How To Store Vintage Christmas Ornaments (2024)

FAQs

How do you preserve old Christmas ornaments? ›

If any ornaments lack their original boxes, use sturdy, acid-free divided boxes to hold your collection. Opt for heavy cardboard over plastic containers, which prevent moisture from escaping. Be sure to store your keepsake ornaments in a location that remains dry and cool year-round.

Holiday ornaments and lights, especially ones you're keeping for many years, can lose their color faster if they're exposed to too much light when stored. Fabric bags specifically made for storing holiday decorations should be stored indoors if possible, due to the higher moisture levels garages commonly have.

Regardless of the container you choose, it's a good idea to store individual ornaments in soft dividers that can be reconfigured to accommodate different sizes of ornaments. You can also nestle fragile round ornaments in cardboard egg cartons or to-go coffee carriers to protect them.

Place ornaments in a bowl for a quick, last-minute centerpiece. Paired with snowflake dishes and purple accents, this table setting brings plenty of holiday cheer without seeming over the top. Welcome your houseguests the right way by placing oversize ornaments in a weatherproof étagère.

Many vintage and antique Christmas ornaments can be acquired for a modest sum, especially when purchased in bulk. Yet, some of these ornaments have an antique Christmas ornaments value that can range between $10 to $30.

Shiny Brite ornaments are so popular that they are making new ones that you can buy at Home Goods! The original ones can be worth a lot especially if they have their original box or if they have a unique shape or pattern. I have a collection of Shiny Brite ornaments inside a big glass jar in the photo above.

Vintage Christmas ornaments are ornaments that were crafted many years ago, typically from the late 19th century through the mid-20th century. These ornaments were often made of materials such as glass, paper, metal, and even delicate blown glass.

Tissue paper, bubble wrap and packing paper are common materials used for this purpose.

Take extra precaution by wrapping them in bubble wrap or tissue before boxing them up, and place hooks in Ziploc bags so you don't lose them. Egg cartons are also useful for protecting smaller ornaments and holding them in place.

tuck christmas tree ornaments into coffee filters and layer into plastic tubs, sheets of bubble wrap between layers and voile, safe and cheap ornament storage. Fast Food Drink Carrier doubles as Ornament Storage ---> I save mine and use them for lots of different things!

How do you store ornaments so they don't break? ›

Things can get bumped and jostled while they're in storage, and that's why tissue paper, Bubble Wrap, or newspaper will be your best friend for ornament storage. You don't have to wrap your ornaments in layers and layers of protection necessarily, but one or two wrappings can help give you some peace of mind.

Bulkier items like Christmas trees and blow-up lawn ornaments can easily be tucked away so they're not taking up valuable floor space. Depending on the height and style of shed you choose, you could realistically store all of your Christmas decorations in just the storage shed's loft.

We suggest wrapping and layering your ornaments between cushioning material in plastic-labeled storage containers so they are ready for quick easy decorating. Next, we would suggest collapsing the empty ornament boxes and tossing the packing materials (unless you want to save it and use it as cushioning material).

To help preserve your finished dried ornaments, you can coat with a layer or two of Mod Podge or spray with a sealer. Either work well.

"Group similar items together in labeled bins—like Christmas tree décor, mantle décor, holiday home décor—and keep these items stored indoors," says Murphy. You can also put the decorations in a weathertight tote in an area with extreme temperature shifts or moisture.

Mod Podge.

It's important to seal your ornaments once they're dried, so that they don't absorb moisture from the air. Use Mod Podge (in matte) to seal the dough and give them a more finished look.

Antique ornaments could contain a small amount of mercury mixed with other metals trapped between the two glass layers of the ornament's walls. If you have an old mercury glass ornament that breaks, call Poison Control, which will walk you through how to air out the room carefully and clean up any mercury.