The holidays are upon us and there is much to do. From creating menus to shopping for gifts to putting up holiday decorations. The earlier we start on our to-do list the better. Decorating is one of those things that can be done early. We may not think about purging as we decorate but it’s a great way to reduce the amount of decorations as well as creating more storage space.
Not everyone decorates for the holidays but many of us enjoy showing our holiday spirit in this way. We accumulate many decorations over the years. We acquire holiday decorations by buying items that catch our eye, by receiving them as gifts, or by inheriting them. This accumulation of decorations can take up a lot of storage space. If we never purged these items, we would quickly run out of space to store other things.
Over the years we can accumulate so many items that we may run out of places to display them. Every year I end up putting up less & less because it seems like they multiply in their containers during their slumber!
Since I have so many holiday decorations, several years ago I stopped buying new items. That doesn’t mean I don’t get decorations as gifts. Those gifts add to what I already have, so I am inadvertently adding to the accumulation.
In order to keep my belonging’s proportionate to my storage space, I’ve created a new routine. Every year I bring out all my decorations from storage, which is in my basement. I hang, or put out all the items that mean the most to me. I’m one of those people that don’t go crazy with décor, because too much looks like clutter to me. Then I look at the items that I didn’t display to make a decision on the items to purge.
Some decisions in my opinion, are no-brainers. The list below shows what I decided were no-brainers, and what to do with these items. Use this list as a guide during your purging process. After you purge the no-brainers, that may be the end of your task. It may free up enough storage space so you can go on to other tasks on your to-do list. If not, get into the routine of using this process every year and you will free up storage space over time.
- Broken items – trash
- Items missing parts – trash
- Too many of the same item – ask family or friends if they want it, donate, or use as a white elephant gift if needed
- Dusty or dirty items – clean & use them, donate
- You don’t like the item – ask family or friends if they want it, donate, or use as a white elephant gift if needed
How often do you purge holiday decorations?
