If you are like many of us at Corpus Christi Moms Blog, you are extremely sad to see your Christmas decorations come down and get packed up. Some have even confessed to leaving them up a few extra weeks.
For me, as soon as the ball drops on New Years Eve, I am planning on how I am going to take the décor down and pack it away! It seems like it never gets put away the same way twice. So this year I decided I to give myself a few guidelines.
Tip #1:Get rid of broken or over used decorations before packing them away.
How much time do you spend at the beginning of the Christmas 
season going through lights and garland only to find that half of our decorations need to be replaced because they have become worn or broken down over the years? And then you think to yourself: “Why did I even put this in the box last year?!”
This year I was VERY strict about what got put away and what was discarded. Any garland that was missing big chunks or chair covers that had holes worn in them were discarded. Even the handmade ornaments that we collected this year were gone through. I set them out and let my kids choose if it was something they wanted to keep. Then I made sure all the homemade ornaments we were keeping were really something that I thought would stand the test of time. (Sorry Sunday School Ornaments – you didn’t make the cut.)
Tip #2 Reuse the original boxes & packaging.
Resist the urge to discard the boxes when you open them and reuse! If you have already gotten rid of the boxes, get some small clear containers from Walmart or Amazon (or anywhere, really) to take their place. I have used the same glittery bows on our tree for at least 7 years now. Because I kept the cardboard piece that 
I bought them with, each year I simply put them right back on the cardboard. This saves me time not having to hunt at the bottom of my ornament container looking for each individual bow! In addition, we have used the same lights for the tree for the past two years. Keeping the boxes lets me easily see that they are up in the attic, contained and won’t get too tangled. {Side note: you need these Tree Dazzler lights in your life, it literally takes us seconds to put them on the tree!}
Tip #3 Clearly label what is in your containers.
When it comes to storage and moving, I enter with the same thought in mind: I would rather know EXACTLY what is in the box than try to take a guess. I write out each item that is in the container so that when I am sending my husband up in the attic he can find exactly what I am asking for. This year “Christmas Decorations” is not going to cut it! Get some masking or painters’ tape (if you would rather not write directly on the boxes) and be very specific in your labeling. You’ll thank me next year when you need that tree skirt and you (or the hubs) can easily find the appropriate box!
