How to Store Christmas Lights: DIY Your Holiday Light Storage for Free by Ann Marie Patitucci
I am a lucky girl this time of year – my family and I live in the “Tacky Lights” neighborhood in my area. We are home to the “Tacky Light Run,” a 5K race held every December. As hosts, my neighbors and I decorate our homes as tackily as possible. Think Christmas inflatables, Christmas lights, blow molds, homemade décor, photo backdrops, flashing lights and lights hung higher than houses (by firefighter neighbors!). Some are even synchronized to music from a local FM station! All but one of the houses featured in this article is from my neighborhood! It is such a family-friendly place for kids to live, and families from across the region – thousands of people – enjoy the race each year.
My neighbors are also very generous and helpful to one another. For instance, as people change their Christmas décor themes or scale back as they get older, they often gift some of their décor to younger families. Recently, a neighbor gifted my family some lights. They’re a bit on the vintage side, which I love. However, they came to us in a tangled mess.
My husband is the outdoor Christmas decorator in the family, and I wanted him to be excited about the new lights (and not just see them as more work!), so I decided to make the process as quick and easy as I could for him.
I started by testing each strand of lights. I was thrilled that they all worked! Next, I untangled them. Then I decided to organize them, in a way that we could replicate when storing them at the end of the season. I didn’t want to go out and buy anything just for the new lights, so I decided to DIY-it! Once I untangled them, I was on the hunt for items to wrap each set of lights around. I found that there were so many items right at my fingertips:
- paper towel rolls
- wooden spoons
- clothes hangers
- rulers
- yardsticks
- pieces of cardboard
- pieces of wood
This is so simple to do, and with objects around your home! For example, if you have cardboard you’d like to repurpose, do the following:
- Use scissors to cut the cardboard to a workable size.
- Cut a small slit about an inch from the top left corner.
- Take one end of the Christmas lights and thread it through the slit to secure it in place.
- Start to wrap the strand of lights around the cardboard in a single layer.
- Once you reach the end of the strand, tuck it under the wrapped lights.
- If you have room for a second layer, repeat. Otherwise, move onto another piece of cardboard (or a different idea from above) for your next strand.
When storing for the year, keep the lights as protected as possible by placing them inside a paper bag or storage bin.
Helpful Hints
- Before organizing and storing your outdoor lights, make sure they’re completely dry and clean. Wipe off any dirt or mud, if applicable (this is quite applicable in the warmer climates!).
- Outdoor lights are designed to withstand colder temperatures than indoor lights, of course. Therefore, your outdoor lights can be stored in a colder environment, such as a garage. Indoor lights, on the other hand, tend to be more fragile. In order to best protect them, store them in an airtight container.
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