How to Declutter Your Holiday Decorations 

It’s the most wonderful time of the year! Well, not so much if your house is cluttered with holiday decorations.

If you have many decorations that already make you feel overwhelmed and stressed out, this blog post is for you! I’ll show you how to declutter holiday decorations in just a few simple steps.

Follow these tips, and you’ll be ready to celebrate the holidays in style! Set up a plan for where to store holiday decorations and remove some of the stress for next year.

For many people, the holidays are a time when family and friends come together to celebrate.

However, the holidays can also be a time of chaos and stress, especially if you’re trying to juggle a busy schedule and keep your home clean and tidy for the upcoming special day.

One way to reduce holiday stress is to declutter your holiday decorations while you’re on your way to decorating your home.

If you have difficulty deciding what decorations to let go of and want to know how to start decluttering, check out this guide to help you declutter your holiday decor easily.

How to Declutter Your Holiday Decorations 

Many people find decluttering a difficult task because of the overwhelming amount of clutter they have to deal with.

If you’re one of them, use this quick clutter list to jump-start your progress. We call these the three core steps, and they work amazingly well when you are starting out.

Step 1. Remove the Trash

As you start to pull out those holiday decorations, you will find a few things that you can toss away as trash.

Before you start, have a trash bag nearby to make this step easier.

Look for bits and pieces of broken decorations, old newspapers that you may have used for wrapping, anything you find that is no longer usable, items that are worn out, or strings of lights that no longer work.

Step 2. Remove the Recyclables

For this step, you are looking for any decorations that you want to keep but need a little updating, so they last.

Have a box nearby to put these items into. Gather up any decorations that need glued, a little touchup of paint, or even new batteries.

You can also give those timeless pieces a new look with some festive makeovers using ribbons, glitter, and paint. Recycling is always in style!

After gathering these items, set them aside to work on them later.

Step 3. Put Away Items That Don’t Belong

Sometimes, holiday decorations get mixed up, especially if it was not organized properly before the holidays.

For the last step, grab a bin and collect items not meant to be used for the specific holiday.

It is important to ensure only to put up items meant for the holiday season. This may include festive lights, ornaments, holiday figurines, and maybe even a Christmas tree.

Ensure to store away all other items that don’t belong in the holiday decorations to make the process smoother and less stressful.

After following these core steps, it will be easier to sort items, organize, and store them properly to keep them in good condition for the next seasons.

Sort your Holiday Decorations

Decluttering holiday decorations can be difficult, especially if you tend to keep things for sentimental reasons.

Whether you’ve collected decorations over the years, received them as gifts, or purchased them yourself, it can be difficult to let go of something that carries a special memory — but it doesn’t have to be!

By taking a step-by-step approach and giving yourself permission to let go of the things that no longer serve you and still hold on to those that bring you joy, decluttering your holiday decorations can give you clarity and a sense of order in your home.

How would I know what to keep and what to let go of?

First, it’s important to remember that having too many decorations isn’t necessarily a bad thing.

Don’t feel guilty about holding onto an item with a special place in your heart or sentimental value. Just be sure you have the room to keep it in a way that will allow that item to last.

You can ask yourself: “Does this item hold any sentimental value?” If not, “Does it still make me happy when I look at it?”

If the answer is no for both questions, it might be time to say goodbye.

Here are some additional questions to help you decide whether an item should stay, be donated, or be tossed away.

1. Do I love this piece? If you do, set it aside so it can stay.
2. Is this decor still usable? If you have an item that you no longer love but is still usable, put them in your donation box. Give joy to someone that would love this item.
3. Is this item broken? If an item is broken, but you love it, you can set it aside and fix it. Otherwise, if it is not a piece you truly love, feel free to toss it away.

Make sure to give yourself permission to part with anything that doesn’t bring memories of joy or continues serving its purpose.

Holidays are meant to be joyous so fill your home with things that make you smile when you look at them.

Anytime guilt begins creeping in during this decluttering process (trust me, I understand!), remind yourself why it matters.

Less clutter means feeling more relaxed when entertaining guests. Less stuff means having the space to enjoy the season with family and friends.

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The power of words.

Sometimes the words we use can bring a lot of guilt. Words like “donate” can bring a feeling of guilt because you spent money on an item, and now you are just giving it away.

Rather than donate, why not say “passing it on”? This shift is words can help you to see that you are spreading holiday cheer to folks that may be struggling.

Pass on your extra decorations and, in turn, you can help a family in need and bring joy.

Start a Tote For Your Kids

I love this tip and have used it for many years.

When you find decorations you no longer love, you can start a holiday tote for each of your kids.

Let’s face it; those decorations can be pretty expensive; help your children by starting a collection they can use when they have a house of their own.

Choose What and Where to Donate Gently-used Decor

Many charitable organizations accept holiday decorations for those who need extra cheer during this special time of year.

