Let’s talk about the elephant in the storage room. Or, more accurately, the 47 plastic bins of holiday decorations stacked in the garage, the attic, the spare closet, and that weird spot behind the water heater.
I wrote this post for you because maybe you have to downsize your holiday decorating stash. Maybe you’re moving to a smaller house. Maybe you need to FINALLY free up the spare room so it can become the craft room of your dreams. Or maybe you just want to get organized so you can actually use the decorations you love the most, instead of digging past six boxes of “meh” to find them.
I’ve been there! As part of our big downsizing journey, I had to take a giant holiday collection and squish it down to fit our new, much smaller life. It was not easy. But I learned a few things that made it a LOT less stressful, and I want to share every one of them with you.
First, Take the Pressure Off: You Don’t HAVE to Get Rid of Anything
This was a big mindset shift for me. April from the Spacemaker Method says you don’t have to get rid of anything. You can “make space” for anything you truly want to keep.
Doesn’t that just let all the air out of the panic balloon? 🎈
Decluttering isn’t about punishing yourself or proving how minimalist you can be. It’s about deciding what deserves the space in your home and in your life. If a thing makes the cut, you make room for it. Done. No guilt.
Use the Container Concept (This One Saved My Bacon!)
If you only take ONE downsizing tip away from this post, make it this one.
Dana K. White from A Slob Comes Clean teaches the container concept. You start by knowing how much space you actually have for your holiday decorations, and then you only keep what fits in that space. The container is the limit. Not you, not your guilt, not your mother-in-law’s opinion. The container.
Here’s how it played out for me. In our new house, there was room under our bed for:
- 4 Christmas boxes
- 2 “other holiday” boxes
That’s it. That was my whole holiday budget. So everything I wanted to keep had to fit in those six boxes. Period.
And honestly? It was SO freeing. Instead of agonizing over every single ornament, the question became, “Is this one of my favorites, the things that earn a spot in the box?” The container made the hard decisions for me.
How to use the container concept for your holiday decor
- Measure your storage space first (under the bed, a closet shelf, one section of the garage).
- Pick your containers and decide how many each holiday gets.
- Fill them with your absolute favorites first.
- When the box is full, you’re done. Whatever’s left goes in the donate pile.
Keep What’s Special, Not What You Feel Like You “Have” to Keep
When I went through my holiday stash, I wanted to keep things that:
- Were truly special to me
- Had a track record of actually being used
- Made me HAPPY when I pulled them out
What I did not want to keep was a bunch of sentimental stuff that wasn’t my favorite but that I felt like I “had to keep.” You know the stuff I mean. The ornament from a random gift exchange. The wreath you’ve never liked but feel weird about tossing.
Sentimental doesn’t automatically mean special. If it doesn’t spark a little joy when you unwrap it each year, it might be time to let it bless someone else.
Decide Where Your Decorations Are Going Before You Start
This was the game changer for me. Picking out my donation spots ahead of time made letting go SO much easier.
My mom’s nursing home has a big common area to decorate, so I asked them first if they’d like some of our holiday decor. They were THRILLED to get two huge boxes of decorations and our 10-foot Christmas tree!
I didn’t want to overwhelm them with too much stuff, though (nobody wants to be the person who dumps their clutter on someone else 😬), so I also donated to the Vets.
When your most special pieces go to a special home
And here’s the part that still makes me smile. The most special things I had? I sent them out west to my besty Rebekah, who had lost all of her Christmas decorations years ago in a storage unit incident.
Knowing that my most treasured pieces were going to someone who would love them as much as I did made deciding to let them go so much easier. It didn’t feel like losing them. It felt like giving them.
Holiday decor donation ideas to consider:
- Nursing homes and assisted living facilities
- Veterans organizations
- A friend or family member who’s starting over (or just starting out!)
- Churches, schools, or community centers that decorate shared spaces
Keep the Memory, Ditch the Bulk
Some decorations carry SO many memories that letting go of them feels impossible. Here’s my trick... keep a piece, not the whole thing.
