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In this Issue

	Ornament Boxes
	Acid Free Storage
	Ornament Care
	"What Works Best?"

In Other News

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Ornament Boxes

When it comes to Christmas tree ornaments, everyone's a collector. And everyone’s ornaments are priceless—whether they are costly designer ornaments, assorted antiques inherited from Grandmother, or precious creations made ages ago by your kindergartner. All of them need protection and storage options abound.

Avid collectors of rare antique ornaments and costly commemoratives are careful to store their treasures in museum-like environments. Special acid-free boxes with humidity and temperature indicators maintain these investments in mint condition.

Most people find that the moderately priced ornament boxes on the market today are the most practical alternative. Made of colorful cardboard, these boxes come ready to assemble at home. One sort has a removable lid and several layers of cardboard dividers. Because one layer is stacked on top of another, you have to disassemble an entire layer or two to get to the next, a messy proposition at best.

Most convenient to use is the chest-of-drawer style cardboard box with individual drawers that can be removed without disturbing the other layers. Each drawer has dividers to keep ornaments from shifting and breaking.  The best design has several shallow drawers that hold one layer of ornaments in each drawer rather than two or three deep drawers. The advantage here is that you can carry the entire drawer around with you as you place the ornaments on the tree or lift them off to put them away. With convenient handles, these boxes are available at OrnamentBox.com. Submitted by Mary Miley Theobald 

Acid Free Storage

Ultimate Christmas  was the first to make acid-free storage boxes designed specifically for ornaments.  They have a line of archival, acid-free Christmas Ornament Storage boxes and acid-free packing supplies and storage solutions.  Function and style are the benchmarks of their Christmas ornament storage system.  Ultimate Christmas has been producing high-quality acid-free Christmas ornament storage boxes in California for over 10 years with the same easily adjustable compartments and removable trays that make customizing your Christmas ornament storage box a breeze. Beautiful fabric-coverings make these boxes an elegant addition to your holiday décor while adding another layer of protection to your precious Christmas and holiday ornaments. Watch the Ultimate Christmas  Demos of ornament storage solutions.  Submitted by UltimateChristmas.com

Ornament Care

Cleaning Hollow, Fragile Ornaments   
Be cautious when cleaning hollow glass, porcelain or crystal Christmas ornaments, drops or garlands and especially gentle if the surface of your ornament is hand painted or decorated with glitter. Always use a soft, natural hair brush for cleaning your ornaments. Look for sable, ox or squirrel hair artist brushes in the filbert, hake, oval wash or square wash shapes at your local artist supply store or at a reputable artist supply store on line. Never use water, soap, solvents, liquid or anything wet of any kind on hand painted or glittered ornaments. Glass/ porcelain/ crystal ornaments with a plain, smooth or undecorated surface can be cleaned with a clean, soft dry lint-free cloth. Since most collectible glass or porcelain ornaments are delicate, avoid handling them excessively. Set them down on a soft, well-padded surface to clean. Handle the pieces carefully and do not squeeze the body of the ornament when you hold it for cleaning. Otherwise, you could break it. A cylindrical ornament stand (such as an egg, sphere or paperweight stand) will be helpful for holding your ornament steady while you are cleaning it.  Find acid free tissue and storage boxes for your fine ornaments at Ornament-Trees.com.

Cleaning Fragile Solid Ornaments    
Solid glass ornaments, crystal drops, glass bead or porcelain garlands can be cleaned with a soft cloth moistened by a few drops of a good quality, gentle glass cleaner without solvents. A one/three parts mixture of white vinegar and water will also work but could damage the brass connectors between the garland beads. Solid crystal, glass or porcelain ornaments are less susceptible to contact breakage but, should still be handled carefully. Set them down on a soft, well-padded surface to clean. A cylindrical stand (such as an egg, sphere or paperweight stand) will be helpful for holding ornaments steady while cleaning. Plastic cleaning gloves with roughened finger tips will give you a better grip on the item and stop a glass/crystal garland from slipping through your fingers (onto the floor!) They'll also prevent unwanted fingerprints on the surface of a cleaned crystal ornament or garland. Learn more about protecting your collectible ornaments.  Submitted by Ornament-Trees.com

"What Works Best?"

It's Almost Christmas suggests that you strive to be consistent  when choosing your Christmas storage options. This means, if you are using plastic bins, buy them all the same size so they stack easily. The same goes for cardboard boxes. You might also find that keeping the original packaging for things like Christmas trees and other large items will be very helpful in storing them. Submitted by ItsAlmostChristmas.com