Christmas Day has finally arrived, and once the celebrations start winding down, it’s time to start thinking about taking down everything we spent weeks setting up. In many cultures, it’s common to take down the Christmas tree and other decorations on the 6th of January. Officially titled “Nollaig na mBan” in Ireland or “Women’s Christmas”, this day was celebrated throughout the years as a day where women would take a day’s break away from their usual household chores and childcare and take a day of well-earned rest. And while many traditions have changed over the years, this one seems to have stuck – well, the date has anyway. To save you time when taking down your decorations, and allow you to get back to resting as soon as possible, EZ Living Furniture have created the ultimate guide to taking down your Christmas decorations. Keep reading below to discover all of the best tips!

List of tasks on notepad.

Start With A Plan

Going into any task without a solid plan can lead to wasted time. Take a moment to evaluate how you feel and how much effort you can put into the task. Are you planning on spending a considerable amount of time packing things away? Or would you rather tackle one thing at a time? If it’s the latter, we suggest starting outside and working your way in (if you happen to have outdoor lights and decorations, of course). The reason why it’s important to start outdoors is that if you aren’t feeling up to the task, you can continue with indoor decorations later, and you can also avoid any judgement from neighbours regarding lights being left up way past the season’s end. If you only have indoor decorations, start with the tree. Again, if you lose interest in the task after the tree is taken down, at least you have one big seasonal decoration down; the others can wait.

Christmas baubles in box

Preparation Is Key

It might be tempting to store decorations, particularly baubles, in the pack they come in, but oftentimes this can lead to broken ornaments, misplaced items, and general frustration. The boxes most decorations come in are typically for display purposes only and have a clear, soft plastic cover with a flimsy cardboard base. Both are inadequate and should be swapped out for a strong, plastic storage box that can be easily labelled and stacked. Each decoration should be wrapped individually in bubble wrap before storing it away. So, to summarise, you will need: 

  • Strong, stackable storage boxes that can be easily labelled. 
  • Bubble wrap or newspaper. 
  • Tape. 
  • Kitchen roll cardboard tubes. 
  • Plastic bottles. 
  • Round wreath storage bags.

Person wrapping item with bubble wrap

Packing Tips

Each item must be accessed individually to understand its packing requirements. 

  • An artificial tree can be stored back in its original box (if you have it). Because an artificial tree isn’t as fragile as tree ornaments, it is perfectly acceptable to place it back it in box it came in for storage until the following year.  
  • For wreaths and garlands which don’t usually come in any packaging, you will need to invest in a few heavy-duty wreath bags. These rounded, zipped bags will allow you to safely store wreaths and garlands until the following year. 
  • Baubles and ornaments will need to be individually wrapped in bubble wrap to prevent them from damaging each other in storage. Use tape to secure the bubble wrap. 
  • Fairy lights and small, thin garlands, should be wrapped around kitchen roll cardboard tubes for easy installation the following year. 
  • Most small items, including baubles, figurines, ornaments, and fairy lights, can be stored together in large plastic tubs. It’s important not to overfill each one as this could result in damage. 
  • Store small, beaded garlands in plastic bottles. By doing so, you will save space and prevent tangling. 
  • Store your tree, wreath bags, storage boxes, and any other seasonal items away and out of sight in an appropriate location. This could be an attic, a large storage cupboard, or a utility room with a large storage capacity.

Hoovering around the Christmas tree.

Room Refresh

Now that the decorations are safely stored away, it’s time to focus on getting the room (or rooms) back to how they used to be (prior to Christmas). Unfortunately, (or fortunately for those who enjoy cleaning), this means dusting and hoovering. Make sure to leave enough time for this task, as it’s likely you couldn’t do either of these tasks effectively when your seasonal decor was up. Once this has been completed, you can set about reintroducing the old decor you might have stored away to make room for your Christmas decorations.

Christmas ornaments on console table from EZ Living Furniture.

One Final Sweep

If we had a penny for every time we found a rogue Xmas ornament after we thought we had packed everything away, we would be incredibly wealthy. Make sure to walk around your home and really look at everything. It’s likely you’ve forgotten a Christmas cookie jar or small ornament displayed on a shelf. 

Now that you’ve discovered the most time-effective way to take down your decorations, you can start shopping for the best bargains in our January sale, but hurry, it won’t last forever – click here to browse online!

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