Ditching the Packaging on Our Nativity Sets

I have somewhat of a complicated relationship with product packaging. Most, I get rid of almost as soon as the item is in our house (food, cleaning and laundry supplies, hygiene products.) But there are some things I tend to store in their original packaging (board games for sure, but also some craft machines and specialty kitchen gadgets.) Our two Christmas Nativity sets were also in this latter category. But after years of frustration, I finally decided to ditch ALL the specialty packaging for these items…and it’s a change I wish I had made so much sooner. Here’s why!

It’s Working ‘Till It’s Not

Space

Our two Nativity sets are precious to us. One was gifted to us by friends and family as part of our wedding registry. And the other is a Lladro set from my childhood.

For both, each and every figurine had its own box, with its own styrofoam and wrapping. Once you add together the sheep and donkeys and camels and mangers for BOTH sets, we needed two VERY large tubs to store it all.

These tubs took up a lot of room, collectively, on our storage shelves.

Hassel

Beyond the space though, dealing with the individual boxes was a total pain too. Heaving the large tub off the shelf, removing every piece from its own box, putting the empty boxes away, and then doing it in reverse at the end of the season was a task I began to dread year after year.

I knew there was a better way to store our Nativity sets, but I never really needed to figure it out.

When we began setting up our garage storage in this (smaller) rental here in Southern California, I was on the hunt for every space saving option available to us.

And very quickly, I honed in on the two huge tubs holding 25 Nativity figurines. This suddenly felt excessive and unnecessary; and it was the perfect place to streamline!

Simple Swap

I had already switched to storing all of our Christmas ornaments in small bubble wrap pouches, and I had a hunch the same (but bigger) solution could work for our Nativity figurines too.

So I ordered these large bubble pouches and slid each figurine into its own cozy envelope…saying farewell to every box and piece of styrofoam as I went.

Labels Needed

When I first went to set up one of the Nativity sets this last Christmas though, I had trouble identifying the matching set.

(Even though the pouches are transparent, it still wasn’t quite clear which was which.)

So to make this new storage solution work even better, I printed out quick labels on some pre cut Avery stickers and secured one to each pouch.

Now, not only do all the figurines fit nicely into a single tub (with room to spare!), but I can (SO) quickly and easily pull out whichever Nativity we are setting up each year!

One bin. No small boxes. Easy setup and easy cleanup!

Key Takeaway

I realize it is NOT Christmastime, so this solution might feel a little premature. But I wanted to share it now for two reasons.

First –  If you want to (eventually) make a similar change, consider ordering pouches ahead of time. So when you DO pull out your seasonal decor or other specialty items, you have them ready to go when it’s time to pack everything back up!

Second – I also wanted to give you permission to get rid of specialty packaging if it doesn’t serve you. 

Yes, some packaging is great for keeping items really safe and protected (which can be helpful if you move a lot) or when the items have more value with their packaging than without. 

But so many of us are reluctant to get rid of bulky (or even empty!) packaging because we think it’s the only option for safe storage.

It’s not. These days, there are lots of other ways to safely pack items that might work better for your home and your lifestyle.

It’s okay to “step outside the box” (ha!) and find a better solution!

Dive Deeper Into This Project

Considering I’m fairly well known for tossing product packaging, it’s actually surprising it took me this long to ditch our Nativity boxes. But there are a few boxes we will keep for the long haul (or at least until we’re done moving). I explain what they are and why in this week’s Voice Notes!