OT: How do you store your christmas ornaments?

[etwahl]

a bunch of ours got broken in the move, and now i'm wondering what's a good way to store them in general?

Tammy,
Mom to Lauren Genevieve
03/12/2003
www.evantammy.com

[kapow]

Target has special plastic ornament organizers. I'm going to get a few after Christmas to replace all of the flimsy boxes I have kept them in up to now. We just moved, and they survived the move okay, but no way am I going to keep storing them in all these varying boxes and bags. You could also use a regular square plastic bin and lots of tissue paper to keep them separate and stable.

[flagger]

We pack ours in the boxes Ms. Flagger bought them in (after Xmas sales over the years). She also puts a sheet of newspaper over them just as an extra protection. Having as many boxes that they came in helps, but even with tissue paper you can do pretty well.

They all get packed into 50 Gallon Rubbermaid containers for storage and moving. Haven't had a spot of trouble yet.

[hez]

Same idea as Flagger as far as padding-- If I don't have the original box an ornament came in, I've always wrapped 'em up in paper towels/paper napkins, then put them into shoe boxes, which are then put into the big sturdy boxes that I keep all my Christmas decorations in. Haven't lost one yet (3 moves in 6 years). I reuse the paper products from year to year 'til I decide they're worn out.

[heidi_timms]

I use the target containers for ornament with separaters. Each ornament is also wrapped in tissue individually and placed in the slots. I usually use the recycled tissue paper from holiday gifts to wrap any new ornaments I get.

Our ornaments were in the rafters this year and survived a new roof. The roof in our house was completely ripped off and redone. They all survived the banging and debris.

~Heidi
Mom to Kailey Ashlin
4/27/03

[parkersmama]

Well, this probably wouldn't have been practical for you since you moved cross-country, but I always move them myself instead of letting the movers do it.

As for packing, I have some Rubbermaid containers that have cardboard dividers and I pack ornaments in those (they are specially made for ornaments). Now, this will completely reveal my anal side (blush) but I wrap each ornament in tissue and put them into a sandwich baggie (if I don't have the original packaging) along with a note that says what the ornament is, who it belongs to (my kids have a lot of their own), who it came from, and the year! How's that for a system!! It drives dh nuts and therefore he doesn't help me take down ornaments. I take them off the tree and spread them all over the dining room table and then put them each into their baggie/box as I put them away. It's how my mom did it and really the only way that she was able to give me my own box of (a gazillion!) ornaments when I got married. I have all the ornaments that were collected for me as a child. It sound long and involved but really only takes about 1 1/2 hours to sort through each year. That's not too much time for me to devote to keeping our memories. :)

[cinrein]

I do the same as others. Just wanted to add that I always save the original box/packaging the ornament came in. It's a PITA to undo/redo each ornament every year, but it helps keep the ornament intact! I also save scraps of bubblewrap that comes with various things to wrap my ornaments that I bought "loose".

Cindy and Anna 2/11/03

[Tondi G]

one word... bubble wrap!! we have cardboard boxes with dividers in them (we store them inside in a closet)and I am seriously considering the rubbermaid ones this year(since we are getting closer to actually buying a home of our own). Some of the ornaments I've bought in boxes have their boxes for storage. One year I hit the Macy's after christmas sale and got them all 50% off and they didn't come in boxes but came in little bubble wrap baggies..... has worked fine so far!

Good luck

~Tondi

[starrynight]

I try my best to save the original boxes or buy shatterproof bulbs. They lok like glass but are much more durable. Everything gets put back in it's own box then is packed in rubbermaid containers, I have done it this way for years and only lost one glass ornament.