Storing Christmas ornaments

[Note that this post contains some affiliate links. This means that if you were to make a purchase on Amazon using one of those links, I would get a tiny commission, at no extra cost to you. The hard-sided bin I recommend is one I own and paid for myself; the tree bag is the one I would buy if I had to part with my current model, which is no longer being made.]

Here is how I store Christmas ornaments to make things easier on myself when I put up the tree the following year. Really, a lot of organizing is about making things easier for Future-You! (You can also check out my recommendations on how to store your gift wrapping supplies.)

First, make sure to donate any ornaments you no longer love, and discard those that are damaged.

Tree ornaments

I use a hard-sided storage box like this one, though some soft-sided boxes (like this small one or that larger one) look great, too. I especially love the cardboard dividers inside, which keep your ornaments secure and tidy! They also help set a limit as to how much stuff you can keep – if you are getting those boxes for the first time, make sure you have decluttered your decorations and then buy a box (or more) with enough compartments for your collection.

Resist the temptation to cover things in layers of tissue paper. You run the risk of tossing out ornaments because you can’t see them and assume it’s just a wad of paper! You can always create a nest of tissue paper in a cardboard compartment for something especially fragile, or get a special box for it, but make sure you can still see everything. Another idea would be to store the small fragile ornament in colored tissue paper to make sure it stands out.

To take things one step further, here’s what I recommend: put all the smallest ornaments on the bottom layer in the box. Those are the last ornaments that you’ll be putting in your Christmas tree, so it makes sense for them to be the last ornaments you’ll unpack from that box! You can put the other layers on a flat surface in the meantime and fill them, then transfer them back to the box when you’re ready. I’ve added a jar of extra hooks in one slot.

When there are a lot of the same series of very small ornaments, I put them together in a clear plastic bag so that they are visible and are stored together.

I also wrap garlands around a piece of cardboard, which keeps them tangle-free until the following year.

Another idea is to use velcro straps to wrangle garlands or strings of lights if you prefer that to cardboard.

Artificial trees and wreaths

As for storing an artificial Christmas tree, I’m a big fan of sturdy bags like this. The large handles and wheels make it easier to carry. It’s water-resistant and will help protect the tree from dust and critters. Just make sure you take the tree apart (it’s often in three sections), fold back the branches to prevent them from getting bent, and store them in the bag, biggest on the bottom, with the pole end toward the middle. This also helps keep the tree and its accessories contained in one spot. Ideally, you’ll want to store it someplace that doesn’t get too hot or too cold (so, not the attic or garage), especially if it has white limbs or fake snow, though this isn’t much of an issue with green trees. The same is true with artificial wreaths, for which you should get a container of the appropriate size.

Let me know if you have any decorations that I have not addressed here!

Goodwill

When I do a complimentary donation haul for my clients, most of the time, I drop off the items at Goodwill. There are certain things that I will make the effort to donate elsewhere if I know they can’t be sold (for example, strollers and highchairs, or bras and toiletries). But I still run into a lot of people who don’t want their stuff to go to Goodwill because it will be resold, and they prefer to donate directly to someone who will use the item. I suppose that’s fair, but have you ever stopped to wonder what Goodwill does with the money they make from donations?

I recently got to visit the Goodwill Resource Center in Austin with my local chapter of NAPO, and it was so interesting! Ashley Sondon, the Director of Donation Acquisitions, gave us a tour of the place and answered all our questions.

Most of us know Goodwill as a secondhand store, but it is so much more than that! Goodwill is very involved in helping the community. In Central Texas, they focus on helping newly released prisoners who don’t have resources; in Florida, they are more focused on helping veterans – this is all based on local needs. Goodwill of Central Texas offers education, job training, childcare, parenting classes, financial literacy classes, access to computers, you name it! They don’t just help someone find a job, they help educate and train that person for a career that interests them, and also teach them life skills. So really, when you donate to Goodwill, that’s what you are supporting!

