Declutter Your Christmas Decorations.
Paring down your Christmas decorations this year, is like doing your future self a favor. Imagine yourself next year, with the hygee of the season descending upon your humble abode, as you pull out your cherished (and organized!) Christmas decorations, without any of the ghosts of Christmas past.
Declutter your Christmas
Decorations this year.
If you’re like many Americans, you probably have more than a few boxes of Christmas decorations that you never got around to putting out this year, because;
You had too many items.
You (and your home) felt overwhelm by the yule-tidings.
Or you literally forgot three boxes behind all the halloween decorations last year, and are actively avoiding having to deal with them.
Here’s some tips to help save yourself from shoving all your decorations in a box and tossing them on a shelf until next year, when you do the same thing, again. Sure it might be easier in the short-run, but those delayed decisions add up, and with these helpful tips, you’ve got this.
1. Make it fun.
There’s no reason why putting away Christmas decorations, can’t be as fun as putting them up. Christmas decorations are only displayed fro 2-8 weeks in most homes. You’ve got one last chance to sip a homemade ho-ho mocha (coffee, hot chocolate, and cinnamon schnapps) and rock around the Christmas tree in your perfectly ugly, sweater.
2. Create a limit.
Try cutting the number of Christmas decoration boxes in 1/2. So, if you had 6 boxes of decorations, maybe you limit yourself to 3. That why you keep only the items that are most important to you. If you’re really looking for a challenge. You might try for 1 box for tree decorations (including lights) and 1 box for everything else.
3. Pull Your Favorites.
Before you pull out all the Christmas decorations to sort through, place all the decorations you displayed this year (and really love!) in one pile. If the boxes you limited yourself to. Look like they’ll be full with your top items, then it’s really easy to decide what to do with the rest of the stuff — donate it.
4. Go through everything.
Pull out the rest of the Christmas decorations, ribbons, ornaments, bows, snow globes etc. Decide if they stay or go. The question is not whether they have value or are in good repair. Rather,
Do you like the decoration?
Will you actually display it? (Better they be displayed in someone else house than sit on a shelf until the end of time.)
Do you have multiples of the same item?
Is it connected to any particular memory? (Reminder: The memory is in your head, not in the item. So if you love the memory, but don’t want to display the item, then take a picture and save it to a zip drive, or make photo album of the items to help trigger the memory.
5. Store like with like.
Store like with like. Put all the lights together, all the ornaments together, all the figurines, garland etc.
6. Label Everything.
While it’s easier to know whats in the box when you’re storing like with like. It’s easier still if you label boxes. Christmas Tree decorations. Nativity scence, ugly Christmas sweater and stockings, garland, etc.
7. Donate (Or Sell) The Rest.
It’s hard to sell Christmas decorations after the holidays so your best bet is to donate them. If you have kids and want to see if they want any of the ornaments your getting rid that’s great. Don’t be surprised (or hurt) if they pass on the majority of the items, though. Sometimes, handing things off can feel like, “Hi, can you get rid of this for me?”
If you really don’t feel comfortable donating certain items, create a box and label it ,Sell next year. Duck tape it closed and take it directly to the consignment shop next season or sell on Facebook groups next year.
Decluttering your Christmas decoration this year, will make you look forward to decorating for Christmas even more next year! Thank you, future self.
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