Top Tips for Decluttering after the Festive Season

Finding space in your space – 10 tips for how to store your Christmas decorations

One of my favourite days in the year is the day we (I) take down Christmas decorations. Don’t get me wrong I love Christmas and making it special for the children is such a joy but I am really not a huge fan of all the stuff. Christmas and a more minimal way of life don’t really go together, so I do find having all the decorations up quite a challenge. Especially when the children want them up so early, I hold out until December but even then it seems a long time to have a large tree in you front room.

Advent calendars for the children seem to take up space too. They are no longer the slim pieces of cardboard with pictures behind that I had as a child. Oh no they are large boxes that have to housed for for 25 days! They always seem to be in the way. Don’t get me started on the 25 pieces of plastic tat that invariably end up lost or in the bin. This year I actually gave the calendars to my lovely elderly neighbour Bryan to look after or should I say manage! He doesn’t mind them being in his house and it’s a lovely excuse for the children to visit him each day after school. He gets the company and I get the space in my living room. Win Win!

Having this extra stuff in the house makes me think of this lovely children’s book by Julia Donaldson and Axel Scheffler called A Squash and A Squeeze. It’s about a little old lady who complains to a wise old man that her house is too small. He’s suggests to bring in all her farm animals, then one by one he says to take them all out. After having her house filled with a chicken, a goat, a pig and a cow her house then feels enormous, she feels happy and grateful and she does a little jig! It’s an inspiring read for all ages.

So when the day comes to take down all the Christmas paraphernalia and pack it all away (usually January 1st) there is a huge sense of relief. I feel a great sense of space and freedom in my home once again, and yes it too makes me want to do a little jig!

On this decluttering, clear out day, these are my top tips for storing away your Christmas decorations:

1. 1. Never let children get involved. They just make more mess and double the amount of time you need to get this job done.
   2. Have plenty of good storage boxes of different sizes. Egg boxes and shoe boxes make great storage containers for baubles.
   3. Use clear resealable bags if you have coloured baubles you like to keep separate.
   4. Throw away anything that got broken or damaged this year. There is no need to hold on to broken ornaments.
   5. Pay lots of attention to packing lights away carefully and untangled. Save yourself the hassle of unravelling them next year. If you no loner have their box, wrap them around some heavy duty cardboard.
   6. Recycle all Christmas cards or save the cute ones cutting the pictures up ready to make Christmas tags for presents next year.
   7. Recycle your real Christmas tree. If you have an open fire, saw of all the branches to use as kindling or contact your local authority to arrange a collection.
   8. See the job through to the end. Don’t lump everything in a heap and leave on the landing or in your hallway, you know it might remain there for weeks. Put it all away in the loft, the garage, the shed or wherever. and get the job done.
   9. You might even find yourself wanting to have a bit more of a clear out, a cupboard maybe or the kids toy chest. If that’s not the case, then maybe it’s a quick vacuum where the tree once was and the rearranging of the furniture back to it’s usual place.

Then once everything is packed and out the way, sit back and enjoy your new found clear space.

Some great instagram accounts to follow re decluttering and space saving ideas are:

Marie Kondo: www.instagram.com/mariekondo

The Home Edit: www.instagram.com/thehomeedit

 

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