Be sure to Organize Your Christmas Decorations Before Your Move
Tips for Protecting Your Christmas Treasures
Imagine opening a box of your priceless Christmas decorations and finding that most are loose and some are broken. You were sure that you had packed them well last Christmas, but suddenly, you remember that you were in a hurry and had to toss some of your best decorations quickly into a box and close the lid.
Christmas decorations can be extremely fragile, and they are always in a wide variety of odd shapes. Couple this with the fact that packing them is a time-intensive project, and it’s no wonder that organizing and packing decorations can be last on your to-do list.
Get Ready for Your Move
Now, you are moving, and you instantly know that if you don’t do something, most of what you have could be lost—broken bulbs and ornaments, tangled string lights and tinsel, chipped ceramic figures. The holiday-themed mugs you take out once a year for hot chocolate could be lost.
While you may want to pack other things first, organizing and properly packing your Christmas decorations is just as important. You probably won’t have to redo everything in your boxes, but there will be some things you want to include on your fragile care item list.
Organization First
The first step that is true for most packing is to declutter. Let go of those decorations that no longer work, are out of date, or you don’t have room for in your new home.
- Toss items with broken pieces.
- Give away items you no longer display. (If you have not used it in a year or two, chances are you won’t use it in a new home!)
- Throw away lights that no longer work. This one is huge because before you know it, you can have a storage bin full of tangled lights—some of which no longer work. Also, there can be lights that are different colors or faded colors. Toss those.
- Let go of anything that doesn’t look good with the rest of your decorations.
Just as a note: letting go of decorations that no longer fit your needs does not mean tossing them in the trash. You can donate your gently used decorations to Goodwill, Habitat for Humanity and their Restore, or the Salvation Army.
Holiday decorations often have sentimental value. When decluttering your decorations, focus less on where it came from and more on what value it brings to your life.
Packing Holiday Decorations 101
Regardless of what time of year you are moving, take the extra time to pack correctly. Pack your decorations carefully and you won’t be disappointed when you open them up at your new house. Here are a few tips that can help you prepare for your move and also for the next holiday season.
Ornaments can be the most difficult to organize and pack during a move or even as you put them away for the season. This is due to their odd sizes and delicate nature. The best way to pack ornaments is to wrap each one individually and carefully. Some people choose to place their very special collectibles in separate boxes. Save any boxes that special ornaments came in and reuse those to repack.
Artificial Christmas Trees Most trees come packed tightly in a box. Make sure you have it for repacking and moving. Even though it can be difficult to repack, it is the right size for your artificial tree. Go backward from the steps you took to unpack it, bundling up each branch and getting the tree as straight as you can. Then, with some muscle or additional help, you can repack it.
Wreaths can be difficult to pack. Consider using a larger packing box and plenty of crushable paper layered in between each wreath. Some people pack each wreath in an individual box and then put those boxes in a larger box with plenty of cushioning. Careful handling can preserve faux berries, pinecones, and other ornaments.
Outdoor Decorations Original boxes can be difficult to save. You need a special set-aside place to store your decorations. Dry basements and attics work. Just remember the changes in temperatures can affect what you have packed away. Place your outdoor decorations back in their original boxes and seal them up for the following season. If you have tossed these, you probably need to make a trip to Home Depot or Lowes to purchase larger boxes.
Holiday Lights (Indoor and Outdoor) The worst thing you can do is toss strings of lights in a box without carefully rolling them. They will get tangled! Before you pack your lights in a large box, think about how you will unpack them the following year. Generally, you want to keep all of your strands of stringed lights separate to reduce the risk of them wrapping around each other. Many people use a larger roller to wrap these up.
Garland (artificial) needs to be treated like artificial Christmas trees—arranged properly for optimal storage in boxes and moving. That includes folding up branches to get the garland as straight and uniform as possible.
Protecting Your Christmas Decorations: Avoid Breakage and Tangling
Fragile Items Within each of your groupings, you’re going to want to separate the fragile products that will need a little bit of extra TLC for proper packing. Still, keep similar items grouped together — all your breakable village houses together, all your breakable general decor together, etc.
Remember that something doesn’t have to be glass or ceramic to be considered breakable. Many holiday decorations have tiny, intricate pieces that require special care when organizing and packing. In general, if you’re worried it could get broken in storage, you should put it into a breakables pile.
At the very least, these fragile piles will consist of:
- Glass and Ceramic (Treat your glass decorations like you would your fine glass )
- Beaded items
- Most of your ornaments
- String lights with glass bulbs
Not sure if something is fragile? Be safe instead of sorry and put it into a breakables pile.
Antique Glass décor All additional glass, ceramic, and other types of figurines should be packed and stored in the same way you would pack any fragile item. Use bubble wrap and plenty of packing paper to keep your fragile decor safe during storage or a move.
Gift Wrapping Supplies: You don’t need your Santa wrapping paper out all year! Thankfully, there are large plastic containers made for storage of wrapping paper and ribbons and even your unused gift boxes. Store your holiday wrapping supplies in these and you’ll be ready for the next year.
Holiday Items like dish towels and mugs, your family’s stockings, menorahs, kinaras — all of these items need to be organized and packed up correctly. Organization is especially key here since you may want to pull out some items earlier than others. After all, some people begin to use their holiday coffee mugs on Thanksgiving!
Gather Your Storage Containers and Boxes
Not sure whether you should use plastic containers or cardboard boxes? Typically, the best answer is strong see -thru plastic. Plastic containers in various sizes provide a bigger barrier between your items and the environment and can best protect your decorations from moisture and dust. Plus, they are stackable and easy to store.
Cardboard will break down quickly and can be crushed in time.
At Lambert Moving Systems, we understand that each move is unique and requires personalized attention. That is why we take the time to understand your specific requirements and tailor our services accordingly. From packing and loading to transportation and unloading, our dedicated team will handle every step of the process with utmost care and precision. Call or Schedule an Appointment to experience excellence.
Are you in the market for a mover in Alabama? Lambert Moving Systems is one of the top companies for moving in Alabama. We’ve been around for 90 years. Find your location below to get in touch now!
Photo by Acton Crawford on Unsplash
