Who doesn’t love decorating for Christmas?! Turning on some classic Christmas tunes, baking cookies, putting ornaments on the tree- what’s not to love? There’s something so sentimental and special about making your home look festive and beautiful during the holiday season. Decorating for Christmas is one of my favorite traditions. But every year, the season ends and the New Year comes…and then we have to take everything down including the tree (except with my tip you’ll save time and store your decorated Christmas tree!)
This year, rather than take your tree down, just wrap it up! I have been wrapping my Christmas tree- ornaments, ribbons, and all- for years. It makes cleaning up Christmas this year, as well as decorating next year, that much easier!
Now just to let you know. After Christmas our family tree that we decorate together as a family – this one gets taken down and put away. Our family ornaments get stored away in a box and the tree gets placed in a tree bag. This is the one exception to the rule of wrapping a tree. Because that is our family tradition – decorating the family tree TOGETHER!! I only wrap my decorator tree that the family doesn’t decorate.
For this post, I will show you how I wrapped my beautiful Santa’s Cabin in the Woods tree from last year. Remember how beautiful and fun it turned out to be? This was one of my favorite Christmas trees ever. Well, enough reminiscing, let’s get to work!
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All you need for this project is heavy duty Stretch Wrap and an extra set of helping hands. Do NOT use kitchen stretch wrap. The heavy duty wrap I used is typically used for moving and storage. Kitchen wrap will NOT work.
Remember to wrap as tightly as you can so that everything will stay in place. You will want to wrap several layers so that it will be nice and secure.
Having one person hold one end of the wrap, while the other person walks around with the wrap makes it quite a bit easier. After the first layer, the second person can help guide the wrap. Or you could even switch off 0n either side of the tree. You will quickly find what works best for you. Make sure to start at either the top and bottom. Wrap very tightly. Wrap away!
The best tips to successfully wrap your Christmas tree:
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Only wrap smaller trees – 6 feet and smaller are ideal. I have wrapped a 7 foot tree that was more of a slimmer tree. So it wasn’t very heavy.
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Do NOT wrap trees with breakable ornaments. Breakable ornaments need their own ornament container.
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If you plan this in advance, add a steel rod to your tree before decorating. Zip tie the rod to the tree “trunk” from the bottom of the tree to the top. This will help the tree from coming apart while moving it (steel rod purchased at home depot).
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have TWO people do this together
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wrap TIGHTLY and TIGHTLY!!!
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Wrap the tree at least three times, if not four times with the wrap.
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You’ll find you will save space by storing it this way.
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If you need to take this up or down stairs, I would just take the tree down and not wrap with pallet wrap (unless a small tree).
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Use a quality stretch wrap (not from your kitchen). Like the one shown below…
Stretch Wrap with Extended Core Handles
This stretch wrap will last several Christmases if you’re wrapping an average size tree.
When next Christmas rolls around just take a pair of scissors and cut of the wrap. You’ll want to spend a few minutes just fluffing the branches and fixing a few things. But trust me – this will save TIME, your ENERGY and SPACE! If you have breakable type ornaments this wouldn’t work with wrapping the tree this way.
I love little tips like these that make decorating for Christmas easier (at least next year). These tips give us more time to enjoy our families and make new traditions, and focus on what Christmas is really about. I hope you love wrapping your Christmas tree as much as I do! Now that’s a wrap. 🙂
For those who don’t want to wrap a tree. Order your Christmas storage bags and containers now or else they will be hard to find the week after Christmas.
MY FAVORITE STORAGE CONTAINERS:
I’ve personally purchased this storage bag many times. I put all my unbreakable holiday decor in it – wreaths, Christmas trees, garlands, and more. I also use it for all my holiday pillows. Yes, it is great storage for those cute throw pillows!
This is also wonderful for holiday wreaths
Upright Christmas Tree storage
Here is a post I share on Decorating Christmas Tree Tips, Tricks and Hacks. Check it out if want want more ideas!
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I’ve wrapped a lot of things with this stretch wrap, but never a tree. Genius! We always cut a tree in the woods for Christmas, but I’ll be using this idea for some of my other holiday decorations, thanks!
So glad this helped Cindy! Yes, this is also great for wreaths, greenery for stairs, etc.
How can you succesfully move a tree that is put together by sections? Even with 2 people, you can’t get it down the basement stairs with it standing upright… Help!
Staci,
Our tree has three sections and it’s been moved at least 6-8 times up and down our basements stairs. We move the tree horizontal – one carries the end with the tree stand attached and the other carries the top of the tree ( all done with the tree horizontal). Maybe if the sections are real loose it might not work. But it has worked for us.
Good luck!
Can the tree be stored in an attic? That is where ours is typically stored albeit without plastic wrap.
Lynn – I have a basement so this is where I store my tree. I don’t have any experience storing items in the attic. All I know is it works great for me in the basement. Good luck.
Very clever and time saving idea! Thanks! I have a question. I have this giant roll of bubble wrap. Would it be possible to use that?
Deborah – that is a good question. The only thing is to try it. I think the “stretch” of the stretch wrap is what helps. But maybe this would work. Let me know if you give it a go! : )
I’m a little late to the party here but do you wire any ornaments on the tree? Like I mean wire so they can’t fall off? If you did wouldnt it be possible to use some breakable ornaments?
Yes, wiring your ornaments is a plus. I have a lot of floral so I don’t need to wire those. I would not wrap any tree that has breakable ornaments or I would just remove the breakable ornaments before wrapping. Do not wrap big or very heavy trees.
Hi Toni,
Thank you for this great idea. I purchased a pencil tree from Micheals this Christmas season and had decorated it so well that a neighbor thought I had purchased a fancy, decorated tree from a place like Frontgate. 🙂 I was thinking how it would save time for next year if I could store the tree fully decorated. So, I googled and found your site. I’ve purchased the stretchwrap. I think we’re going to tackle that project today. I just dread trying to carry it upstairs to our attic.
The tree that you decorated is gorgeous!! I love what you did with the ribbon and the sweater ornaments. Brilliant!
Sheila – I’m so glad to hear about your beautiful Christmas tree! I hope storing the tree worked out great!
Do you wrap it from top to bottom or bottom to top?
I start from the bottom and finish at the top. Sometimes I’ll rewrap a certain area of the tree that needs a bit more wrap!! Good luck. Pay attention to all my tips to make it work great!
The only problem with this is I found out saran wrap is not biodegradable. I did see some on a site where you can order it special that makes it biodegradable. Susan
I specifically mention NOT to use Saran Wrap. This is a pallet type wrap that is used for heavy-duty application like a decorated Christmas tree. Not sure about the biodegradable aspect of it. Although I am very much into recycling and have been for decades. This is a once a year application.
Good luck.
We put our tree on wheels and after shrink wrapping it roll it to a closet space made especially for the tree. Works for us as we age, we don’t have to wait for our children or grandchildren to help us get the heavy tree out.
Yes, we have a Christmas tree room where we roll our tree (after wrapping it) into the storage room. Those trees get heavy for sure. Great minds think a like. Thank you for sharing.