Items like old Christmas wreaths from past years and other gently-used seasonal decorations can often find new life in donation centers or churches.

In choosing where you can donate items, you can start by researching local organizations near you.

Oftentimes, churches and schools will put out collection boxes for donations before the holidays.

Donating is always an excellent option because someone can benefit from using your old holiday decorations instead of ending up in a landfill.

Depending on the condition of your items, many thrift stores also accept donations of lightly used holiday decorations throughout the year.

Store your Holiday Decorations

Now that you have decided what decorations to keep, next is finding appropriate storage options.

There are many storage solutions you can use for your seasonal holiday decorations, such as:

• Plastic totes
• Bins
• Ornament containers
• Tree bags
• Sturdy boxes
• Bags
• Wheeled plastic containers

After choosing the best storage solution that suits the items you’ll be keeping, you can follow these tips on storing your decorations so they can be safe and secured while stored away.

Tip #1. Store by Category

When it comes to storing decorations, there are a few ways to go about it. The first is storing by category.

This is a good way to store as it helps you to see how much you have in each area.

Be sure to label the outside. A few ideas are….

Category Storage Ideas:

• Ceramic items
• Cloth items
• Tree ornaments
• Garland
• Lights
• Glass
• Candles
• Figurines
• Books, movies
• Decorations for a specific area

Additionally, you can use colored plastic totes that match the holiday to identify your decorations easily.

For example, you can use a red colored tote for Christmas decorations, blue for patriotic holidays, purple for Easter, orange for Halloween, and more.

Unleash your creativity and make decluttering a fun chore!

Tip #2. Store by Location

Another way to store holiday decorations is by location. This is my favorite way to store decorations. Go one step further and take a photo of the area and include it inside of the container. Be sure to label the outside.

Location Storage Ideas:

• Holiday village display
• Mantel
• Kitchen counter display
• Christmas tree decorations
• Bedroom display
• Family room decorations
• Kid-friendly decorations

Doing this will allow you to decorate your area more quickly without digging into every box or bin you have.

Tip #3. Protect Before Storing

After choosing your storage solution and categorizing what items you should keep in every storage, consider wrapping the items up properly first before storing them away.

When it comes to fragile holiday decorations, you can do a few things to help ensure they stay in good condition.

Glass and Ceramics

Carefully pack away fragile items such as ceramic or glass decorations.

The best way to do this is by wrapping delicate items using bubble wrap or other soft materials to prevent damage.

You can also use newspapers to protect larger items.

D/M Pro Tip: Save packing materials from any shipments you receive at home. You can reuse the material to protect your items while in storage.

Lights

Another item that needs proper handling and storage is decorative lights.

This item tends to get tangled a lot which causes frustration and costs us time to get untangled without damaging it.

To avoid tangled lights, the easiest and cheapest way is to wrap them around a piece of cardboard and tuck the end in when you are done.

This simple way will ensure that your lights will be tangle-free the next time you need them.

However, if cardboard is not your thing, you can always purchase and use light organizers for your sparkly light decoration.

Wreaths and Trees

If you use artificial wreaths and trees to decorate your home, finding a way to keep them stored so they won’t collect dust is a great way to extend the life of these items.

Here are a few storage options:

• You can use a trash bag for smaller trees, being sure to tie it off at the bottom.

• Purchase tree bags for any larger trees.

• A small trash bag for wreaths.

• Purchase zipper bags for wreaths.

It will take a bit of extra time now to set up these durable storage options, but you will save not only time but money as well in the long run.

Tip #4. Where to Store

You will want to consider storing these items in a cool, dry place, as this will help protect them from heat and humidity.

Here are some areas in the home where you can store your holiday decorations:

• In an Attic or Crawl Space
• In the Closet
• Under a Bed
• In a Basement or Garage

By taking a few simple precautions, you can ensure that your holiday decorations will stay in good condition for years to come.

Tip #6. Label Everything

The next tip is to label each holiday storage container so they are easier to identify when needed.

This will help reduce clutter since you won’t need to open every box to figure out what is inside during the holidays.

When packing up your decor for storage, ensure that fragile pieces are wrapped securely and placed at the top of your containers.

This way, the item won’t get damaged when you try to move them from one place to another.

You can store heavier items on the bottom since this will help keep everything secure while eliminating any potential spillage or breaking accidents. 

Many benefits come along with decluttering your holiday decorations.

Not only will you create more space in your home, but you will also be able to donate gently-used items to those in need.

Following the tips listed above will help you to easily declutter holiday decorations and remove a bit of stress from the holidays going forward.

Keep what you love, store items safely, label everything, and enjoy them for years to come.

More Decluttering Resources:

• How to Store Holiday Decorations
• Amazing Organizing Baskets for Your Home
• How to More Easily Declutter Sentimental Items