This is a great time to stock up on lights as everything is on clearance!)
As I unwind the lights from the tree branches, I check them one more time by plugging each strand directly into a socket. I save those that don’t light fully to recycle. Many communities now offer a place to drop off Christmas lights for recycling through the month of January.
Finally I take the trees down and store them in their large nylon tree bags. Later, I’ll take down any outdoor lights or decorations and store them together in one container. This makes it easy to put everything back up next season.
It usually takes a day or two to take down and carefully store all of the Christmas decorations, particularly if I group them differently or do a purge of older, less-used decorations. But a thoughtful Christmas decoration clean up time is well-spent. Come next November, I will be able to decorate more quickly and enjoy the Christmas season that much longer!
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