What do you do with all that leftover Christmas gear? From leftover food to wrapping paper, from Christmas ornaments to the kid’s new toys, where does all of this stuff go after the day is over and the guests have gone?

Well, if you’re like me, I usually crack it and throw almost everything in the bin, muttering that this is the last Christmas I put up decorations, cook lunch and host a party….until November next year. But not this year. Thanks to GLAD we’ve come up with ten easy Christmas storage solutions to love food more, waste it less all the while saving more and staying organised before, during and after Christmas.

Leftover Food Storage Solutions

Christmas leftovers can leave a huge mess in your kitchen. However, you can prepare for a quicker cleanup by having the right products on hand and ready to go.

1. Have leftover lollies, nuts or snacks? Portion leftovers into zip lock bags for grab and go snacks for the kids throughout the rest of the holidays.

2. What about the leftover ham? Cover with plastic wrap or beeswax cover on a plate and store in the fridge for the next day. This is always our intention when it comes to the leftover ham but I always find that with regular cling wrap the food dries out before we have a chance to eat it. With plastic wrap, however, the food will retain the freshness and the flavour through a secure seal that protects food while it is being stored, even if you don’t get to it all by the next day.

3. For larger casseroles, place the entire dish into the fridge sealed with GLAD Wrap with the Easycut Dispenser. The beauty of the GLAD Wrap Easycut Dispenser is that it is easy to seal and reseal so take a small portion of each dish and save the rest for another time. You can expect a clean cut with a simple press down and click of the lid.

4. What about untouched kebabs from the barbeque? All you need to do is place them onto a fresh sheet of GLAD Bake & Cooking Paper, seal them tightly with GLAD wrap and place in the fridge. When you want to eat them the next day, simply pull out of the fridge, wrap and heat up in the oven.

5. Store leftovers seafood scraps like prawn heads and chicken legs from Christmas days in GLAD Snap Lock Storage Bags. Freeze and save for making stock down the road.

6. Christmas desserts are my favourite part of the Christmas table but do you ever find that by the end of the day you really don’t have room in your tummy for more than a couple bites? GLAD Wrap can easily wrap up those leftover desserts so you can enjoy them for the rest of the week as an after-dinner treat. Simply place all the leftover pieces of pies, cakes and slices onto one plate and seal tightly using the GLAD Wrap EasyCut Dispenser.

7. If you love Christmas baking then why not double up some of the freezable batches? You can eat some now, give some away as Christmas presents and freeze some for lunches. Many of our Christmas recipes can be stored and frozen for up to three months. Place a couple of treats in a Snap Lock Storage Bag, label and store in the deep fridge for back-to-school time.

Storing your Christmas Stuff

Christmas is all about ‘leftovers’ but we are not just talking about food. You may find that your living room is barely recognisable with Christmas ornaments and wrapping paper littering every corner. But we have a few simple solutions for you:

8. Use GLAD Snap Lock Large Storage Bags to store all your leftover Christmas items. Mark on the front of the storage bag what items you have and the quantity of each. That way you won’t overbuy for next year.:

Christmas ornaments and baubles from the tree. They will be protected until next year and the bags take up much less room than boxes.
Christmas cards, gift wrap, bows and ribbon. You most likely have a little bit of everything left over so why throw these away and start from scratch when you can store it for next year?
Unused and recycled wrapping paper. There is no need to throw out the last pieces on the roll or the perfectly good paper under the tree. Simply smooth it over and place in a Snap Lock Bag for a simple and safe storage solution. And for the wrapping paper and boxes that are beyond saving, make pick up a breeze without worrying about rips with GLAD kitchen tidy bags with Forceflex technology. The bags stretch around objects instead of ripping or tearing which means you can fill them, stretch them and stuff them with just about anything!

Containing Christmas Toys and Gifts

After the gifts have been unopened and the boxes ripped to shreds, what happens to the toys and presents you receive? Keep everything organised and out of the way with these storage hints:

9. Did you receive any nice bath supplies, shampoos and soaps for Christmas? If you have a large supply of these items already, why not store these in a GLAD Snap Lock Large Storage Bag and place the items in your suitcase or camping gear? That way, the next trip, whether for business or pleasure, you already have your toiletries ready to go.

10. Is there really anything worse than finding a place for your kid’s smaller toys, such as Lego, marbles, play dough, matchbox cars and doll accessories? In my house the box gets destroyed and these itty bitty pieces are spread all over the rug before I even have a chance to clear the wrapping paper! Check out the creative GLAD Bags O’ Colour 40 pk which feature the GLAD Snap Lock Bags you know and trust but in four fun colours. They are the perfect way to store craft items and smaller toys including:

Lego pieces
marbles
play dough
matchbox cars
dolls accessories
paints
crayons
pens
glitter
clay
googly eyes
sand art

You can colour code to prevent fights with your kids (I use green for my son and purple for my daughter). Simply place all of these items into an individual bag and store in your craft drawer or toy basket. Last year Santa brought the kids Sand Art, which seemed like a great gift until the sand ended up all over the house. This year, thanks to GLAD, I’m ready for sand, mess and anything else that is thrown my way! Bring it.

We know how stressful Christmas can be. Even with the best-laid plans, you still are probably in for a long day in the kitchen catering to the masses. GLAD’s products are designed to help you get organised earlier so you can enjoy the day with your family all the while wasting less so you can be better prepared for next year. And anything that prevents me from stepping on Lego and cleaning up Christmas baubles that have fallen behind the furniture year-round is definitely worth a try!