No More Shattered Heirlooms! This Is the Right Way to Store Your Christmas Ornaments
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As exciting as it is to unwrap and hang the Christmas ornaments you’ve collected through the years, it’s a bummer to take them off your tree once the holiday has come and gone. Figuring out how to store Christmas ornaments so they stay safe and intact until the next holiday season can be even more of a headache — unless you have your storage method down to a science.
Anyone whose holiday traditions at home include decorating a Christmas tree has most likely devised their own unique system for storing the ornaments. Some may save the original packaging of each item and congregate these smaller boxes into one giant container. Others might wrap loose Christmas ornaments in newspaper and bubble wrap before sticking them in a cardboard box until next year. There are also Christmas ornament storage boxes designed specifically for this purpose — they're a great option for those who prefer a bit more structure.
How you store Christmas ornaments will ultimately depend on the size and material of the items in your collection. While there’s no one right way to go about it, there are a few best practices to keep in mind. We talked to two experts to learn the basics of how to store Christmas ornaments to keep your collection safe until next year's holiday.
Store Fragile Items Securely
If your collection includes lots of fragile ornaments (i.e., Christmas ornaments made of glass, porcelain, and/or easily scratched metal) take extra care to pack them so that they're as secure as possible.
“These should be stored in smaller boxes to minimize movement,” says Kathy Flynn, senior vice president of merchandising and creative at Personalization Mall. The less space your ornaments have to slide around in a box and risk breaking, the better.
While it's great if you can keep the original packaging of your most delicate ornaments, you can also purchase small corrugated boxes or a large storage container with dividers.
Use Snack Bags for Durable Materials
For sturdier ornaments made of fabric, plastic, or wood, clear snack bags offer an easy and affordable storage solution.
“This will make organizing them more efficient and help make decorating easier next year,” Flynn says. “Plus, the bags are also reusable!”
Snack bags are also useful because they allow you to see what you have at a glance, and you can sort the designs by color and style.
Always Add Cushioning
Making sure your Christmas ornaments are properly cushioned while in storage is a rule of thumb that applies to all Christmas ornaments, whether they're delicate or not.
For storebought ornaments, Flynn says that it's a good idea to save any original packaging to help ensure that the items stay safe while in storage. But if this packaging is long gone or never came with the item, she recommends wrapping the ornaments in tissue paper and bubble wrap “for added cushion” when packaging them away for the season.
Be Resourceful and Repurpose
Think twice before you toss a perfectly reusable container in the recycling bin — it could make for a great readymade Christmas ornament storage container!
Sarah Call, the founder of home goods brand Golden Yarrow, says that she repurposes items “like egg cartons for small bulbs, or sturdy shoeboxes” for storage.
“I often wrap up the breakables in my holiday textiles, too,” Call says. “They are easy to find for next year and also will keep delicate Christmas ornaments safe.”
Invest in Quality Containers
From large clear tubs with dividers to boxes made of fabric, there are plenty of Christmas ornament storage containers on the market to choose from.
Call favors “cheerful vintage boxes,” as they are not only designed to keep ornaments protected but “are easy to stack and store.”
On the other hand, if your collection comprises mostly sturdy, shatterproof ornaments, a sturdy cardboard box will suffice.
Be Careful With Bubble Wrap
Bubble wrap is one of the go-to protective coverings for storing Christmas ornaments, however, you want to be sure that you're using it the right way.
“A common mistake people make when storing a breakable item is that they wrap it with the bubbles of the bubble wrap toward the ornament,” says Flynn. “The bubbles should face outward as they are supposed to cushion the item from other objects.”
You heard it here first: When in doubt, face them out.
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