How to Declutter Your Christmas Decorations When Taking Down Your Tree
Decluttering your Christmas decorations doesn't have to feel stressful or heartbreaking. It can start simply — at the moment you're taking down your tree
Christmas decorations can accumulate incredibly fast. Every time you say "oh that would look wonderful with the rest of my decor", it's hard to envision the collective amount increasing so much that your storage containers are filled to bursting with festive ornaments.
I've made it a ritual after every Christmas to comb through my stored Christmas ornaments and donate any that don't bring me joy. It can be tough in the moment as a huge part of the magic for many who adore festive decorations is the feeling of looking at what you've collected over the years - but it's definitely worth it.
To help you on your decluttering journey, I asked three professional organizers for their step-by-step advice on how to declutter decorations while actively putting them away. Imagine how warm you'll feel inside next year surrounded by only what you truly love. Here's how the pros would approach this process.
1. Prepare To Take Them Down
The first step to decluttering your Christmas decorations when taking down your tree is to prepare your storage containers. This will make life far easier, so you aren't placing your items back into boxes and bins already filled with surplus.
Kiera Malowitz, certified professional organizer and the owner of Decluttered LLC, explains the importance of this stage of prep for decluttering success.
"When you begin taking down your tree, before you remove a single ornament, make sure your holiday containers are completely empty," says Kiera. "Having everything ready before you start ensures the process is smooth and helps you make quick decisions about what stays, what goes, and what needs better protection when it comes to storage."
Bin or recycle any trash accumulated in your bins, and give them a good wipe down using a multi-surface cleaning wipe to remove dust, glitter and debris. These ones from Amazon are a great pick.
I'm a fan of spacious bins like the BANKERS Box from Amazon. There's plenty of room so ornaments won't get crushed and I like how they're transparent so I can easily identify what's inside.
2. Assess What Didn't Make The Cut
If any ornaments stayed in your decor boxes this year, now's the perfect time to ask yourself why before putting more items on top of them.
Did they not suit the theme of this year? Are they broken? Are they linked to bad memories that don't make your house feel or look Christmassy?
Kiera goes by one specific golden rule: "If it hasn’t made it onto the tree or into your decor in 1-2 seasons, it’s time to let it go."
If working on a timescale isn't what's best for your brain, try out the 12 days of decluttering challenge to break up the task or test out asking yourself this: "Do I feel like this item would bring another family more joy if I let it go instead of keeping it in storage for another year?".
From there make a small pile of items to go and hang onto any maybes to make decisions about at a later date. It's better to pause when decluttering potentially sentimental ornaments than to feel decluttering regret.
When I declutter I always use a box or a fabric storage cube like the Mangata Collapsible Storage Cube Boxes from Amazon to corral my "to-go's". It feels motivating seeing the box fill up and it's convenient to bring in the car to a donation point.
When I decided to open DFW Decluttered™ (now 'Decluttered, LLC') in Texas in 2019, it came from my strong desire to help people let go of the clutter that was taking up too much space, both physically and mentally. I had just had my twins 5 years earlier (plus a toddler in tow) and learned the value of having less clutter and being more organized so that we could better function as a family. Less chaos meant more fun together!
3. Take Everything Off of Your Tree Systematically
Now comes the part where you really dive in and take everything down, systematically. It may be tempting to declutter as you go, picking ornaments off and making keep or toss decisions, but according to the pros this method isn't the best approach.
Cheryl Arzewski and Jordan Marks, co-owners of It's Organized LLC, suggest taking items down one at a time and grouping them either by category (baubles, wooden ornaments, etc) or by the room they were displayed in.
"We recommend taking all the decorations down by area or type to make sure everything easier to organize into boxes properly once decluttering decisions are made," say Cheryl and Jordan.
Doing this also helps you to constantly keep in mind a full snapshot of what you have.
4. Decisions, Decisions
Once everything is grouped, it's time to go through all of your ornaments. You may immediately notice that you have more of some items than others, or fewer of some you wish there were more of.
Now's the perfect time to ask yourself guiding questions about your desires to help avoid decision fatigue and begin to curate the Christmas collection of your dreams - it doesn't have to be a stressful time of "goodbyes"!
A decluttering tip Cheryl and Jordan recommend is asking yourself questions such as the following when making decisions on what to remove from your ornament hoard:
- What do I plan to use for next year? Do you feel you will actually use this item you own again?
- Is there anything I need to repair, throw away, donate or replace off the bat?
- Are the items in need of repair worth my time/money to repair?
- Is this item sentimental?
- If you didn't put the item up, why did it stay in storage?
If you're still left scratching your head after these prompts a neat trick I incorporate into my Christmas decluttering is asking myself whether each item makes me feel excited and festive
It's somewhat similar to Marie Kondo's idea of items "sparking joy", focusing on what you wish to keep instead of subtract. Her book Spark Joy is available on Amazon for more information!
I have my standard plain baubles, which I view as the blank canvas of my decorating, but the accent ornaments, special trinkets, and other bits and pieces that would be harder to replace I comb through with more thought, and nine times out of 10, I know pretty quickly if an ornament elicits a positive response.
Cheryl is half of It's Organized LLC - an organizational design firm with a mission to help people create spaces that are clutter-free, functional and aesthetic. Her favorite product is by far dividers.
Jordan is also half of It's Organized LLC. When she isn't searching for the best acrylic organizing products to help people craft a streamlined home, she's spending time with her family or dreaming of travels.
5. Pack It All Away
Once you're happy with your decisions, package everything back up for safe storage. If you're still left with some "maybes" remember that's more than okay. Perhaps prioritize using them next year to see if you like them, or arrange a New Year's ornament swap session with friends and family. It can sometimes be easier to part with things when you know who they're going to.
Upping your organization with the best Christmas decoration storage will make finding your decorations extra easy next year. Plus, it'll make your storage space look far more streamlined.
