Everyone has different habits and practices when it comes to cleaning up after Christmas. Some people like to clear out their holiday decor ASAP, but others like to keep them up for a while. I tend to fall into the latter group. I usually don’t take down our Christmas decorations until after New Years Day!
So whether you’ll be tackling post-holiday clutter in the next few days or in a week or two, I figured that today would be a good day to start thinking about it! Because staying organized after Christmas can be a tricky thing. Not only do you need space to store your decor once you pack it away, you need space for any new gifts you received too!
So to help keep the clutter under control, today I’ll be sharing 6 things that you can get rid of to free up some storage space. Many of the items on this list are easy to forget about, and they may have been taking up your valuable storage space for quite some time! There’s no time like the present to clear these things out, in order to give yourself the space you need to stay organized after the holidays. :-)
6 Things To Get Rid Of To Free Up More Storage Space
1. Old Decorations
Before you take your holiday decorations down, take stock of which items never came out of your holiday storage boxes this year. If there’s anything in there you no longer use or like, donate it to a local thrift shop!
2. Your Christmas Card Collection
If you’re as sentimental as I am, you likely hold on to every Christmas card you receive for much longer than you need to. If you have a big stack of old Christmas cards somewhere, take the time to sort through them. Keep the ones that are really special to you, then recycle the rest.
3. Unused Gifts
Every once in a while, you end up with a gift that you didn’t really want and never got around to using. (It happens to everyone!) If an unused gift is taking up valuable storage space, there’s no shame in getting rid of it! You can always donate it, or sell it for some extra cash through Facebook Marketplace.
4. Duplicate Items
If you just got a new waffle maker for Christmas, make sure to get rid of the old one! There’s no sense in continuing to store an old item if you know you’re going to be using the new one.
5. Anything You’re Planning To Replace
Consider your holiday decorations, and ask yourself if you will be replacing any of them next year. For instance, if you want to get a new Christmas tree next year, just throw out the old one now! There’s no reason to store it all year if you’re planning to get rid of it eventually.
6. Used Gift Wrap
Some people manage to save old wrapping paper and actually get around to re-using it! Others of us save gift wrap with the intention to reuse it, but never actually do anything with it. If you’re in the second group, it’s best to just accept it and not keep the gift wrap in the first place. Recycle it!
Bonus Tip: Consider Your Own Gifting Habits!
Some gifts take up a lot of valuable storage space. And that’s okay, as long as that item is something the recipient really wants! In the future, consider giving gifts that don’t take up a lot of space. Things like homemade treats, gift cards, and photos are good gifts for anyone who doesn’t have a lot of storage space to spare!
I hope these tips help you get a bit more organized in the coming days and weeks! And if you’re feeling that post-holiday decluttering marathon coming on, check out the post below for even more ideas of things you can get rid of!
Related: 30 Things You Should Get Rid Of Today!
What are you planning to get rid of after the holidays?
More Ideas You'll Love
I start a list in my iPhone Notes app of what I need next Christmas so I can buy before I bring out decor and try to remember. Just a list such as new red ribbon for window wreaths (note yardage), non-snowy pine sprays for living room shelves, light strands, or comments about something I want to remember to do or buy. Also taking photos of decor you’re happy with and want to duplicate.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.Yesterday, as we were unwrapping presents, both my wife and I, born in the 1950’s, were carefully opening presents. Our daughter, born in 1980 and with us for almost every Christmas, says, “Why don’t you just rip into them? We just throw it away anyway.
We both grew up with mothers that would save wrapping paper, bows, ribbon, decorations, etc. and would actually use them again. They would have been horrified it we just ripped into a package. ;-)
Please log in or create a free account to comment.used or old wrapping paper can be run through a shredder and used as filler in gift bags and baskets
Please log in or create a free account to comment.I love this idea!
Please log in or create a free account to comment.Jean, I was interested in your January 6th tradition as it has been kept in my family all my life. My parents were from a section of Arkansas whose original pioneers were of Scot-Irish-English origin. A tradition from those countries made its way over here with the advice that you not take down your Christmas tree until January 6th, which is the 12th day of Christmas. (Thus, the “Twelve Days of Christmas” song.) It was bad luck to take it down before then.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.Good Tips! I keep my decorations up until January 6th – “Little Christmas” when the three kings arrived. This was the norm growing up – whatever happened to that tradition?
Please log in or create a free account to comment.I know your advice can make sense for some, but to be honest, I’m afraid to do anything with the stated items right after Christmas because (1) I may not have the money to buy/replace them next year, and (2) When I look for a replacement they are either not making it anymore or the quality has changed. If the quality has changed for the better, it costs more. If it for the worse, you don’t want it! I am also afraid to get rid of duplicates. I’ve had times when a favorite one quit working and, again, a new one was unavailable because of a discontinued design, function, packaging, etc.
We do not know what things will be like from year to year, but I do lean toward careful spending. I do NOT condone or encourage hoarding, but I do encourage frugality, not reacting too quickly and looking before leaping. As for wanting to discard wrapping papers and old cards of any kind of occasion, there may still be institutions or organizations who use the card fronts and paper for art/craft projects.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.RE Christmas cards. I had a big stack of saved cards. Hated to destroy them so I cut off the personal messages and posted “Free Christmas cards fronts” on our nextdoor.com website. A sweet lady who does scrapbooking was so happy to have them. Since it’s a local site she picked them up and I didn’t have to ship them.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.Fantastic! Schools and daycares may also take them.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.I save the wrapping papers to turn into colorful paper beads. This allows me to re-use the paper, I have to store it for only as long as making the beads takes me, and then they take up much less space in a jar! If you have a crafting hobby, maybe you can find a way to quickly re-purpose the paper. Bullet journals, notebook covers, kids’ stuff… lots of options.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.Great idea!
Please log in or create a free account to comment.Where I live wrapping paper is not recyclable, it won’t be accepted because of the type of ink used to colour it. if you put it in your recycling bin, you will get a nasty letter from the city informing you that if you do it again, your address will no longer be eligible for curbside pick up. Forget burning it, my neighbour did it, got caught and received a $750 fine for it, for the same reason it is not recyclable, burning the paper with that ink on it is not safe/good for the environment.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.That’s right, Lisa, it’s the same way where I am: NO wrapping paper, bows, etc. allowed/acceptable in the recycling bins. The solid waste people all say the same, when in doubt help them by just TRASHING IT rather than screwing up the recycling machine processes.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.I hope you can help me. My UGS are so dirt, how do I clean them?
Please log in or create a free account to comment.I actually have a post all about cleaning UGGS here: https://jillee.co/2LyhAZe :-)
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