I know, I know. You’re thinking that it’s too early to start talking about the holidays. How can I even think to mention the ‘C’ word this early?!
It’s never too soon to start getting rid of things before they take up space in your home for another year.
So let me help get you started on this task by giving you some tips on what items to declutter before the holidays are upon us.
I know I need my home to stay clutter-free for sanity reasons when family comes over or friends stop by for a visit.
With the holidays coming up, it means it’s time to prepare for the inevitable onslaught of family members. If you’re anything like me, you’ll end up with a house full of people.
But before they show up and your place becomes more crowded than Times Square on New Years Eve, take some time to declutter so that everyone has their own space.
The holidays can be a stressful time of year and by planning a little in advance, we can free up time, space and our minds to really enjoy the festivities with our loved ones.
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Table of Contents
When should you start to declutter before the holidays?
Personally, I start thinking about the holiday season towards the end of October. Don’t get me wrong. The Christmas tree doesn’t go up then, and I don’t finish all my shopping in October.
But I’m a planner.
I like to plan things in advance. I also want to make sure I have free time for other things too, and that things aren’t done in a last-minute rush before the holidays.
At the end of October or beginning of November, I start writing my lists (just like Santa!) and I start doing some research on the best gifts to buy, where to buy them and how much they cost.
Read also: How I Use a Monthly Checklist to Organise My Life
I also look at what’s in my house that I really don’t use anymore.
This is the perfect time of year to go through those items you’re holding onto that clutter up your house but which aren’t needed.
The worst thing would be for your guests to come over and not have enough time to relax, or for you to spend the entire holiday season in a tizzy running around in circles.
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Reasons to declutter before the holidays?
1. To make space
As much as we hope to reduce the amount of STUFF coming into our homes, it can seem kind of impossible during the holiday season.
As we welcome friends and family over for festivities, they will inevitably bring food and gifts.
It’s best to declutter before the holidays so that you have enough room to store all those items that come into your home during this time of year.
Read also: 10 Unexpected Benefits of Having a Clean Home
When guests come over, it’s nice to have some free space in your home so that they have a place to sit, relax and enjoy themselves.
2. To free up time
I absolutely love the events that surround the holidays: Christmas parties, Christmas markets, the excuse to go ice-skating, Christmas concerts.
But the weeks before Christmas, we’re constantly on the go.
By decluttering a month or two in advance, we can free up time to spend on the festivities of the season.
Read also: 12 Needless Things That Waste Your Time Every Day
3. To make yourself happy
Of course, what’s most important is that decluttering your home before the holidays makes YOU happy too!
The sense of accomplishment you get when looking around your clean house after doing this little pre-holiday decluttering is a great feeling.
Read also: Don’t Take Life for Granted: 15 Ways To Enjoy The Simple Things In Life
4. To give back to those in need
While I do like to give back at various times throughout the year, is there really any better time to give back than during the holidays?
Clearing out your closet at this time of year, you might find winter clothing, unused toys, unopened gifts that can be donated to those in need of Christmas gifts.
Things to declutter before the holidays
Expectations
To ensure the holidays go smoothly as planned, we need to be realistic and reasonable when it comes to our expectations.
Just as we won’t finish all of our holiday shopping in October, we can’t expect to be able to do all the other tasks that come along with Christmas either.
Read also: The Importance of Letting Go of Expectations
Make a list of your priorities early on so you know how you can manage them.
Be kind to yourself and let go of unrealistic expectations.
To do list & calendar
However long your to-do list usually is, during the holidays it can become 10 times longer!
If your usual to-do list hangs over your head like a dark cloud and causes stress during this festive time of year, it’s probably time to take some action and declutter your list!
Read also: How To Organise Your Life & Simplify Your Days
Move anything on your to-do list that doesn’t need to be done before the end of the year to a new list that you can deal with in the New Year.
Plan your festive activities in advance so you know exactly what’s on your calendar. Don’t sign up for too many activities over the holidays, or it can lead to stress and overwhelm.
Holiday décor
Before putting up your Christmas tree and decorations, pull out all of your holiday decor and lay it out on the floor or a table or mat.
My advice when decluttering is always to pull everything out so that you have a clear view of what you have and nothing gets lost or thrown away by accident.
Pick out the special decorations you love and want to keep. Then you can see what else is needed to make it a complete set.
By decluttering in advance of the holidays, you have the option to pass on your unwanted holiday décor to someone in need. It also means that once Christmas is over, you’ll have an easier job of putting everything away until next year.
Holiday clothing
Do you buy new Christmas PJs every year (don’t worry, I won’t say a word!)?
Whether it’s a Christmas pub crawl or a fancy Christmas party, or just the day itself, we tend to stock up on new clothing at this time of year.
If you don’t like reusing your old Christmas clothes, consider donating them instead before you hit the shops and bring more things into your home.
Email inbox
I’m not sure about you, but my inbox starts exploding at this time of year! Before you end up getting emails from every online store you’ve ever shopped at, unsubscribe to mailing lists that you don’t want to receive emails from,
Read also: Disconnect to Reconnect: The Significance of a Digital Detox
Without all these emails pinging on your phone all day long, you’ll be less likely to make impulse purchases too.
