| How to Preserve Holiday Heirlooms |
| We have a few precious heirlooms in my family that only make an appearance around the holidays: the felt Christmas stockings my grandmother made, old ornaments, and (very important) the batman action figure my Dad would put in place of an angel on top of the tree. I was a pretty level-headed kid, but when I was maybe about 11, I remember breaking one of our old family Christmas ornaments and I was absolutely distraught. Even at that age, I understood that old things were precious and irreplaceable. |
| No matter how you celebrate the season, this newsletter is all about how to ensure that your family’s precious objects can be enjoyed safely year after year. Of course, accidents happen (especially when you have the coordination of 11-year-old me), but a little planning goes a long way. Here are a few tips to get started: - This is a great tip from Denise May Levenick: Think about how to store your decorations BEFORE you unpack them. Note storage boxes needing replacement so you can take advantage of holiday sales on archival supplies.
- Always check to make sure your ornaments’ caps and hooks are sound, and reinforce the branches they’re on if necessary. If you have pets or kids, it may be a better option to store really old and delicate ornaments in a protective case instead.
- Say NO to newspaper! Cheap newsprint is highly acidic and can potentially damage your items over time. Instead, opt for archival tissue paper.
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