After enjoying the festive period all too soon it's time to take down the Christmas decorations and pack them away for next year.  It's quite possible that you have already noticed broken or damaged items and ignored them in the rush to decorate your Christmas tree and adorn your house with the garlands and ornaments you have accumulated over the years.  

Very possibly, you were amazed at how many decorations you have - your initial stash will have grown exponentially since you decorated your first home - as fashions change and you change your colour schemes, receive decorations as gifts from friends and family, buy more yourself as you just can't resist and keep sentimental items from your or your children's childhood. 

So, how do you go about storing your Christmas decorations safely to avoid damage and in an organised fashion so you know what you have and reduce the space taken up?

Step 1 - Declutter

Before you start to pack away the decorations, look through everything you have and discard any that are broken or damaged - be honest, you will never used them.  Then the next question is whether you actually need any particular item again - if the answer is no, then sell, donate or discard. 

Step 2 - Categorise

You can categorise the storage of your Christmas decorations in whichever way works for you, for example by type of decoration (tree adornments, candles, ornaments, lights etc) or by room, so that you don't need to remember or recreate the decoration of each room each year. 

Step 3 - Invest in proper storage

As you will be using the storage for your Christmas decorations for most of the year, it is worthwhile investing in proper storage that is sturdy and suitable for the job and keeps your precious decorations safely avoiding damage and breakages.  It is also ideal if you buy the same range of boxes so they are stackable to save space.  Also, remember to label each container so you know what is in there. 
Here are some suggestions for some of the Christmas items you will own:
1. Christmas baubles - use a layered ornament container using tissue paper in the gaps to prevent breakage. 
2. Christmas lights - use reels to avoid having to deal with tangled strands of lights next year.  It is a good idea to label the length and where it was used. 
3. Wreaths - use a wreath case to avoid crushing the wreath. 
4. Gift wrapping - use proper storage long enough to keep your Christmas wrapping paper and smaller boxed for ribbons and gift tags etc. 

Suggestions for storage solutions
1. Really Useful Products (www.reallyusefulproducts.co.uk) Plastic containers which are stackable and in a wide variety of shapes and sizes.  Suitable for storing all types of Christmas decorations. 
2. Ram Stores (www.ramstores.co.uk) Provides storage solutions for Christmas tree storage, decorations, wreaths and give wrapping. 
3. ArkCamp (available on Amazon) One of the options of Christmas bauble storage boxes available. 
4. Christmas light reels - various brands available on Amazon. 

Step 4 - Separate your Christmas gift wrapping
As Christmas gift wrapping items are seasonal, it's a good idea to separate these from your other wrapping paper supplies that you need throughout the year for birthdays etc so you don't need to sort through looking for what you need. Also, it's a good idea to categorise your Christmas paper, bows, ribbon and gift tags into boxes- this will help you keep track of what you have and avoid unnecessary purchases and expense. 

Step 5 - Keep Christmas pillows, blankets and table linen fresh
Clean all the Christmas soft furnishing items before packing these away. Always store in an airtight container to avoid dust, mould or mildew, as your storage location might be subject to varying temperatures throughout the year. 

Step 6 - Christmas card memories
There will be no need to keep all the Christmas cards you have received each year, but there will be some with special messages and letters that you will want to keep.  For those cards you wish to discard, put to recycling; for those you wish to keep you could organise these by year by placing in plastic wallets and storing in an airtight storage box to avoid yellowing or dampness. 

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