 So, what happens when you donate items to Goodwill? First, they are sorted and will be put on the shelves of the store where they were donated. If they haven’t sold after 4 weeks (which you can check with the color of the price tag), they are moved to the outlet store. There, they are put in a bin that is roughly the size of a dining room table and 12 inches deep. Each bin is wheeled out onto the floor and things are sold by weight; they wheel out about 1000 bins each day, and each new bin is greeted by shoppers as if it were full of Black Friday deals! Whatever is left in the bin at the end of its time on the floor is wheeled to the back, baled up, and sold to third-parties or recycled if possible.

 Last year, Goodwill kept 93 million tons of items out of landfills, which was 80% of donations!

 There are programs in place to deal with specific categories. For example, Goodwill has a partnership with Dell to wipe and refurbish electronics when possible, and recycle the ones that cannot be resold. You can also shop online at Goodwill, where high-end items have been vetted (which isn’t the case in the brick-and-mortar stores). They partner with the Food Bank to collect non-perishable food donations. I was also surprised to see various bins of recyclables like glass and plastic bottles sorted out – I didn’t know you could donate those! Honestly, there are some drop-off points that are not careful with breakables, so I still don’t think that donating glass jars is a great idea, but I did see intact glass jars back there, so you never know!

 I had also previously advised my clients to separate the clothes they donate and clearly identify the ones meant for recycling (torn, stained, etc.). Ashley Sondon said that, as it turns out, those clothes do pretty well in the bins at the outlet, because there are people who buy them for crafting. So go ahead and donate them! Goodwill can also recycle items like car seats, but some items are off limits, like mattresses, ammunition, or construction materials. Up-to-date information is on their website, and I will gladly help my clients figure out their options!

Reba Bassett, Ana Contreras, Lilly Bullion, Sahiba Bassi, Kathy Blair, Amélie Saint-Jacques, and Kelly Dever at the Goodwill Resource Center in Austin TX (photo by Reba bassett)

Hanson on packing for a tour

[I got to speak to Taylor and Zac Hanson (yes, that Hanson!), about how they pack for extended trips such as a tour. For background on how this “interview” from October 25th, 2024, came to be, please check out this post. Note that answers have been edited for brevity, but remain true to the spirit of what was said.]

taylor, zac, and isaac hanson, on stage in finland; Image from hanson.net

Amélie: I am a professional home organizer certified by Marie Kondo. My husband and I are from Montreal, QC and now live in San Antonio, TX. We typically drive up for the summer, so I know firsthand that packing for four days or two weeks is completely different than packing for two months! What are some packing tips you have for long trips – some things that you bring with you or do for yourself that spark joy?

Taylor Hanson: One of the gifts of travel is that it removes options and forces you to get down to the essentials. It can be stressful at times because you don’t have all the things that you like, but you have to ask yourself what you actually need. And in some ways, it’s comparable to what Marie Kondo tries to do, which is to minimize and to get rid of the things you don’t use and that become clutter. So, in one sense, it’s one of the greatest ways to force yourself to get organized because you don’t have the option, you just can’t take everything.

There are two big categories of things that I bring: show stuff [instruments, equipment, etc.] and non-show stuff [personal items]; there’s work and play. You have to bring a laptop and phone, because technology is so present these days. Zac brings video games, everyone knows that. I always have my camera, and some drawing and art supplies. I also force myself to bring an iPad loaded with books and movies (which then take up so much less space). Having something to draw with and something to read is my outlet. You need a go-to brain release thing! But touring is its own unique, bizarre thing that most people never get to experience; it’s like the circus, and you put up a tent in every city.

Force yourself to start with what’s essential; the peripheral stuff comes last. That’s my answer.

Zac Hanson: There’s a reality to how much weight you can carry. I learned years ago that you really can’t take with you more than two weeks’ worth of clothing. I’ve got four [packing cubes]: one for shirts, one for pants, underwear, exercise clothes… And once those are full, that’s all that can go! And I don’t stress over it. My wife asks how it is that I can pack for a two-month tour in 12 minutes! [Laughs] It’s just a question of whether I want to bring brown shirts or gray shirts, but it’s going to be the same number.

