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With this year flying by way too quickly, the holidays are basically almost upon us!
The holidays can be a dangerous time when it comes to clutter. Between gifts, gift wrap, decorations, holiday get togethers, all the foods, etc., it’s real easy to accumulate and get off track decluttering wise! It’s busy and there’s a lot going on.
So before the holidays hit, it’s a good time to get organized and declutter as much as you can before more clutter might be entering your house. Might even help you limit the clutter that does end up coming home too!
Plus, it’s less to deal with when that New Year cleaning and decluttering bug starts to go around! You’ll be so glad you prepped ahead of time, trust me!
12 Things You Need To Declutter Before The Holidays
Gift Wrap
Time to sort through all things gift wrap! Whether it’s rolls of wrapping paper, gift tags, tissue paper, or that random variety of used gift bags we all feel the need to hold onto for future use.
Take inventory on what you really need, what you never end up using, what’s poor quality, etc. Any rolls of wrapping paper you avoid because they rip all too easily when trying to wrap gifts? Any used gift bags looking a bit too used? Stick on bows you know aren’t quite your taste?
Think about what you need and what you’ll realistically use, and recycle or donate the rest!
Holiday Decor
Holiday decor can be an easy place for clutter to accumulate. It’s bulky to store and there can end up being so much of it!
Take a good look at the decor you have. What do you put out each and every year, and what ends up remaining in storage but you hold onto for potential use later on? Is anything just not your taste anymore? Anything broken? No need to hold onto anything that doesn’t bring you joy to put up and display in your home!
Basically, keep your faves, ditch the rest!
Also, if you grab more decor this year, challenge yourself to get rid of something you don’t like anymore! Don’t keep on accumulating!
Fridge & Freezer
We all know with all the get togethers there are always an INSANE amount of leftovers involved whether you’re the host or the guest.
This is a great time to take inventory and sort through everything in your fridge and freezer, especially the freezer. Anything that you don’t remember when it was placed in there, perhaps it’s time to toss.
Make room for all things leftovers, and clear out anything that’s overdue for being tossed!
Serving Dishes
Go through the stash of serving dishes kept for use during the holidays get togethers, especially if the holidays are the only time they get used. Take a look at what you know you’ll be using or what you use frequently, and what typically sits around in the cabinet collecting dust.
If these aren’t items you use very frequently, don’t let them take up a whole bunch of space in your home! Keep what you know you’ll use, or the best of the best, and ditch any extras, duplicates, or pieces you know you won’t ever end up using.
Holiday Clothing
Time to go through all those items in your closet you hold onto for the holiday season! First, how many are there? Do you have a lot of items that are specifically just for the holidays and the events around this time of year? If you have pieces that are exclusively for these events, try to keep them to a minimum since it’s a short amount of time during the year for them to be taking up too much closet real estate!
Also, if you’re the type of person to buy new things for these types of holiday events and avoid rewearing, really think about what holiday pieces are important to hold onto! Will you wear them again? If not, why keep them?
Toys
For all my parents out there, pre-holidays is THE time to take inventory on all the toys. You just KNOW the kids are probably going to be accumulating at least a couple more! Take a moment with the kids to see what is played with a bunch, what they might have outgrown, and what you hold onto with the hopes they’ll play with (because it was expensive), but they never do.
DONATE!
Pantry
Another important place to take inventory of! Especially true for anyone cooking/baking for the holidays.
How many times have you gone to the grocery store with your list and not known if you have powdered sugar back at home so you grab a bag of it, then get home and realize you have 3 in the pantry?! Anyone else guilty of that?
Give yourself a good idea of what you have so when it comes time to cook or bake, you know what you already have stocked and what you need to pick up. No more excess powdered sugar!!
Blankets
Holiday season is the time of the throw blankets! Maybe that’s just because it’s colder out. Either way, how many do you have? How many are used frequently, and how many sit there unused?
Blankets take up a lot of space, so if you have any that are rarely used, donate!
Kitchen Gadgets
Are you holding onto various kitchen gadgets with the thought that you’ll use them someday but never do? Or maybe think you’ll use them when you cook your holiday meal, but they remain unused?
Evaluate what gadgets are rarely ever incorporated into your cooking routines, holidays or beyond, and ditch what’s taking up cabinet space but not providing value!
Gifts From Previous Years
If you’re still holding onto gifts from previous years that are in the packaging and completely unused, donate those! Clearly they aren’t all that necessary, and because they’re still in the packaging, they would be great items to donate.
Candles
If you’re a candle hoarder like me, then you likely have quite the stash of holiday specific candles. Nothing like a cozy scented candle to get you in the holiday spirit, right?!
If you have a bunch of candles that are basically at the bottom, time to clear them out!
Use this trick to get all the wax out of the candle, use the leftovers in a wax warmer and reuse or recycle the container!
Cold Weather Gear
We all know just how bulky all the cold weather gear can be! And while a lot of it is necessary, all the duplicates, wrong sizes, or uncomfortable items don’t need to be held onto. Take a moment to see what still fits, what’s still in good shape, and what has seen better days. Donate or toss what’s no longer worth keeping in rotation!
Bonus, anything you realize you need you can suggest to people if they ask what’s on your holiday wish list!
After going through this list, you are going to have a much less cluttered home that’s ready to go for the holiday season!
