How to Get Organized for the Holidays Now 🌲

Last year, a friend admitted she didn’t want to decorate for the holidays because she had too many decorations. They overwhelm her to the point she’d rather leave them in the storage room. I understand why she feels this way and even how she got to this point in her life. I’ve seen it in so many homes and I know she is not alone.

Recently, I stopped at a big-box store to pick up trash bags. At the front door, I was greeted by a display of oversized Christmas decorations and Halloween too. And my first thought was, where do people store these things?

The Holidays

We watch the advertisements running. Decorations pop up everywhere. Christmas candy and novelties line the grocery store aisles. Like it or not, we are entering that time known as “let’s circle back after the holidays.” 

The holidays….sigh. Thanksgiving and Christmas are lumped together into a period of 6 weeks that so many people just hope to survive.

What if this year was different? What if you celebrated a different kind of Christmas? One where your family thrived instead of just surviving? It takes a little planning so get started in October or earlier if you can.

If you dread decorating for Christmas because you have so much stuff, let’s try my approach instead! This year, prepare your house for decorating first. Clear the clutter. Clean up your home and make room for the beautiful decorations you own and love. (And donate the excess while you’re at it.)

Clean Sweep

October and November are a great time to do what I like to call a “clean sweep” of the house. It’s also the perfect time to fill the donation centers with holiday items they can sell. Remember, your donations will bless someone and allow them to purchase the items inexpensively and with dignity.

Step-by-Step Guide to Clean Sweep Your House Today 

• Grab a donation box and trash bags
• Focus on easy donation decisions in your home
• Work quickly with the goal of clearing flat surfaces like the floor and furniture tops
• Start with the family room, living room, bedrooms and bathrooms, then the kitchen home office, and finally storage. 
• Here are some suggestions to donate and throw away:
  • Clothing that is stained, torn, the wrong size, or items you don’t like
  • Old toiletries
  • Decorations you no longer like to dust
  • Clutter on your nightstand and dresser (Pro tip: clutter-free bedrooms improve sleep quality)
  • Old towels and sheets – Keep 1-2 sets of sheets per bed. Two towels per full-time resident and one per guest space
  • Extra pillows and blankets
  • Broken, chipped, or stained dishes
  • Oversized entertaining dishes you rarely use
  • Unused small appliances – Be brutally honest and reclaim cabinet space
  • Stuff sitting on counters
  • Magazines and catalogs
  • Books you already read or know you won’t read
  • Christmas decorations you did not put up last year. Throw away broken items. 
  • Labor-intensive Christmas decorations to simplify your holiday decorating

Box up the donations and put them in your car. Throw away items that are not of good quality. Be a good donor by throwing away items that you would not give to your best friend.

You did it! Now, be sure to drive the items to your local donation center as soon as possible. A clean sweep turns your cluttered home into a blank canvas ready for holiday decorations. And it makes decorating easier, faster, and more enjoyable.

This weekend, grab some boxes, set a timer for 1 hour, and clean-sweep your house. Don’t overthink this and don’t try to dig into every closet. A clean sweep removes a healthy layer of clutter from your home. Fill as many boxes as you can with stuff you don’t want in your home, especially at Christmas.

How many boxes can you clean-sweep out of your house before the holidays?