Toys
If you’ve got kids, you know there’ll be an influx of new toys coming in over the holidays – from friends, family, and of course the big man himself!
Encourage your children to declutter their old toys and books before more come into your home. Teach them that there are children who don’t always get as many nice things for Christmas who would love their old toys.
Wardrobe
Again, if you have children they are likely to receive gifts of clothes for Christmas. Declutter all clothes they have outgrown or those that are of no use any longer to make space for the gifts they might receive.
Read also: How To Be Ruthless When Decluttering Clothes: An Essential Guide
Take this opportunity to declutter your own wardrobe too! If you’re likely to receive gifts of clothes or shoes for the holidays, give your wardrobe a good declutter and consider donating any unwanted items to charity.
Kitchen & pantry
Let’s be honest. We spend a LOT of time in the kitchen over Thanksgiving and Christmas!
Clear out all your cupboards and drawers, so you can see what you have and whether you need to borrow more utensils to accommodate extra guests.
Doing this will also give you the opportunity to declutter any old food that might be in there or items that are expired.
Organising your kitchen before the holidays means everything is easily accessible when it comes time to cook up a storm.
Shopping list
There are no two ways about it, we overconsume during the holidays.
Food, gifts, alcohol, clothes…
This year, plan ahead and write your shopping list with simplicity in mind. Reduce the amount of food you usually buy – there’s always leftover right?
And I’m not saying you shouldn’t give gifts at all, but you don’t need to go overboard and spend too much money on things. Stick to a budget,
For gifts for kids, I like to stick to the ‘something they want, something they need, something to wear and something to read’ rule. And for adults, why not do a Secret Santa whereby each adult received one nice gift of something they truly want or need?
Read also: 9 Simple Rules For Regifting Christmas Gifts
Guilt
Christmas is a wonderful time of year and giving and receiving gifts should be a joyous occasion.
But what happens when someone gives you a gift that you don’t need or even want?
Read also: How To Declutter Sentimental Items Without The Overwhelming Guilt
When someone gives you a gift, it’s yours to do as you wish. Whether that is to display it with pride in your living room or pass it on to someone you know will love the item, there should be no guilt associated with gift-giving or receiving.
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Full house decluttering dash
Last on the list of things to declutter before the holidays is to do a quick full house declutter dash.
We can all use a little refresher and what better time than before the holidays!
Read my extensive guide on how to declutter your house in one day for tips on how to declutter your entire home.
Conclusion: Things to declutter before the holidays
The holidays are a busy time of year, but we can all plan ahead and make sure we declutter before the season is upon us.
The best thing about decluttering before the holidays? There’ll be less spring cleaning to do once the new year comes around!
I hope these tips on how to declutter before the holidays have been helpful as you start getting ready for the holiday season.
Read also: A Minimalist List Of Things To Get Rid Of
Do you declutter before the holidays? Do you have any other ideas on what to declutter before the holidays?
Great post! I think the holidays are a time for clutter and presents can often take up a lot of room! I love these suggestions, especially at this time of year x
Such a helpful post! These are all great reasons to declutter before the holidays and great tips for how to do so!
Julia x
There is no better feeling than letting go of the things that no longer serve us. Thanks for these tips!
xoxo
Lovely
When you only live in a single room like I do, the main reason for decluttering is to try and get back some space, because space is a premium
I agree. For most, if they have specific cluttered rooms they can escape into another room. But if you live out of one room it’s so important to have your own clear space.
I needed to read this. I’m such a hoarder and I hate to throw things away because of guilt. But, this year I’m going to change that.
Oh you should never feel guilty about letting go of things! There is so much good that can come from us donating or regifting our unwanted items. And nobody who gives you a gift would want you to feel guilty about that gift if you don’t want to keep it. That’s the joy of gifts, once it’s give to you, it’s yours to do exactly what you choose! 🙂
I love that you’ve got Expectations on the list! That’s a really important one.
xx Katie
100% 🙂
Great post Vourneen! I am a planner and like you feel more relaxed if I can get things done in advance and stay one step ahead. Thanks for sharing this valuable information.
Thanks Jodie 🙂
i plan for christmas early! especially buying gifts. i’ve been looking through our home decor for the holiday and we def need to downsize a few things and replace others. i also am in need of wrapping paper. but doing inventory this early helps me feel more prepared.
I’m always a bit jealous of people who buy a new Christmas duvet set…though I definitely do not have the space or the spare money! I have been using the same Christmas jumper for years now and it was a gift from my sister so I automatically love it. I don’t have too many Christmas decorations, but my room has been stressing me out lately so maybe I’ll declutter that instead 🙂 x
I love giving back to those in need is such an important at Christmas, so anything I have which I don’t need (as long as it’s in good condition) I will always donate to charity! x
Love this post! We don’t really have holidays or things to decor here but I plan to declutter my inbox and to-do list this month! Thanks for sharing this x
Great idea to clear out the subscriptions to commercial newsletters etc. I barely open them so why I haven’t thought of unsubscribing already is a mystery.
I used to be the same!