How to Pack Away Christmas

Via Michael Gill, Flickr

After the Christmas season, many of us are ready to see the decorations go. In my family, we like to have our Christmas decor packed up by New Years so we start the new year off fresh. Whatever your style, packing up Christmas can be a job in itself. Make things easy on yourself with these simple tips.

Before you pack up your decor, break them into categories. Separate your outdoor decor from your indoor decor, your Christmas tree ornaments and your decorative items, your holiday cards and your linens. This is a great time to go through the items you no longer love or are broken and give or throw them away.

Once you have these items categorized, pack them away in their appropriate boxes. Egg cartons are an excellent way to store small, special ornaments and protect them from getting broken. For larger ornaments, wrap them protectively in paper towel and, if you want, place them in paper cups to keep them organized. Once your boxes are packed, label your boxes to remind yourself what is in them for next year.

With your outdoor decorations, as you take down your Christmas lights, go through your lights and throw away any tangled or unusable lights. It is recommended Christmas lights be replaced every 3-4 years.