Inside: Are you stressed out by the holidays adding more stuff to your home? Take some time before the holidays to declutter your home of excess stuff to make space for more joy this season. Inside learn 10 areas to declutter before the holidays so you are not even more overwhelmed after the holidays!

Are you stressed out by the holidays adding more stuff to your home?  Take some time before the holidays to declutter your home of excess stuff to make space for more joy this season.  Inside learn 10 areas to declutter before the holidays so you are not even more overwhelmed after the holidays!

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The holidays tend to fill our lives with more: more stuff on our shelves, more food in our kitchen (and bellies), and more obligations on our calendar.

I don’t know about you, but all that extra stuff tends to raise my stress levels as well! One of the keys I have found to keeping my stress levels in check and savoring the holiday season is to SIMPLIFY.

Let’s work together to simplify our homes before the holidays get here so that we have more space in our home and calendar to be fully present during these holidays moments.

I have written about simplifying the holidays as well as how to prepare for a slow holiday season in the past. In this post, I’ll share 10 things you can declutter before the holidays plus a few tips to get started even when you are overwhelmed.

What to Declutter Before the Holidays to Make More Room for Joy

Let’s get right to it! Here are 10 things you can declutter before the holidays so you have more space to actually enjoy the season.

1. Expectations

I want to start right off the bat with this one because I think your mindset plays a huge role in how your holiday season will unfold. The holidays are often a time when people think they need to please everyone and do all the things they see on TV or social media.

The holidays can be a challenging time of year but YOU get to decide what you do and do not do. YOU get to decide what is best for you and your family. Just because you were invited to an event doesn’t mean you have to go. Just because someone in your social media feed is creating an elaborate Christmas countdown, doesn’t mean you have to.

I am giving you permission to keep it simple and let go of perfection so you can focus on progress instead.

If you look for perfection you’ll never find content.

Leo Tolstoy

2. Toys Your Kids Have Outgrown

The holidays are a great time to declutter the toys your kids no longer love or play with. You can use this time to teach your kids how to declutter as well as the benefits of decluttering. If your kids are old enough to talk then they are probably old enough to help you!

If your kids are brand new to decluttering, work with them at first. Here are a few things to say:

“The holidays are coming up so now is a wonderful time to think about what toys you no longer love or play with to make space for new toys. Can you help me pull out a few toys or games that we could donate to kids that may not have as much as we do?”

This is also a great time to teach about generosity and helping others!

Don’t be surprised if they are hesitant at first, especially before the holidays. I would recommend doing this exercise again AFTER the holidays when they will probably not be as attached to the old toys since they just received new toys for Christmas. Remember, progress over perfection!

Resources to declutter the toys:

3. Summer Gear

I love to use the change in seasons to clean out our summer gear, especially the stuff we didn’t even use this year. I like to dispose of old sunscreen bottles and bug spray since most of those items expire after 12 months. Now is also a great time to declutter outdoor toys or games that your kids have outgrown or are broken. No sense in storing that stuff in your garage if you don’t plan to use it again next summer!

4. Winter Gear

On the same token, as the weather is getting colder and you’re getting out winter gear, ask yourself if you are still using the stuff before you throw it on the shelf. Do the snow pants, gloves, hats, and boots still fit? Do they have any holes? Do your kids actually play with all 5 sleds or could you do with one for each kid? Other winter gear to look at: shovels, skis, snowshoes, and salt for sidewalks.

Are you stressed out by the holidays adding more stuff to your home?  Take some time before the holidays to declutter your home of excess stuff to make space for more joy this season.  Inside learn 10 areas to declutter before the holidays so you are not even more overwhelmed after the holidays!

5. Clothing

I use the change in seasons to declutter clothing in our home, both mine and my kiddos’. I like to declutter anything from the summer months that I never wore. If I didn’t wear it this summer for whatever reason, then the chances of me wearing it next year are pretty slim!

Next, as I am getting out my winter clothes, before I put them in the closet, I will try things on or hold them up to make sure they are clothes I intend to wear and still love.

For more tips on decluttering clothing:

6. Holiday Decor

Before you put any decorations up, take a look at what you have. We tend to just shove things in boxes after the holidays instead of deciding if the items are something that you want to keep and use again next year.

After I have my home decorated how I want, I also like to look and see what’s leftover in the box not being used. I get really honest with myself about whether or not I want to keep those items because, like the clothes above, if I didn’t use it this year, then the chances of me using the items next year are pretty slim! There is no sense in boxing things up just for fun.

7. Your Calendar and To-Do List

In other words, look at what obligations you have in November and December. Are there things on your calendar that you just dread going to, or just give you a bad feeling in your stomach? Life is way too short to feel like that! Really look at those activities and see if there are any that you can politely decline this year or at least take a break from during the holidays. Sometimes all we need is a break and then we are more excited to get back to something.

