I'm sure most of you have already taken your tree down and tucked all your ornaments away. However, if there are a few slackers out there, like myself, that have delayed the massive Christmas clean-up…this tip's for you.
After a basement flood several years ago, I learned the hard way that it was worth the investment to keep all my long-term storage is in large, stackable, plastic bins. Most of my Christmas décor could fit easily into these inexpensive containers, but my ornaments presented a problem. They were too delicate to be thrown into a bin with the other Christmas decorations. I didn't have the time or patience to wrap each one in paper so I came up with this cheap solution.
First, I purchased a twin size egg crate foam mattress pad at Wal-Mart for around $15. Next, I used the lid of my container as a guide and cut the pad with a large pair of scissors. The end result was 6 squares of foam, custom cut to fit my ornament container. I placed one piece of foam (egg side up) on the bottom of the container and placed my least fragile ornaments randomly on the pad. I placed another sheet of padding on top of those ornaments and then added my next layer of ornaments, continuing to layer until I reached the top. My most fragile ornaments go on the final layer. They are sandwiched between two pieces of padding (egg sides in) and then covered with our tree skirt for added cushioning. Lastly, I snap the lid on and add the box to my stack.I have a label on each container to help me know which box is which. That way, when I haul everything to the basement, I can remember put the ornament box on the top of the stack.
I've used these pads for over 5 years now. The ornaments have survived 3 moves and 5 trips in and out of the basement. That makes them a keeper in my book. Just thought I'd pass it on.
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