52 Places In 52 Weeks: Christmas Decorations
It’s the most wonderful time of the year!
It is also time to start thinking about your Christmas decorations. Do you dread taking them down because you are overwhelmed by the amount you have, wondering how in the world it all fit in the containers before? Do not let the taking down part of decorating depress you – time to organize and get rid of the unused and unwanted items!
1. Go through each item as you are taking it down and decide:
- Do I use this?
- Why do I have this item?
- Do I even want this?
- Do I have too much?
- Do I have a place to put this? (if you can’t think of a place, get rid of it!)
2. Find or even get rid of containers to store the items in. It may be helpful to buy colored bins (after Christmas, you can find the large red/green containers for cheap!). If you are able, keep them all the same size so that they are easy to stack.
3. Label each container including the season and maybe even what is in it such as lights, rugs, candles, etc.
4. Good Rule of Thumb: Set limits for yourself – have only 1 or 2 containers per season.
5. Store bins in a place that is out of the way, since you only use them once a year.
6. Donate unwanted items
The only season I decorate for is Christmas just because we live in a small home and finding a place to put things is another story. In fact, we do not even have room for a Christmas tree! Although, as I was decluttering our Christmas decor, I realized we had items just because they were Christmas-themed. They did not serve a purpose and I had no attachment to them. They only added clutter. To the donation bin they went. Same with ornaments – some were falling apart, some I had no idea I why I had it, and so out they went. I have learned that the more decorations I have, the more clutter it adds to a small space. I am learning to have a REASON for everything I have – even when it comes to seasonal (especially Christmas) decor. Storing them all in one bin has been a tremendous help when Christmas comes around. I know exactly where to go to find all I own. I only need 2 bins, which is GREAT for when the time rolls around to set everything up. I know exactly where to go. I also store my Christmas wrapping paper and bags in a storage bin so that I know exactly where to go when it is gift wrapping time. Living with less also means not owning something just because it adds to the collection. If you don’t use, want, or have a place for something, it should not have a home in your house.
I talked mostly about Christmas decorations, but really, this can be applied to ALL seasonal decor! Don’t own more than what you enjoy!
