Get It Done: Store Decorations and Tidy Up Postholidays
Move on to New Year's with a clear conscience, knowing you've recycled thoughtfully and packed carefully to make setup next year easy
Houzz Contributor. Hi There! I currently live in a 1920s cottage in Atlanta that I'll describe as "collected."
I got into design via Landscape Architecture, which I studied at the University of Virginia. I've been writing about design online for quite a few years over at Hatch: The Design Public Blog.
Houzz Contributor. Hi There! I currently live in a 1920s cottage in Atlanta... More »
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I began writing this as I still had gifts left to wrap, which makes sense, because in my family we start recycling and cleaning up as we open gifts. (That sounds like a drag, but it's not, I swear!) The recycled Christmas card gift tags, the organized papers, the recycling bin bursting with paper and the urge to pop bubble wrap made me think of how I was going to get everything put away and ready to go for next year. Here are some tips for good ways to recycle, repurpose, get organized, minimize the disarray and get the entire holiday mess cleaned up quickly for the new year.
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Take Down and Store Holiday Decorations
Approximate time: 4 to 5 hours; this job can be done in separate segments — storing and organizing wrapping supplies, taking down the tree, putting away decorations.
Materials needed: Storage boxes for ornaments, lights and wrapping supplies; cleaning supplies for wrapping station, broom, dustpan, vacuum, scissors, hole punch.
Approximate time: 4 to 5 hours; this job can be done in separate segments — storing and organizing wrapping supplies, taking down the tree, putting away decorations.
Materials needed: Storage boxes for ornaments, lights and wrapping supplies; cleaning supplies for wrapping station, broom, dustpan, vacuum, scissors, hole punch.
by Angela Liguori
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1. Recycle wrapping supplies. Take the wrapping paper and tissue paper that you won't reuse to the recycling bin. The same goes for any torn cardboard boxes that you cannot use again as well as cardboard wrapping paper cores. Most recycling programs will take wrapping paper and cardboard boxes along with the newspaper.
by spacesprit
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2. Organize and store reusable wrapping supplies. Take the reusable wrapping supplies and get them organized for next year right away. Flatten and fold gift bags so that they all fit together in the largest one, collect wrapping fabrics and ribbons, fold or roll up the bubble wrap and gather up gift boxes for another year. In my family we take present-opening breaks and take turns schlepping this stuff up to the attic as we go along. It is so much easier than having to take 10 trips in a row when it's all over.
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3. Leave your gift station in good working order. If you are lucky enough to have a gift station, you've probably left it a wreck after doing so much wrapping. Toss old ribbon reels into the recycling bin, throw out unusable scraps, put away your scissors, tape and other supplies, and tighten up the papers. Give the surfaces a good cleaning and feel good knowing it will be all ready the next time you need it.
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4. Get those presents mailed. If you have adults visiting from out of town who need their gifts mailed back to their homes, leave out mailing cartons, shipping tape, bubble wrap and labels for them and let them do up their own boxes — you've been working hard enough. If you have a printer, you can print out labels at USPS.com and leave the boxes out at your own mailbox for pickup by your postal carrier.
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by Fig. 2 Design
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| 5. Reuse those holiday cards. As you take down your holiday cards, enjoy the notes from long-lost friends and loved ones one last time, then get out the scissors. Check to make sure there isn't any writing behind it, then cut out a fun holiday scene from the card. Punch a hole in the corner and you have a unique gift tag for a present for next year. This is a very old-fashioned thing to do, and I just love it. I keep mine gathered in a clear zip-top bag and store them with my gift wrapping supplies. |
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6. Take down live greens. These can get very dry and become a fire hazard, so it's best to take them down as soon after the holidays as possible. Some towns may allow you to put them out with the Christmas tree; you can also add them to your own mulch pile outside.
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7. Take down the tree. This is the biggest postholiday bummer of all. My mother tells me that when I was a little girl, after they took down the Christmas tree, I would cry and go lie next to it on the curb.
Anyway, if your tree is fake, you can take it down whenever you feel like it. If I had this pink tree, I might just leave it up until July. If your tree is live, check and see when your town will be providing tree pickup. Lots of towns turn the trees into mulch or use them for erosion control. Your tree should not miss out on these exciting post-Christmas opportunities.
Anyway, if your tree is fake, you can take it down whenever you feel like it. If I had this pink tree, I might just leave it up until July. If your tree is live, check and see when your town will be providing tree pickup. Lots of towns turn the trees into mulch or use them for erosion control. Your tree should not miss out on these exciting post-Christmas opportunities.
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7a. Remove ornaments. First go get all of your ornament wrapping and storage stuff. Original boxes, like the one these balls came in, can be great for storing for many years.
Go slowly and carefully. Add all necessary bubble wrap or tissue for delicate ornaments and make sure they are nestled safely away.
Go slowly and carefully. Add all necessary bubble wrap or tissue for delicate ornaments and make sure they are nestled safely away.
by Organize-It
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Specialized ornament storage containers like these seem kind of silly until you actually use them on December 26. That is when you realize they are the best invention on earth.
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7b. Remove the lights. This is not nearly as unpleasant as putting up the lights. There are also nifty storage units for lights like this one that will make putting them up infinitely more pleasant next year. Some people like to wrap them around paper towel cardboard cores. Do whatever works best for you.
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7c. Clean and store the tree stand. Wipe off sap and make sure the tree stand is clean and dry before putting it away.
by Ballard Designs
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7d. Wash your Christmas tree skirt. Sap is tough; I recommend a trip to the dry cleaner for your Chistmas tree skirt.
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7e. Clean up needles. Do as much as you can with the broom and dustpan so as not to clog up the vacuum. Then, when everything else is put away, give the floor a good vacuuming.
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8. Store the rest of it. After the last holiday dish has come out of the dishwasher, get all of your decorations put away. I highly recommend keeping all of this stuff in one place, whether that means a wire rack shelf in your attic or a dedicated section of a linen closet. If you have a deep cabinet or closet, or one that goes up high, store your decorations in those hard-to-reach places. You'll need to reach them only once a year, and they will make good use of the extra space.
Now that you've cleaned up, you've got some room to start thinking about those New Year's resolutions. Tell us: What kinds of projects would you like some help with in 2013? We'll try to help.
More ways to declutter after the holidays
Now that you've cleaned up, you've got some room to start thinking about those New Year's resolutions. Tell us: What kinds of projects would you like some help with in 2013? We'll try to help.
More ways to declutter after the holidays
Ideabook published on Dec. 30, 2012.
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I've attached photos of the before/after. The only thing that I've done over the years was to replace the bows/ribbon on the tree (was just getting tired of the old stuff). Also, I remove the stuff that my decorator put in there (makes it look like Sideshow Bob's hair on "The Simpsons") and just put it back in the next year.
Cooking oil on your hands will alos take off sap from gardening, tree trimming etc.
My neighbour took her tree down a few days ago and instead of disposing of it (they have a huge firepit in their back yard), she decided to put it in an old metal bucket and have her grandchildren come over and make decorations for the "after Christmas" Christmas tree.!This was followed by some hot chocolate and cookies, of course. They loved it!
But in my defense (the fact that I feel I need one, is telling), we took the Christmas tree down the night before I left town for 2 weeks, my husband left town for 4 days the day after I got home, I manically cleaned the big things so you could walk thru our library finally (moved months ago) and dresser tops were empty for a week before my best friend from CA visited and we were busy every day!
Her dining room table is filled too. We made a bet that we had to have them cleaned by this Thursday night... :)
btw, you mentioned pack everything carefully so your fragile things wouldn't be broken. That's the reason I did not let my husband pack away the ornaments - again!