Eventually I'll get pictures posted here of our Christmas! Eventually...
However for now, let's talk UNdecorating...
When do you un-decorate your house from Christmas? Is it Christmas Day? The week after? New Year's time period? Or do you wait until mid or late January or even February even? How about your house lights outside? Are they still shining and will they continue on until February as well?
Growing up we usually decorated for Christmas the weekend after Thanksgiving and un-decorated over New Year's holiday. We've somewhat kept to that tradition here, however our tree tends to go up a little later simply because we've had things going on over Thanksgiving the last couple years. Over the last 4 years we've left the outside lights up and decorations displayed TWICE until February! Those were years where we had a lot going on and it just wasn't a priority to get it all down.
Last year during the un-decorating process we quickly took everything off the tree and ended up tossing it (quite literally) all in a rubbermaid bin. It then was transferred to another bin (that had a lid) and was put in the attic. NOTHING was wrapped up. The glass ornaments, thankfully, didn't break, but that's not a wager I'd like to take every year.
What simple and quick ways do you save those holiday breakables so that they survive until the next year without hunting down each individual box for the ornament and putting it neatly back in the styrofoam packaging? Are those "ornament boxes" with 54 spaces for glass ornaments really worth the $20 they sell for?
It's almost time to un-decorate...
We undecorate over New Years too, and we just threw all the ornaments into a bin last year too, with no breakage. I'm doing it again this year too, mainly because I don't care so much if they break because I am wanting a new theme anyways!
ReplyDeleteOur inside decorations go QUICKLY, as in all but gone already. The lights outside, not so much. Let's just say that a few years back we had a little help taking the lights down - Hurricane Frances...and wasn't that in June?? lol
ReplyDeleteThe big ornament boxes are a good investment! I have a few that hold about 18 ornaments each and stack on each other and lock together. I wrap the ornaments with tissue paper so they don't move around in the little compartments. I recommend them! I think I got mine at Target or Wal-mart. Happy Un-decorating! Peace, Allison
ReplyDeleteI use bubble wrap and a big tote. I recycled bubble wrap from work so it is free. Patiently waiting for the Christmas pictures. I have not downloaded ours either.
ReplyDeleteOrnament boxes are a good thing! The slots are kind of big gor the stuff we have so I put in a breakable and then surround it with cloth or soft ornaments. I love mine and I am cheap!
ReplyDeleteI like our ornament boxes, but for the odd shaped ones I wrap those in the multitudes of extra tissue paper I have and put them in the tins that the cub scout pop corn comes in. :) We undecorate after Epiphany (January 6th). Usually within 24 hours of that because by then our cats have turned our tree into something resembling the Charlie Brown Christmas Tree and I need that space back in my diningroom.
ReplyDeleteWe decorate our tree and hosue a week to ten days before Christmas, and always leave everythign up through the whole 12 days of Christmas, bringing them down after the Feast of the Epiphany (the celebration of when the wise men arrived). So it is usually the weekend aftetr the 12th day of Christmas that we undecorate. We keep all of the original boxes that ornaments came in for the most part and just repack them in those, and those boxes go into large boxes for storage.
ReplyDeleteYep, the ornament boxes are great! We have 2 actually. One is plastic w/ sloped sides w/ layers of cardboard dividers. The 2nd one is soft sided and the layers of dividers fit in much more snuggly. I like the 2nd one better...less sliding around. I tossed all of the individual boxes and styrofoam. So freeing! :-) Many of the compartments will hold several ornaments. Our tree will come down on the 2nd. Last year though, I left all of my nativities up on the mantle until Feb since I was gone all of Dec. :-)
ReplyDeleteWe just wrap in newspaper or bubble wrap depending on how fragile... and layer in a big rubbermaid bin. Everything will usually be done by mid January. I have too many odd shaped ornaments to make the ornament boxes worth it.
ReplyDeleteWe just wrap in newspaper or bubble wrap depending on how fragile... and layer in a big rubbermaid bin. Everything will usually be done by mid January. I have too many odd shaped ornaments to make the ornament boxes worth it.
ReplyDelete