How I simplify Holiday Decorating

Have you ever noticed there is a fine line between decorations and clutter? I love having a house full of lights and beautiful ornaments, but I also have to be careful I don’t get too carried away. I’ve definitely had to change my decorating style over the years. I used to have a tree in every room of the house, including the front and back porches! My husband happens to love Christmas decor as much as I do, so when we got married and combined households we had double decor! I had a tree in each of the kids rooms, each with their own theme, even the dog had his own Dalmatian themed tree. And then a few years ago we downsized to a townhouse less than half the size of our old house! We had to get brutal about reducing our decorations. It didn’t happen overnight but I wanted to share with you what worked for us.

Declutter and Donate While Decorating

It sounds counterintuitive but I think the best time for purging and organizing is at the beginning and end of the holiday season. While bringing out all the decorations, check to see if all the containers are still in good condition. Then as you are pulling everything out, make a note of anything that is broken or you don’t like any more, or you just don’t have a place for it.

Once you have finished decorating, take inventory of anything that is left over. Ask yourself why you didn’t use it this year. If it’s still usable but just not your style, consider donating it or posting on your local Buy Nothing group. There are plenty of people that can use it!

Now is a good time to clean out all the empty containers of glitter and pine needles, and don’t forget to test your lights. Get rid of any lights that are not working.

Assess Your Holiday Decor Inventory

Now let’s fast forward to the end of the holidays. Before you pack everything up, take another look at what stayed in storage this year. Did you miss it? Do you think you could part with it, or do you want to hold on to it for sentimental reasons and continue to store it? It’s ok to hold onto items that are sentimental. You may not be using everything every year, but there are some things that make sense to keep, like family heirlooms, handmade items or items that have special memories. 

Sentimental Items

Here are some things that I have done with my more sentimental items:

Remember those themed trees? Instead of decorating a tree with those ornaments, I put the ornaments in large glass vases to be displayed. I also made a wreath out of all those Dalmatian ornaments, and it gets hung over the dog's bed during the holidays. I also love the idea of re-gifting ornaments. Grown kids who have their own home now might like a starter set of ornaments for their tree, or a friend who has similar interests would appreciate receiving a favorite ornament with a note about why it is special to you.

Categorize and Label Decorations

You may need to purchase more bins, if you bought anything new or need to replace any of your older containers. I highly recommend getting neutral color bins that are the same as your “regular” storage containers. That way they can be used for anything in the future.

When you are taking everything down, keep everything categorized. Depending on how you decorate, and what works for you, you could keep everything separated by room (i.e., living room decor, dining room, kids rooms, etc.) or you could separate by item type (i.e., ornaments, trees, nutcrackers, etc.).

Now is also the time to get rid of any lights or ornaments that didn’t make it through the season. I don’t think I’ve ever made it through without breaking at least one ornament! Trees and swags will lose quite a few needles each year, and I’ve noticed that they get less and less fluffy each year, until finally they are quite scrawny and it’s time to get rid of them. Now is the time to replace them while all the sales are happening!

If the contents of the bins change from the previous year, make sure to update the labeling.

This might be just me, but every year, without fail, as soon as I put all my holiday bins away up high in the garage, I will find an ornament that I forgot to pack. Now, I have a small bin that is designated for these miscellaneous items and it’s kept lower down so I can just toss them in there as I find them or I might buy something new during all the sales going on.

What’s most important while decorating during the holiday season is to enjoy yourself! If you want your home to transformed into a winter wonderland, but just don’t have the time, consider hiring someone to help.

Did you know Sarasota Home Organizer offers decorating services? Our team will come get you set up at the beginning of the holiday season, and then return afterwards to put everything away!