For many people, Christmas is their favorite holiday. It’s a time to get together with friends and family, to have an excuse to eat lots of delicious, calorific food and to break out the ornaments and lights that delight the eye. Unfortunately, when the holiday’s over, too many people don’t quite know how to store the decorations that make the season jolly and bright. Here are three of the most common mistakes when it comes to putting away those Christmas decorations.
Storing Everything in the Same Place
It is true that by the end of the holidays, you’re tired, and the temptation is just to take down all the decorations and toss them into boxes, then store the boxes somewhere in the closet. You’ll unsnarl everything next Christmas. This attitude is a mistake, however. Decorations need to be separated and labeled. It will not only save you the hassle of untangling everything next year, but separating decorations protects them. How many times have you looked for that beautiful glass ornament only to find it crushed to powder at the bottom of a box full of other stuff?
First, store like items with like items. Ideally, ornaments should go in their own felt-lined till, much like jewelry. If there are a great many, wrap them in bubble wrap to protect them.
Make sure to label every container, and if the items come with directions, put the directions in the box. This is especially true of artificial Christmas trees. No one knows how to put them together from memory.
Saving Food Items
The Christmas foods that you and your loved ones overindulged in should be saved like any other type of food. They should be put in airtight containers and stored in the pantry, or put in bags or containers and stored in the fridge or freezer. It’s sort of amazing that some folks forget that Christmas food is indeed food, and they store it with the Christmas decorations. Pests like cookies and Christmas candy as much as you do. These will act like a beacon to most kinds of roaches and could help start an infestation.
Keeping Everything
If you didn’t put up that lighted Santa Claus head this year, you’re probably not going to put it up next year. There’s no shame in donating decorations that have outlived their usefulness. You could even try to sell them in a yard sale. Regardless of what you do, get rid of it! Sometimes it is hard to part with our stuff, particularly if it was a gift. But remember, these items are supposed to bring a smile to your face, not clutter to your place. If it isn’t doing its job, it’s time for it to go.
Putting similar things together, protecting delicate objects, storing food properly and tossing decorations that are no longer used cuts down on clutter, discourages pests and makes every Christmas season that much more enjoyable.
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