Now that we’re fully into the holiday season, there are so many things to do. BUT, I think that you should add decluttering to the top of that list!
Why?
Taking some time to declutter your space preps your home and your mindset for the upcoming influx of physical items and the full schedule that’s sure to arrive in December.
There are so many items that come into our homes during the holiday season—food, gifts, and decorations…it can be easy to get overwhelmed if we don’t thoughtfully and intentionally prepare beforehand.
Here are the areas that can help to give you some extra peace of mind this Christmas:
1. Kid’s Toys
Kid’s toys pile up so quickly!
Depending on the age of your kiddos, you’ll have to decide if you want to do this with their input. My kiddos are both still on the younger side, so I typically just pay attention to the toys that they are gravitating to and the ones that they aren’t playing with anymore.
If your kiddos are old enough to be involved in the process, consider using this as a way to encourage generosity in the holiday season of giving. You can also help work them through the process by asking questions like:
- Do you still play with it or use it regularly?
- Do you have fun playing with it?
For many children, they might just automatically answer both questions with a resounding, “YES!”
If that sounds all too familiar, you can also try encouraging decluttering through The Container Method. I wrote a blog previously explaining this topic, but essentially you allow the container that stores the toys to be the deciding factor in when it’s time to declutter.
For example, if the space holding all the cars or dolls or blocks is overflowing, it’s time to go through and pick our favourites so they can all comfortably fit inside of the space.
Honestly, the idea of tackling decluttering your kids toys can seem like an incredibly daunting task, I completely understand! Even if all you do is just a quick pass-through to look for broken toys or clear out ones that aren’t touched anymore, this will greatly impact your space.
2. Fridge & Freezer
This helps make space for any meal prep that you may do, but it also allows you to get a full inventory of the ingredients you have on hand.
I just did this recently and used this time to also make my list of meals I am planning to make over the next couple of weeks.
Here’s my brief process for what I like to do:
- Go through the fridge or freezer and throw out anything that needs to be tossed.
- Quickly organize the remaining items in your space (I prefer to organize mine in very broad categories like fruits, veggies, dairy, leftovers, etc.) – doing this forces me to touch every item in the fridge or freezer and figure out what we have and what we need.
- Make a meal plan
- Make a grocery list for the meal plan and to replenish any items that are running low
3. Closet
Take 20 minutes to do a quick closet audit! Here’s how I would do this quickly and efficiently, so whenever you look at your closet during the holiday season, you don’t have to “hem and haw” about what to wear or be inundated with a closet full of items that don’t make you feel great!
A. Remove the gut items – you know the ones. You see it every time and know deep down that you’ll never wear that item because it’s a little itchy or never quite fits you right…even though you wish it did! And in your ideal world, you’d wear this item all the time and it would be great! It’s time to give yourself a holiday mercy and toss it.
B. Put your favourites up front – you don’t need to do off-season storage or have a fancy closet display for a capsule wardrobe. Simply just tuck the seasonal items or ones you aren’t sure about toward the back of your closet to re-visit at a later date. The “separation” you create for this short season might be the time and space you need to finally part with some items you’ve been unsure about.
C. Are there certain clothing items you tend to stock up on or be gifted during the holiday season? Many people celebrate with Christmas pj’s or socks! If this is the case for you, consider being proactive and going through your collections of these items to make some space ahead of time and make room for the new items that will be entering your closet.
D. Do it for a good cause – Embrace the season of giving and go through your winter outwear and accessories to see if there’s anything you no longer use or fit that can be donated to a local shelter or people who need it more!
4. Decor
A habit that I’ve gotten into over the past few years happens before I even put up any of my Christmas decor.
I open up my bin that everything is stored in and give it a first pass and declutter anything that I no longer want. Overall, we keep the same decor from year to year, but I’m still usually able to find a couple of things that I’m ready to part with.
As I’m putting up Christmas decor, I usually take down a few other year-round decor pieces in my house and store them in our Christmas bin during the holiday season. This is a great opportunity to evaluate the other decor or things that are out in your home, and see if something no longer works for you.
5. Your Calendar
While this last one isn’t a tangible thing to declutter, it’s probably the most important. December tends to fill up very quickly with many gatherings, events, and more. Even though these are probably all good things, that doesn’t mean it’s the best thing for you or your family.
Before the craziness of the season begins, take some time individually or with your partner to evaluate what your priorities for the season are. This way, you’ll be able to respond intentionally to the opportunities that come your way. Below are a couple of questions that can help guide this conversation:
- What do you want your holiday season to look like? (i.e., time for relaxing, time spent with family and friends, time spent volunteering or doing other activities you enjoy? When you picture your ideal Christmas season, what comes to mind?)
- Are there certain events that you feel strongly that you want to participate in? Are there ones that you don’t?
- How do you feel about spontaneous activities that might arise?
Little Minimalist on the Prairies 