Packing Away Your Holiday Decorations

Once the season is over, the decorations need somewhere sensible to live until next year. A few practical storage choices make the whole job quicker and protect fragile pieces properly, even in a small Maltese flat with limited storage space.

Keep baubles separated and safe

Fragile decorations fare best in a box with a lid and some internal structure. A drawer divider can be cut down and slotted together to create compartments sized to whatever you are storing, so baubles and ornaments do not knock against each other. Wrapping each piece in a scrap of fabric adds a soft layer of protection, which matters when storage boxes get stacked in a cupboard or on top of a wardrobe for most of the year, as is often the case in compact Maltese homes.

PÄRKLA storage case, 55x49x19 cmSAMLA box with lid, transparent, 57x39x28 cm/45 lKNAGGLIG box, pine, 46x31x25 cmSAMLA box, transparent, 56x39x28 cm/45 lSAMLA box, transparent, 78x56x43 cm/130 lKNAGGLIG box, pine, 23x31x15 cm

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Stop fairy lights turning into a knot

Lighting chains are the main reason that packing away decorations feels like a chore, since loose cables tangle into a solid ball given half a chance. Winding each string of lights around a bin or bucket keeps it neatly coiled and ready to unwind next season without a fight. The hollow centre is useful too, as it can hold smaller bits and pieces, and a resealable plastic bag with a strip of tape is an easy way to keep spare bulbs or plugs together.

FNISS waste bin, white, 10 lFNISS waste bin, black, 10 lFILUR bin with lid, white, 42 lBROGRUND touch top bin, stainless steel, 4 lDRÖNJÖNS wastepaper basket, white, 26x35x26 cmHÖLASS bin with lid, black, 8 l

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A clear box for the bulky and awkward

Not everything fits neatly into a small container. Candelabras, larger ornaments and anything oddly shaped are easier to manage in a roomy, see-through box such as IKEA's SAMLA, since you can spot what is inside without opening it. The wheels on larger sizes make it simple to shift a full box across a room or up a flight of stairs, which is handy in a townhouse or maisonette with storage tucked away on another floor. Layering holiday throws and cushions on top uses the space well and cushions anything fragile underneath.

SAMLA box, transparent, 39x28x28 cm/22 lSAMLA box with lid, transparent, 79x57x43 cm/130 lSAMLA box with lid, transparent, 39x28x28 cm/22 lSAMLA box with lid, transparent, 57x39x42 cm/65 lSAMLA box, transparent, 56x39x42 cm/65 lSAMLA box with lid, transparent, 39x28x14 cm/11 l

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A proper system for packing away decorations saves time twice over, once now and again when the boxes come back out. Orders placed with Maltashopper reach homes across Malta and Gozo.

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