The first year the kids moved in with us, we made huge fabric garlands together. Those garlands have history! We hung them along the banister in our Colorado house for years, and then down the big stairway in the Florida mansion.
But in our tiny house? I had zero need for 20 yards of garland. 😂
So I saved a small section, just enough to use in our new space, and donated the remaining 19 yards so it could make someone else’s home festive. I still have the memory. I still have a piece of the garland. I just don’t have 19 extra yards of it eating up my storage space.
Other ways to keep the memory without the bulk:
- Save one ornament from a big set
- Keep a small piece of a large sentimental item
- Take photos of decorations before you donate them
Have a Stern Talk With Yourself About Aspirational Decorating
Okay, friend. It’s time for some tough love, and I had to give it to myself first.
Yes, I am a GREAT Halloween and Christmas decorator. That is my jam. But am I really going to haul all the boxes out from under the bed to find a few Easter decorations? Or the 4th of July bunting? Every. Single. Year?
Nope. Probably not.
That’s aspirational decorating... keeping decorations for the version of you who decorates for every holiday on the calendar, instead of the real you who goes all-in on the two holidays you actually love.
I did keep a few truly amazing things. But almost everything except Halloween and Christmas had to go. And I don’t miss it one bit.
Ask yourself:
- Which holidays do I actually decorate for every year?
- When was the last time I used this?
- Would I buy this again today?
Why Decluttering 50% Is Harder Than Decluttering 90%
This one surprised me.
For our whole house downsize, I got rid of about 90% of my stuff. And weirdly, that was super easy! The rule was simple: if it wasn’t a “heck YEAH,” it got donated. No gray area.
But decluttering my holiday stash down to a little less than half? That was HARD. Why? Because there was wiggle room. When you’re only cutting half, you start bargaining with yourself. “Well, maybe I could keep this one too...”
I have a feeling I’ll be donating even more after I decorate this year, because I ended up keeping more than I’ll probably use for Christmas. And that’s okay! Which brings me to...
Decluttering in passes
April from the Spacemaker Method calls this taking passes. The first time you go through your stuff, you’re scared and want to hang on to everything. But the next time, you can see even more of what you’re ready to let go of, to make space for what truly matters to you, wherever you live now, tiny house or giant mansion.
So if you can’t get your holiday stash down to fighting weight in one go, don’t stress! Do your first pass now, decorate, and then do another pass when you pack it all away. Every pass gets easier.
Will You Regret Letting Something Go?
My hope is that this post takes a little of the fear out of decluttering your holiday decorations.
Might you make a mistake and let go of something you wish you’d kept? Of course! You’re human. But the thrill of knowing you freed up a HUGE amount of storage space in your home might just be worth it.
And maybe I’m a little weird, but I’m not sad when I’ve gotten rid of something. Finding new treasures out in the wild is my THRILL! So if I ever feel like I let go of something I miss, I’ll just go hunting and find something even better later on! 🛍️
Wrap-Up: Your Stress-Free Holiday Decluttering Game Plan
Here’s the quick recap of my favorite downsizing tips for your holiday stash:
- Take the pressure off. You can make space for anything you love.
- Use the container concept. Decide how much space you have, then fill it with favorites.
- Keep the special stuff, not the guilt stuff.
- Pick your donation spots first so letting go feels like giving.
- Keep the memory, ditch the bulk.
- Skip the aspirational decorating.
- Declutter in passes. It’s okay if it takes more than one round.
Books to help you declutter and downsize your home
If you want to go deeper on the container concept, Dana K. White’s book Decluttering at the Speed of Life is where it’s at. It’s practical, funny, and real (no Pinterest-perfect pressure here!). Her book How to Manage Your Home Without Losing Your Mind is another great one if you’re working toward a clutter-free home that stays that way.
Prefer to listen while you sort through ornaments? You can grab both on Audible here: https://marketingartfully.com/audiobooks 🎧
Now go grab a box (just ONE box!) and get started. You’ve got this!
