Christmas decorations. They can lead to wonderful holiday moments and lifetime memories of joy – or they can be the stuff of nightmares. Anyone who has spent hour after hour trying to unravel a tangled web of light strings knows exactly what we are talking about. The joy on the kids’ faces when the lights finally go on is priceless, but the amount of effort it takes to untangle the strings is akin to climbing Mount Everest wearing ice skates. We have four words for you: zip lock storage bag.
It has been said that duct tape is the secret weapon of the American handyman. If that is true, then the zip lock storage bag is the equivalent of duct tape for the Christmas decoration aficionado. More than one nervous breakdown has been prevented by utilizing these excellent and inexpensive tools for Christmas decoration storage.
Plan for Next Year Right Now
You may already be groaning at the thought of pulling out your Christmas decorations and having to sort through them. We cannot do anything about 2015, but we can recommend you start planning for 2016 by getting yourself a box of zip lock storage bags. The idea is to break the cycle by storing your decorations properly when you take them down in January. The zip lock bag is an important part of those plans.
What can go in a storage bag? How about:
- Light Strings – The big problem with light strings is that they become hopelessly tangled in storage. It is as though there are little Christmas decoration gremlins waiting in the attic for the return of your boxes every year. But you can thwart them by placing each string in its own bag. Gremlins cannot get into plastic bags, so you’re safe.
- Spare Bulbs – Plastic zip lock bags are also perfect receptacles for spare bulbs. You don’t even need large capacity freezer bags either. Smaller sandwich bags will do just fine. Using bags means you can get rid of the clumsy store packaging and save space in your storage boxes at the same time.
- Plastic Ornaments – We do not recommend plastic bags for storing glass ornaments, but they are a great option for plastic ornaments. Bagging them will keep them all in one place and protect them from scratches during storage. You can even group them by color or category for easier retrieval next year.
- Icicles (Tinsel) – Believe it or not, tinsel is actually a very robust Christmas decoration. We have known clients that have been using the same tinsel for ten years and more. It holds up very well if you store it in a plastic freezer bag and lay it flat in the bottom of one of your storage boxes.
- Remote Controls – Owners of extensive Christmas displays are known to have several remote control units used to operate timers and switches. Keep them all in one place, along with their batteries, in a zip lock storage bag. You will always know where they are when it’s time to unpack next year.
As you can see, plastic storage bags are incredibly versatile for Christmas decoration storage. Give them a try when you take down your decorations this season. You might be surprised at how much more organized you are next year. Best of all, you will not have to spend hours untangling the great work of those attic gremlins.