Every item on your to do list is a little time taking you away from enjoying and savoring and being present in the season.

“How we spend our days is, of course, how we spend our lives. What we do with this hour, and that one, is what we are doing.”

— Annie Dillard

8. Your Kitchen

You probably won’t have time to do a major kitchen declutter, but even going through your utensils, mugs, and cups will go a long way. The kitchen tends to be the hub of any holiday get together and you probably spend a lot more time cooking and baking during the holidays. Use some time before the holidays to remove just a bit of the clutter and you’ll feel so much more comfortable when you’re in there!

Related Post: Simplify Your Mealtimes

9. Your Pantry

Also in the kitchen, but I wanted to mention this separately. Now is a great time to donate extra canned goods and items your family won’t use. It’s also a great time to get rid of expired foods and foods your family doesn’t prefer or make a plan to use up what you have. There tends to be a lot more cooking and baking during the holidays so now is a great time to see what you already have before buying new.

10. Your Mind

This might sound strange, but my mind tends to turn into a major monkey mind around the holidays. There are just so many things to remember and do that they will swirl around in my head unless I do something about it. I like to do a braindump of everything in my head and get it on paper or in a digital tool like Trello. I always feel so much better after doing a braindump! It allows me to get a birdseye view of what’s on my mind and then prioritize what I want to do and then take action.

Grab our free Simplify The Holidays Trello Board to help with your brain dump and organize what you want to accomplish this holiday season.

Free Trello Boards to simplify the holidays

>> If you need even more ideas of WHAT to declutter, this article has 50 things to consider decluttering before the holidays from various places in your home.

>> I also have a free printable list of 100 things to declutter in general. This would be a great place to start!!!

Are you stressed out by the holidays adding more stuff to your home?  Take some time before the holidays to declutter your home of excess stuff to make space for more joy this season.  Inside learn 10 areas to declutter before the holidays so you are not even more overwhelmed after the holidays!

How Do You Declutter Before the Holidays?

Now that you know WHAT to declutter before the holidays, here are some tips to actually start decluttering before the holidays are upon us, even if you are super overwhelmed. Or, if you’re reading this in December, then set your expectations low and get done what you can.

The time you spend with your loved ones is WAY more important than how much you got decluttered.

“Love people. Use Things. The opposite never works. “

— The Minimalists

Start Small

Pick one area from the above list and start super small. Spend about 10-15 minutes and set a timer and just go through the area with three bags or boxes: one for trash, one for donation, and one for the items that belong somewhere else in the house or belong to someone else.

Resist the urge to pull out everything at once, especially if you don’t have the time to finish the project. Only pull out what you can reasonably finish in the time you have.

Also, resist the urge to put things back in other areas of your home until you are done! Otherwise, you’ll waste your time running around your house putting things away and you won’t get any decluttering done.

Use Questions to Help You Declutter

It is totally normal to get stuck when you are decluttering at times. It always helps me to have a list of questions to go through to help me clarify what I actually need and what I actually love.

Check out this post for 20 decluttering questions you can ask yourself! Plus there is a free printable checklist you can print out and use while you’re going through your items.

If you are short on time, it boils down to: Do I LOVE it? Do I NEED it?

>> Related post: 20 Decluttering Questions You Can Start Using Today

Involve Your Kids

Like I mentioned above, if your kids are old enough to talk, then they are probably old enough to help you declutter. Especially when you are going through their clothes and toys! If your kids are hesitant to get rid of their toys, start small. You can talk about how you are giving to those children who don’t have as much as we do. You can also let them know that you will be putting the items in a box for a month and if they want anything during that time they can go ahead and get it back out. Otherwise, the items will be donated.

Related Post: A Helpful Guide For Decluttering With Your Kids

Make It Easy To Donate

Have a donation box that is easy for everyone in your family to access. I have one in each of my kids’ rooms for clothes they have outgrown. I also like to keep a box or bag for anyone to place something they don’t want or need as we are living life. It’s very difficult to get everything you want to donate on your first pass through a room.

More Resources to Declutter Before The Holidays and Simplify the Season

HOW TO SIMPLIFY THE HOLIDAYS FOR A MORE MEANINGFUL SEASON

10 TIPS TO PREPARE FOR A SLOW HOLIDAY SEASON

HOW TO USE TRELLO AS A HOLIDAY ORGANIZATION PLANNER

Download your free Trello Board Template to Prep for a Slow Holiday Season

If you loved this post, consider joining our Insider List and you’ll also receive the Free Trello Board template to simplify and organize your holidays this year!

Free Trello Boards to simplify the holidays

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Are you stressed out by the holidays adding more stuff to your home?  Take some time before the holidays to declutter your home of excess stuff to make space for more joy this season.  Inside learn 10 areas to declutter before the holidays so you are not even more overwhelmed after the holidays!

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