Christmas is a time of abundance, but once it’s over, our homes can often feel cluttered and tired. Pine needles seem to be everywhere, gifts lack a proper place, and the living room suddenly looks empty and a bit sad after taking down the tree. We all know how it goes – time flies, and before you know it, Christmas is behind us. The days are slowly getting longer, and even though it is still winter outside, the sunshine is beginning to feel a little warmer as we start looking forward to spring.
Let’s look together at how to bring lightness, freshness, and light back into your apartment. However, this doesn’t mean we have to give up everything that reminds us of those beautiful moments. Let’s dive in:
1. Packing Up the Tree
When the right time finally comes, we have to say goodbye to our Christmas tree and strip it of all those beautiful ornaments. Since we do this every single year, it’s great to use a few clever hacks so that the pine needles don’t end up all over the floor, preventing us from finding them under the sofa as late as August. Let’s look at how to handle it.
If you had a real tree, it is ideal to stretch a plastic sheet or an old bedsheet under it before you even start removing the ornaments. This way, any falling needles won’t land on the floor but on the sheet, where you can easily gather them up. If possible, carefully lift the tree a bit and slide the sheet under the entire stand. If that’s not possible, don’t worry—just cut a few smaller pieces of plastic sheeting and overlap them around the base. Make sure the sheets fit as tightly around the stand as possible. You can also repeat this exact process with an artificial tree covered in fake snow.
Once the tree is completely bare, wrap it in an old bedsheet so that needles don’t drop all over the apartment while you are carrying it out. This way, you can safely remove it from your home. If you have a classic artificial tree, the post-Christmas cleanup is a bit easier. Wipe down each branch with a damp microfiber cloth before packing it away to remove any settled dust. Store the tree in a sealable plastic box, a dedicated storage bag, or a large plastic sack so that dirt and dust don’t settle on it during the year.
2. Safely Packing Away Christmas Ornaments
Once the tree is down, we must also pay attention to how we store our Christmas decorations. It would be a great shame if we couldn’t use them next year. Therefore, we need to pack them away perfectly to ensure we don’t find our favorite ornaments broken during the next holiday season. How do you do it? It’s nothing complicated.
Glass ornaments require special attention. They need to be carefully wrapped in old newspaper or other packaging materials. Wrap the ornaments one by one so they don’t rub against each other and get damaged. If you use various twigs or natural decorations, put these in a separate box so they don’t break when you stack other items on top of them, and so they don’t get tangled in the lights.
We always remove the metal hooks from the ornaments and put them separately into a small, sealable container. After all, getting pricked in the finger by a stray hook while rummaging through ornaments is definitely not pleasant. Next, sort the ornaments by color or by room. Label each box or container with a tag so everything remains perfectly organized. Once all the ornaments are neatly sorted and packed in boxes, store them in a safe place where they will wait for you until next Christmas.
3. Fairy Lights
Whether outdoor or indoor, everyone loves fairy lights because they bring light into the dark, long evenings. However, you don’t have to give them up immediately after Christmas. Of course, you should put away the reindeers, Santas, and other typically festive lights into the garage or another dry place. However, warm white light strings won’t bother anyone during dark winter evenings, and you can easily keep them on.
So, how do you properly take down and store the lights when their time comes? First and foremost, unplug them from the wall. Never handle or clean lights while they are plugged into an electrical outlet! Once disconnected, handle the lights carefully to avoid damaging the cables or the bulbs themselves. After taking them down, spread them out on a dry surface. Never submerge fairy lights in water or wash them under running water! Water could get inside and cause an electrical short circuit.
Once spread out, take a microfiber cloth, dampen it slightly (you can also use a little dish soap), and carefully wipe the lights down cable by cable. Afterwards, let the lights dry completely. Only when they are 100% dry should you wind them around a square cut out of hard cardboard or a sturdy paper towel roll. Secure the end of the light string with tape. This way, you will completely avoid the pre-Christmas nightmare of tangled cables next year.
4. The Space Left by the Tree
The spot where your tree used to stand needs to be vacuumed thoroughly. Especially if you had a real tree, there are bound to be plenty of needles left on the floor. If a massive amount of needles dropped, I recommend sweeping them up with a broom first and vacuuming afterwards. However, you should clean up even if you had an artificial tree with fake snow—the snow loves to shed during both decorating and packing away. While a classic green artificial tree doesn’t make as much of a mess as the previous two options, you should still vacuum this spot thoroughly and mop the floor.
Suddenly, you might realize that this spot feels somewhat sad and empty. A great idea is to place a larger live houseplant there, especially if it’s a bright spot. If this corner of the room is a bit dark and natural light doesn’t quite reach it, try placing a standing corner lamp or a tall vase with dried or artificial flowers there. This will beautifully fill the space so it doesn’t look completely deserted.
5. Sorting Through Christmas Gifts
Every year, people receive a huge number of gifts. Among them are the desired ones that make our eyes light up like flashlights, but also those that are unwanted. It’s not that they don’t make us happy, but often they are just things we don’t really need. To prevent too many items from piling up in the household, it is necessary to move some things out of the house as well.
Have you ever tried the “one in, one out” rule? If not, it’s the perfect time to give it a shot. This is how you keep your home airy and free from being cluttered with a million things. First, gather all the new things you received as gifts into one place. Once Christmas is over, sort through them and separate them into what is wanted/needed and what is unneeded.
However, don’t just throw the unneeded things away; find a meaningful use for them. If it’s clothing, take it to a homeless shelter or donate it to people in need. If you received new electronics, don’t throw the old ones away—offer them on a second-hand marketplace for a few bucks or donate them to people who cannot afford to buy new devices. This way, you can bring a belated Christmas joy to someone else.
6. Post-Christmas Cleaning
Each of us cleans on an ongoing basis, but a post-Christmas cleanup should go a little deeper. That is why, in addition to regular chores like vacuuming, dusting, or mopping the floors, you should do a few extra little things to make your home beautiful and airy.
Wash the windows, launder the curtains, or swap out the blankets on your sofa.
Replace blankets, pillows, or bedding with a Christmas theme for something more subtle and neutral. Don’t forget to wash all these holiday textiles before storing them away so they stay clean and fresh. Air out the apartment with a quick draft to replace the old air inside with fresh, crisp air. Swap out candles and incense sticks with hints of cinnamon and other Christmas scents for something fresher—such as the scent of pine or summer flowers. Open up the curtains and let in more natural light, as the days are already slowly getting longer.
A Tip for You: If candle wax dripped onto your tablecloth during the holidays, place an absorbent paper towel or brown paper over it and run a warm iron over the top. I highly recommend placing a piece of baking paper (parchment paper) between the iron and the absorbent paper. The wax will melt and absorb completely into the paper towel, and thanks to the baking paper, your iron won't get dirty at all.
We believe that thanks to our advice, you will manage your post-Christmas cleaning with ease and have everything beautifully and organized and ready for the next Christmas season.
Visual source: Generated via Midjourney (illustrative photos for inspiration).