On tour, the biggest thing that you don’t realize is that you have very little personal space or time. Overpacking is when you bring everything you think you’re going to do, but really, you only need things that will give you a little bit of peace and a little bit of mental privacy. For me, that’s always been video games, which bring you into another world and are relatively small. So even if I’m sitting next to Taylor, I’m in my little private space for an hour or however long I have. And I think books can be the same way.

You have to prioritize; you can’t do as much as you think you’re going to do, so focus on those one or two things to help you relax.

Taylor: Bring the things that give you peace and that spark joy. Also, for me, the love of food, the love of place, and discovery, is a huge part of the balance of not being able to have your stuff or a room full of your favorite whatevers. You need to appreciate what is unique and the opposite of your safe space at home, so enjoy being present in the moment when you travel.

Zac: Bring with you what you really want to do, not everything you could do. Don’t bring with you what you don’t want to find yourself doing.

Packing light

[This post became so unwieldy that I split it into two parts. For part 2 – in which I talk with Hanson! – click here. Also note that this post contains some affiliate links. This means that if you were to make a purchase on Amazon using one of those links, I would get a tiny commission, at no extra cost to you. I only recommend items that I own myself and am glad I bought!]

In late August, I had to fly to Canada for four days for my grandmother’s funeral, and I managed to do it with only a backpack and a purse. I really felt like I had unlocked a new achievement by travelling so light!

I wore my travel pants (light, lots of pockets, easy to wash and air-dry), a simple black t-shirt (this one is made of isothermal wool), and an infinity scarf (adds a splash of color and doubles as a wrap if the airplane gets cold). I’ve written before about my favorite travel accessories (see part 1 and part 2, and if you only remember only one thing from that, let it be packing cubes).

I wanted to bring what I would need for the next 24 hours in my personal item. You see, even with a carry-on, sometimes there isn’t any room left in the overhead bins, so you have to check your bag and it might get misplaced. But the next day was my grandmother’s funeral, so it was super important that I have my outfit! And once my dress, shoes, cardigan, toiletries, and pajamas were in my backpack, along with my water bottle, wallet, book, etc., there was so little left to pack that I couldn’t justify bringing a rolling carry-on with me. So, I used a second compression packing cube for a few more clothes and stuffed it in the empty backpack pocket meant for a laptop. This meant I had to have a purse in addition to the backpack, but it was small enough that I was confident I wouldn’t have to check anything even though I was probably in the last boarding group.

The backpack I have is this 40-L model, and what I love most about it is that it is very structured, so that even when full, it will fit under an airplane’s seat (my other, larger backpack does not because it gets lumpy and expands too much). I have been using it for a year, which was a record of four roundtrips by plane or car, and so far, I really like it.

This all made me think of how different it is to pack for four days versus for two months. My family and I have often driven up to Canada for the summer, and while we typically had a rooftop carrier, last year we stayed for a shorter period of time and managed to fit everything inside the car. I always feel like we are bringing so much with us on those trips! Some of it is unavoidable because we bring a few gifts for our family in Canada and then bring some things back to the States with us (like cans of maple syrup). Plus, one of my kids celebrates a birthday in July, so we’re always bringing back presents. Taking that into consideration, we really have to pare back on what to bring with us!

And then, before publishing this blog post, I unexpectedly had the opportunity to talk to Taylor and Zac Hanson, who basically do this as part of their job, so I wanted to get their thoughts! Let’s back up a little: I have been a big Hanson fan for the past 27 years and was lucky enough to be part of a virtual meet & greet in October, during which I got to ask them a question. I didn’t really have questions about their latest album, and I thought that asking them why they don’t include San Antonio in their tour dates was a boring question. (I mean, they answer stuff like that every day, including twice from other participants in this very meet and greet, and honestly, what could I possibly learn from it aside than that the city where I live doesn’t have as big a music culture as Austin?) So, since packing was already on my mind, I went in another direction and asked them about their process when they pack for such long periods of time when they go on tour. This was the best I could do with less than 36 hours’ notice, alright? Here are their answers.