The Teigen family unleashed a new inflatable Christmas decoration this year. You can’t miss it.
It’s a 15-foot-tall hot air balloon with Santa flying in a basket.
That Santa balloon joins three other big inflatable Christmas decorations at the Teigen home in Everett: an extra tall Christmas tree, a super-sized toy shop, and a bear and a penguin balancing on a see-saw.
The Teigens also string a dizzying array of lights and garland, all combined in a traffic-stopping display.
Julie Teigen said that although the family cut back this year — no, she’s not kidding — it still took three weekends for her and her husband, Don, to put up all the decorations.
So how do they store all this stuff when Christmas is over?
Protecting your plastic inflatable Christmas decorations from year to year is a wise investment; otherwise, you’ll find yourself forking out big bucks every year for your festive displays.
Pat Patterson, director of administration for Warm Beach Christian Camps and Conference Center, oversees the huge Lights of Christmas program in Stanwood.
Though lights take up the lion’s share of Lights of Christmas, the Warm Beach display also has six large inflatables.
Patterson said the shelf life of an inflatable is about four years. To reach that goal, Patterson suggests these tips for care and storage:
•Put inflatables in a large room, such as a garage, turn them back on and let them dry out completely. This helps prevent mold and discoloration.
Try to store inflatables in their original boxes, in which they are guaranteed to fit and be easily identified each year.
Hang large wreaths up in a dry storage room uncovered to combat mold.
For long strands of garland, pack in large plastic bags but poke holes to let air in.
“The key is to put things away dry,” Patterson said.
“If properly stored, you’ll definitely extend the life of them.”
Don and Julie Teigen’s Christmas display has grown from a single strand of lights over the past 18 years.
They now own so many inflatables that they rotate them each year.
As for storing them, “We have our very own Christmas shed,” Julie Teigen said.
This was the first year for the Santa balloon inflatable. The Teigens also have a new inflatable that’s still in the box.
“That will be a surprise for next year,” Julie Teigen said.
Theresa Goffredo: 425-339-3424; goffredo@heraldnet.com.
Saving decorations
•Store your decorations in plastic, stackable totes that come in red and green Christmas colors for easy identification.
Most decorations can be stored in specific containers such as wreath boxes, ornament boxes, artificial Christmas tree plastic bags.
Tired of untangling wires? Use storage boxes made for lights that have reels and dividers;
If you don’t have a Christmas light storage box, gently coil them in a circular pattern in their container.
Don’t wind them between your elbow and hand because they will tighten over time and be harder to untangle.
Measure your available storage space before you go container shopping.
Label, label and label.
Use large, metal barrels fitted with lids for storing outdoor lights and large yard art.
If you need more advice, take this link to “25 Tips for Organizing and Storing Holiday Decorations”: tinyurl.com/co98fx4.
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