Why Now Is The Time To Declutter Your Holiday Decorations

Is anyone else feeling like they need a little Christmas? I know it’s a little early, but it’s almost time to haul up to the attic, tramp out to the garage, poke under the stairs or drive over to the storage unit and retrieve your holiday decor. And it may sound counter-intuitive but now is the perfect time to declutter your holiday decorations!

‘Wait, what? But I haven’t even put them out yet?’ That’s right folks! By the end of this post I hope I will convince you that hauling out your stash presents the perfect opportunity to slough off some of that excess that’s been building up over the years (decades?) you’ve been making merry!

It’s the Perfect Storm

The biggest reason to declutter your holiday decorations now is that you are doing the work of getting everything out anyway. It’s basically taking advantage of an opportunity staring you in the face. The hardest and most intimidating part of decluttering is usually the act of pulling everything out from where it’s stored and you are already doing that! Boom!

Now you can put on your decluttering hat and edit as you go. The first easy edit is anything that’s broken. Every year there are ornament casualties. If you insist it can be fixed do it now or let the thing go. In fact, come prepared to decorate with some Gorilla Glue so you can repair it in the moment. The second easy place to look is anything you have but aren’t putting out. You know what I’m talking about, those things you don’t really like so they just stay in the bin until you strike the set in January? Gather them up unto their own box and set aside for donation!

You Can See The Sea Of Stuff

You know it’s time to declutter your holiday decorations when you’ve taken everything out and can truly appreciate how much you have. I’m betting your story sounds a bit like mine…

I began my collection of Christmas decor in my 20s. Then the influx truly ramped up in my 30s when we had bought a house and had 3 kids. I wanted to create the warm and welcoming holiday home I had growing up. I started collections (Nutcrackers, snow globes) and ornaments began appearing like sugar plums every year. In my 40’s my parents began downsizing their own holiday collection and I inherited my mom’s santa collection plus a bunch of ornaments from my childhood. Oh, and all along the way I would find new things on my own that I loved and added to the throng. Instead of one-in-one-out, each year I was living ten-in-none-out!

So now I can see the sea of several decades of collecting. And the best time to prioritize and edit is now, when everything is out on display. No, I don’t need to keep things that don’t fit in with the themes I have going now just because I’ve had them forever! No, I don’t have to keep the things I was gifted along the way that aren’t really my taste! Yes, I can recognize when my collection of (Nutcrackers, Santas, Holiday Tins, Snow Globes) has gotten too big so it looks junky instead of cool!

You Can Toss The Bad Storage Boxes

When you declutter your holiday decorations, you remove them from their boxes and bins. And voila, it’s a perfect time to assess your storage. First off, get rid of all of your cardboard boxes and instead invest in bins or bags. Future you will thank you for securing your holiday decorations in storage solutions that are weathertight, easy to carry and in some cases provide extra cushioning to prevent breakage. Everyone’s collection is different, so I’ve assembled a collection of solutions for trees, wreaths, lights and ornaments. You can access it here. Putting your decorations away is going to be so much easier and pleasant with the right storage in place.

So have I convinced you? I started taking this a few years ago and let a few things go each year. It feels cleansing and my holiday house feels more inviting and less cluttered with every Christmas that passes. Try it yourself and see if you feel the same!