Christmas is a time when we bring a handful of new items into our home. Here are 10 things to declutter before Christmas to keep your home minimal!
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For many of us, Christmas time is a time where we decorate, buy gifts, and bake lots of holiday treats. Even minimalists like to participate in these activities, believe it or not.
As a minimalist, I still aim to be intentional with all my purchase during Christmas and the holidays. However, I do NOT restrict myself from having a fun, cozy Christmas! I still love to decorate, give some gifts, and bake Christmas cookies.
Related: How to Have a Minimalist Holiday Season, Minimalist Gift Ideas
For this reason, things can easily become cluttered in your home during this time of year. I like to go ahead and declutter some items in my home to create space for new things coming in and making sure that everything stays minimal and tidy.
If you want to do the same, here are 10 things to declutter before Christmas.
1. Old Décor
If you have old Christmas décor that you decided not to put out this year, it might be a sign that it’s time to let it go. There is no reason to hold on to something that you no longer love or that doesn’t go with your style anymore.
Go through your seasonal décor and decide what is no longer worth keeping, especially if you purchased new décor this year. Try to see if the things you purchased could replace some of the things you no longer like as much. You can donate, sell, or gift these items to someone else who will love them!
2. Pantry Items
Personally, the holidays is a time of year where I am creating tons of recipes old and new. I love making my favorite holiday recipes as well as experimenting with new ones.
For this reason, I can forget to use up all of my pantry items on time. I can quickly accumulate pantry ingredients from trying new recipes and my old ones get pushed to the back.
It’s also very close to the end of the year and it can be a good time to check if any items are nearing their expiration date.
Check to see which pantry items need to be used up and try creating recipes around those! If you find items that have already expired, then go ahead and declutter those since they are no longer good.
3. Unworn Winter Clothes
Winter is basically here so it’s time to go through your closet again! I really believe that going through your closet at the end of each season is key to maintaining a minimalist wardrobe.
Go through all of your winter clothes and decide want to will no longer be wearing this time around. Maybe you have a jacket that you won’t be reaching for because you have another one that you love more. Or maybe you have winter boots that are really worn out and you need new ones.
Doing a quick declutter of your closet will help you avoid even more clutter, especially if you are adding new pieces and making some upgrades!
4. Worn Out Shoes
Just like old winter clothes, it’s a good idea to declutter some worn out shoes that you won’t be wearing this season. Decide what to declutter and what to replace (or what you can live without!) this year.
5. Gifts You Never Used
Unfortunately, we all have received gifts on Christmas that we just never used. Perhaps we just didn’t like the item, it didn’t fit, or you completely forgot about it. Unused gifts are probably one of the most important things to declutter before Christmas because you are probably getting more this year!
If you still have gifts from last year that you never used, chances are you will never use them. You can try selling these items, donating them, or even regifting them to someone else. Obviously, just make sure the person who gave it to you doesn’t find out!
To avoid this from happening again, you can be open about what you actually want and need for Christmas whenever possible.
6. Old Planners & Notebooks
If you are a planner and love to physically write out to-do-lists, goals, you schedule etc. on a planner or notebook, then this time of year is when you need to get ready to toss the old one and get a new one. There really is no point in keeping the old one since it is outdated and irrelevant.
Personally, I love handwriting my to-do-lists and keeping a weekly schedule! It helps me to stay organized and efficient. My favorite one I have used so far is this one that I purchased on Amazon. I only use one per year and I don’t keep any other notebooks. Keeping it minimal here!
7. Candles
Sometimes, you want to try a new candle and it just doesn’t work out. I have had a few candles I have either purchased or been gifted and I did not like the scent at all!
If you have any candles in your home that you never burn, it’s time to declutter them and move on!
8. Uncomfortable PJ’s
When it comes to decluttering clothing items, many people (myself included) tend to look over pajamas and lounge wear. You might be keeping “just in case” items or keeping uncomfortable pajamas because at the end of the day, they are still pajamas.
I have come a the conclusion that while most pajamas are more comfortable then other types of clothing, there are still some that I will never reach for. Uncomfortable pajamas affect my quality of sleep and I prefer just having PJ’s that I feel my best in.
If you have any pajamas that you never reach for anymore, you should probably declutter those. Especially if you think you might be getting new ones for Christmas so it’s a good thing to declutter before Christmas.
9. Worn out Socks & Underwear
I can’t be the only one who is guilty of not throwing out old socks and underwear out on time, right? Well, if you are also guilty of this, now is the time to go through your sock and underwear drawer and decide what needs to go!
10. Accessories
Finally, it might be time to declutter some old accessories. Whether you have things that are tarnished, broken, or you simply don’t enjoy them anymore, now is the time to declutter in this area.
Having too many accessories can quickly cause a lot of clutter and look junky, especially they are visible to the eye like on a dresser or nightstand. Keep the things that you love and know you will wear over and over again and get rid of the things that just aren’t worth it.
I hope you find this list of 10 things to declutter before Christmas helpful! Happy holidays!
Sincerely,
Denise XOXO
