Good storage for Christmas decorations

Wouldn't it be great to have family tree decorations to hand down to future generations? In order to do just that you will need to make sure that you take good care of your decorations.

The vast majority of tree decorations around these days are practically unbreakable but they are the more run of the mill ones. Extra special tree decorations can still be a little delicate and even those that are tough may still start to look a little tatty without the necessary care.

Good storage of precious Christmas tree decorations can also:-
• Save you time as you will not have to keep shopping for new tree ornaments each year or wasting a huge amount of time decorating your tree as you will know exactly where everything is.
• Save you money as you will not have to purchase over and over again but rather just buy the odd new decoration.

So here are my tips for storing those little tree treasures
1- Always lightly dust your decorations as you take them down to put away for another year. This way they will be in pristine shape next Christmas with little effort.
2- You can just use cardboard boxes but it is better to pack in wooden boxes or crates if possible. If you use cardboard boxes make sure that they are tough and strong. It is often preferable to store the decorations in the original packaging; also, you never know, this way they could become valuable antiques someday.
3- Layer suitable tissue paper at the bottom of the box or an old blanket. Make sure though that there are no fibres which may snag the decorations.
4- Wrap each decoration in kitchen paper or soft tissue paper. This will prevent one decoration scratching the surface of others that are close by.
5- Layer more tissue paper between layers of the decorations.
6- Preferably use a box that has a tight fitting lid. If not make one yourself.
7- Try to ensure that the box is as airtight and as damp proof as possible.
8- Store the box or boxes of Christmas decorations somewhere that will be easy to access the next year but out of harm’s way. A loft which is not damp or regularly accessed may suit. This should mean there is no chance of the decorations getting broken by a silly accident.

Overall

As with anything precious that you want to protect a little thought goes a long way. When you look at how pretty but delicate some decorations are it is obvious that you need to take care of them.

I love my Christmas tree but I am a lazy decorator of it. All of my decorations are threaded with Christmas wrapping ribbon and tied with a generous loop. For the last few years these ribbons have been red, gold and green to match the decorations. This means that every year my decorations are already threaded and good to go. Every once in a while a change of ribbon is all that’s needed. There is really no need to but a different colour can alter the whole appearance of the tree and its decorations.

Amongst our home Christmas decorations there is one that was mine as a child, a few that were my mother-in-laws and even one that was my Grandma's which dates back to WWII. These may not look full of glitz or glamour but they are heart-warming at Christmas-time.