The Twelfth Night is traditionally the day that we undergo the always-depressing task of taking down the Christmas decorations. Leave it any later and… well, we’re not sure what would happen after if we took them down after that. Bad luck, presumably, and after the strange year that 2016 was, we reckon it’s best not to leave anything to chance.

So, when exactly is this festive deadline? Well, it’s easy to calculate if you’ve been accumulating an ever increasing number of things since Christmas Day: when the drummers show up, it’s time to call a halt to the proceedings. Alternatively you could consult the biblical calendar and mark down the day of Epiphany, which falls on January 6 and is the official ‘end’ to Christmas. Whichever measure you take, things probably ought be cleared away by then.

Packing up Christmas can be a tedious task, especially given that the volume of festive items that always seems to triple in the weeks since it was unpacked. With that in mind, here are a few quick hints for more efficient sorting out which will hopefully prevent you from finding that everything’s in a dreadful mess when December swings round again.

 

1. Keep the boxes that your fairy lights come in. While they might not be the best way to store those twinkly lights, they’re excellent for storing other decorations. Boxes are of course stackable, so it’s easier to pack up your storage box and to unpack them, too.

2. Christmas decorations are often the result of many years of collecting. Things are passed down through families and precious new twinkly things are made by tiny hands. Keep them safe by making sure you store them in a sturdy, squash-proof waterproof box, particularly if they’re going to be put in an attic or corner for the next eleven months. If you’re short on space a good option is to put your seasonal items into storage for the year. Boxman boxes are waterproof, extremely sturdy, and won’t take up a valuable corner of your house, so they’re ideal for keeping your things safe until next December. Give us a shout if we can help!

3. If you’re typically confronted with a tangled mess when you open your boxes of Christmas decorations each year, spend a little longer packing things away. Wrap larger, more delicate baubles in tissue paper or newspaper before putting them in boxes and stack flatter decorations the same way around to prevent the threads becoming inextricably tangled up. We know all this sounds a bit obvious, but you’d be amazed how often we see people overlook these things.

4. Most of us have encountered the phenomenon known as the ‘fairy light fiasco’ at some point. Typified by a a tangled mass of wires which get wound tighter and tighter the harder you try to loosen them, this is easily avoided using this simple trick. Instead of coiling the lights or trying to put them back in their box (where the small bulbs tend to catch on each other), wind the lights around a sturdy piece of cardboard, about the size of typical paperback. Your lights will store more compactly and will be a cinch to unwind next time you need them.

5. Tinsel’s another slippery character, but if you coil it and it won’t be so bothersome. If it keeps springing back, secure it with one of those ties you find in a box of sandwich bags.

6. Lameta can last for years if some care is taken when you un-decorate your tree. Make a wrapper out of a piece of tin foil, put the lameta inside and fold over to secure. Tangle-free and ready to go for Christmas 2017!

Whatever you need help storing, drop Boxman a line. As London’s self-storage company with a difference, we’ll deliver the empty boxes straight to your door, leave you to pack them up as you see fit, then return when you’re ready and whisk them away to our secure warehouses. You can keep track of what you’ve packed where online, so it’s also really easy to get them back when you need them. Give a call today on 020 3434 0909 or email [email protected]. We like to chat.