Christmas decorations
Before you pack up your decorations for another year, why not take this opportunity to do a post-Christmas edit?
Do you have a mix of decorations collected over the years but only use a few of them? If so, ask yourself why? If you haven’t used them this year, are you likely to use them next year? Rather than holding on to items you don’t use, thank them and pass them on to someone else who will. Doing so, will make space for the things you love, use and need.
Recycling decorations
If the decorations are in good condition, consider donating to charity or selling on ebay. If they are broken, discard them with care. Glass baubles are not recyclable and should be disposed of by wrapping and putting in with general waste. Plastic baubles are also not recyclable, so should either be donated to charity or disposed of in general waste.
Are you holding on to multiple sets of fairy lights which don’t work? Let them go! Fairy lights can be recycled at household waste recycling centres and some local authorities collect small electricals as part of their recycling collections.
Recycling Christmas trees
If you have a real tree these can be recycled. Local authorities often arrange drop-off points or special collections of trees in early January and advertise the dates this will take place with any other changes to collections over the Christmas period. Check your local authority website for more information. If you are based in the UK, you can find out details of your local authority, including their contact details, by entering your postcode into our Recycling Locator tool.
Recycling wreaths
Natural materials on wreaths, such as ivy, fir cones, mistletoe, and holly, can be composted, as long as they are not covered with too much glitter. Simply remove the greenery from the base and add to your garden/green waste collection or drop at your local household waste recycling centre.
Storage
Once you’ve edited your collection, you will want to make sure you store them carefully, so they are not damaged. As many of us store our decorations in garages and lofts, I would recommend using clear, airtight, lightweight and stackable boxes. You can use internal dividers and wrap your baubles in tissue paper to keep them from rubbing up against the sides. A Christmas bauble box is a good option.
How you organise your decorations is up to you. For example, you might wish to organise them by category, e.g. all the baubles together in one box, or perhaps by room, theme or colour. Whatever you choose, make sure you clearly label the boxes for easy identification the following year.
If you have an artificial tree, you may find that after a few years the original box starts to fall apart. A longer term solution is to invest in a Christmas tree bag. These bags are more durable, are waterproof and protect your tree from dust and pests.
Artificial garlands and wreaths can be stored in a wreath bag. I personally find an old pillow case works very well for protecting garlands, which I then store in a plastic box.
If you always find yourself having to untangle the fairy lights each year, save yourself the pain next year by winding them around an old piece of cardboard or a tube and placing them in a clear box with a lid.
Top Tip! I wouldn’t attempt any of the above without your favourite festive beverage and a mince pie in hand!
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