Get Your Home Holiday-Ready: Simple Decluttering Hacks for a Stress-Free Christmas
Published: November 8, 2024 by Nicole Dieckman
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The holidays bring their own brand of clutter—warm, festive, inviting… but still clutter, nonetheless. That’s why the weeks leading up to Christmas are the perfect time to get organized, so you can enjoy the season’s controlled chaos without the added stress of a cluttered home.
Start with the Kids’ Rooms
Kids seem to accumulate clutter faster than anyone else in the house. Between school crafts, papers, party favors, and toys from kids’ meals, their rooms are a magnet for stuff. And after Christmas, there’s a good chance they’ll have even more new things to find a home for.
The promise of new gifts is the perfect motivation to part with the old. I always remind my kids that, with Christmas just around the corner, it’s a great time to donate the things they no longer use or enjoy, making room for the new. I also highlight that if we donate early enough, their old toys could become a new favorite for another child. For more ideas on how to give back during the holidays, check out our article on ‘Kid-Friendly Charitable Works to Do Around the Holidays.‘
The Nitty-Gritty of Decluttering a Kid’s Room
To get started, you’ll need just a few simple items:
- A toy bin
- A trash bag
- A donation box or bag (a cardboard box or trash bag works perfectly)
- Optional: A sell bin (for items you’d like to sell in your local marketplace or group)
The Three-Step Process:
- Set up your stations: Keep (Toy Bin), Trash (Trash Bag), Donation (Donation Box), and Optional Sell (Sell Bin/Bag).
- Have your child join in the process.
- Start sorting and filling each station until the room is organized and decluttered.
Declutter the Kitchen
After the kids’ room, the kitchen is usually the next space to get cluttered—likely because it’s where we spend the most time. When tackling kitchen clutter, I prefer to sort through specific categories of items, using the same three-to-four pile method mentioned earlier. Personally, I stick with the three-pile method for simplicity, as the sell pile can feel overwhelming, especially during the holidays. However, for some, having a sell pile is essential.
Start by decluttering your silverware, then move on to larger utensils, baking dishes, regular dishes, pots, pans, and anything else that’s cluttering up the kitchen. For paper products, like mail, use the “Touch It Once” method: make a decision about each piece of paper right away. Don’t create more piles to sort through later—either file it, deal with it, or toss it.
Making a Plan For The Rest Of The House
An entire house can sometimes feel overwhelming, which is why breaking it down into manageable steps works so well. Using baskets and bins to corral items in each room helps prevent spaces from feeling cluttered. But even those bins can become junk bins, so applying the “Keep, Donate, or Trash” method to each area makes it easier to stay on track. Set realistic, measurable goals—like donating 10 items or decluttering for 15 minutes a day—so you can celebrate your progress. That way, you’ll feel rewarded and have a decluttered home just in time for the holidays and all the decorations!
In conclusion, sorting your clutter into three to four piles—Keep, Donate, Trash, or Sell—at a manageable pace, setting clear goals, and using baskets and bins to stay organized will help you create a clutter-free holiday season. Wishing you a stress-free, joyful holiday from us at The NestKeepr!
