It’s Twelfth Night, the Christmas tree and decorations are past their use-by date in your living room. Time to pack everything up and store them for another year. But just where do you put that tree and all the decorations?
An artificial Christmas tree, especially if it is pre-lit and/or pre-decorated, requires appropriate storage if it is to look good next year. It should not be squashed or packed too tightly into a container. It needs to be protected from dust and dampness, and to be shielded from friction caused by other items touching it in storage.
Christmas tree storage bags designed especially for the purpose offer the ideal solution.
Types of Christmas tree storage
1. The cardboard box the tree came in.
This is probably the most commonly used storage solution, but it is in fact the least appropriate. The tree is a very tight fit inside the box and somehow when you fold up the branches they never seem to be quite as close as they were when you first unpacked the tree.
So then you look for duct tape or other ways to fold up the branches tightly enough to get the tree into the box, and the branches break or get twisted and distorted with the pressure. Further, the cardboard will wick up any moisture there is in the atmosphere of the storage area, creating that moldy smell. Not good when you come to set up the tree again a year later!
2. Large plastic garbage bags, dry cleaner bags or old sheets.
Cheap, yes. These types of coverings keep the dust out but sheets in particular can also retain moisture leading to mold. The real problem with this type of covering is that the tree is not contained securely. When you move the tree, it will be very bulky and awkward to get up or down stairs, through doorways etc. The tree will most probably drop its “foliage” or some of its decorations, and there is the risk of breakage of both the tree and its décor as it is moved about.
3. A zip-up bag like an oversized sports bag
Now we are starting to get into the realm of special purpose items. The cheapest of the commercial Christmas tree storage options is probably a soft-sided bag with handles and a zipper. These solve the problems of dust and damp for storing and security when moving the tree.
However it is important to consider the weight of the tree you are storing. It is better to get an overside bag that will hold the tree with plenty of room to spare, than to try to pack a large tree into a bag that is a tight fit.
Look at the material of the bag. It needs to be fairly robust or tree branches might poke through and make holes, thus defeating the purpose to some degree. Also, the handles need to be secure. The bag should have handles on the top and the sides.
Also consider the weight of the tree. Even a small tree can weigh over 60 lbs.
4. A hard sided container such as a box.
A box has many advantages over a bag. Being hard-sided, it protects the tree and very often can hold ornaments and decorations as well as the tree itself. Being a rectangular shape it stores tidily in cellar, garage or attic and other things can be placed on top of it. One disadvantage is weight – a box will typically weigh more than a bag.
5. A bag or box with wheels.
This is probably the ultimate. Having wheels on the storage bag or box just makes the job of moving the trees much kinder to the back and makes maneuvering the tree easier. Obviously it doesn’t help with stairs, and this is a consideration because the wheels will add to the weight.
Your choice of Christmas tree storage will be influenced by the type of house you have, whether there are stairs or narrow passageways involved in moving the tree, whether the tree is pre-decorated and what else you need to store as well as the tree, such as wreaths, lights and fragile ornaments.
Fortunately there are many options for you to consider and there is sure to be one that suits your situation perfectly.
It is not worth buying a cheap Christmas tree storage bag or box, or one in a too-small size in order to save money. Properly cared for, an artificial Christmas tree should have a 10 year life. Storing it in poor conditions can reduce the life to about 3 years.
v
How to pack and store a Christmas tree
These hints relate specifically to artificial Christmas trees, of the type that come in a long vertical cardboard box and require assembly. If the tree has onboard fiber optic or LED lights, these instructions are still applicable, but care needs to be taken that any additions to the tree are not crushed in the folding-up process.
- Take off the top section of the tree, turn it upside down and and use gentle pressure to push the branches toward the center pole. Put the top on its side out of the way for a moment (don’t put it in the storage container yet)
- If your tree is prelit, make sure when you are folding the branches toward the center pole that the light strings do not get caught or pinched in the hinges. If the branches are not easily folding toward the center pole, do not force it.
- Take out the middle section of the tree (there may be more than one). Turn each section upside down and gently press the branches toward the center pole as you did with the top section. Put them aside with the top section.
- Loosen the bolts on the tree stand and remove the bottom section. As before, turn it upside down and gently press the branches toward the center pole.
- Wrap the bottom and middle sections of the tree with elastic cord (bungee cord, octopus straps, or even with luggage straps. Strong twine will do but could damage the tree. You are trying to compress the tree a bit more without damaging it. Don’t make the compression too tight!
- Place the bottom section into the box or bag first. If you still have the plastic end cap, place it over the end which goes in the tree stand. The cap will help prevent this pointed end from poking through the side of the storage container.
- Place the tree in its storage box or bag. Put the instructions in last, on the top – you want them to be the first thing taken out when you reassemble the tree next year?
- If you have room you can also store decorations and lights in with the tree.
Merry Christmas!