Oh Tannen Bomb

           It all started so innocently. I saw someone’s post that showed her storing her fully decorated, yet tightly wrapped, artificial Christmas tree in a closet. How much time and effort would this save? Gobs, right?

         Heck, I could do that! I ordered some industrial plastic wrap, then St. Bob and I tightly wrapped our decorated tree, pulling the plastic as tightly as a corset to make the tree thin enough, and tipped it over onto a mover's blanket, then wrapped it in a in a big blue tarp, and hobbled it down a hallway to a wonderful closet under the stairs.  We had to remove several hallway paintings along the way. 

         This is our original tree:    

                   Alas, too fat (the tree, not the doorway). I notice that people who store their trees this way have skinny trees. And probably not the glass ornaments I have.

What if we cut through a wall and make a gigantic, 5-foot wide doorway that’s about 7-feet tall, behind the sideboard?  We calculate this cost and realize it would be several thousand dollars.

What if we keep it wrapped, but get it out to the garage?  Won’t fit through laundry room doors, either. Also won’t fit through the bushes if we take it outside and in through the garage doors.

Entire experiment is a disaster. We leave poor, chubby tree on the floor, looking like a Grinch glitch, and go to bed. The next morning we cut the plastic off, remove every last ornament and embellishment, then take it apart as usual, and store it in sections in its box the garage. I carefully wrap all the ornaments and store them as well. Amazingly, only one glass soldier has bitten the dust.

          And now I’ve saved you trying this same thing. You’re welcome.

Watch my life hack Youtube Mom videos here—I promise none of them are about squishing a tree into a cupboard.