Christmas Ornament Storage Basics

Decorating the Christmas tree is a yearly traditionround ornaments. If you have oddly shaped
many families relish. Often times, we have largedecorations; however, apple cases may not work
collections of ornaments we have acquired overso well.
the years, each with a special sentimental valueThere are commercially available ornament
because it reminds us of a particular person,storage containers, some of which can work quite
place, or time in our lives. When the holidays arewell. It's important to look for something that
over, the tree and decorations are packed away,provides plenty of padding. If you have
with many of us not putting a lot of thought intodecorations in a variety of odd shapes and sizes,
the way we store these valuable collections.you'll also want something that allows for such
Haphazardly tossing fragile decorations into a boxvaried types of ornaments. Hard containers can
is a recipe for disaster, yet this is what a lot ofwork well, provided they have some insulation or
us do. In this article, we'll cover the basics of howpadding on the inside. If you choose a hard
to properly store a collection of Christmascontainer that is lacking such padding, you can
ornaments so as to prevent damage and protectalways add it yourself by purchasing some
your investment.inexpensive pieces of foam at a craft store and
Christmas ornaments will need to be storedcutting to the right sizes. Soft sided storage bags,
differently depending on type. Plastic or woodenon the other hand, provide the benefit of padding
pieces, for example, won't require as muchthat's built in.
padding and protection as glass. One option forIf you've never taken an inventory of your
less fragile items is to arrange a single layer in aornaments in the past, take the time to do so
storage box or bin with a large, flat bottom. Next,this year before storing them all away. Document
place some pieces of used tissue paper or blankeach valuable item that you have, preferably with
newsprint over the top, and start a new layer.a receipt and photograph. If you have a very
Repeat this process until the box is full.large collection, make it easy on yourself by
For delicate glass decorations, or those that mightarranging the decorations on a tabletop or white
scratch if they rub together, alternative storagesheet and photographing groups of 10 to 20 at a
methods will be needed. One method is to wraptime. When you're done, take the documentation
each ornament individually in tissue paper beforeto your insurance agent, so they can add the
storing away, although this is time consuming.collection to your homeowner's insurance policy. In
Some ornament collectors use the original boxesthe event of a fire or theft, you'd be very glad
for storage, which usually provides goodto have such coverage in place.
protection and can help maintain the value of eachChristmas ornament storage may not be
piece. However, if the boxes are not needed forsomething you've thought about in the past, but
value purposes, you can usually save space byit's never too late to implement a new system.
getting rid of them and finding an alternateKeeping your decorations clean and safe is also a
storage container.way of protecting your investment in them. While
For those in need of an inexpensive option forit can be initially time consuming, providing good
storing glass ornaments, consider stopping bystorage solutions for your holiday ornaments is
your local grocery store and asking the producewell worth the effort and will pay you back over
department for some apple cases. Apple casestime with a collection that remains in pristine
are cardboard boxes fitted with honeycomb stylecondition.
dividers, and they are ideal for holding traditional