Pre-Holiday Purge
Photo by Markus Spiske on Unsplash
If you have a Christmas tree with presents exploding out from underneath, you may be wondering where all these generous gifts will find a home once unwrapped. I have been eyeing the ever growing pile under my own tree this past month, which is 99% for my two children, and I now feel a strong push towards carrying out a pre-holiday purge.
What’s a pre-holiday purge?
It’s a clear the decks strategy that is especially helpful when you’ve got kids and lots of thoughtful generous relatives. Take the time to go through what you’ve got and sell or giveaway anything that’s finished it’s time with you or your kids. This allows space, both mentally and physically, to welcome in the novel and new and truly enjoy what you have instead of it all getting lost in a sea of excess.
Here are a few tips to get you going on your own pre-holiday purge.
1) Make this a mini project. Save the full blown Marie Kondo for the big spring clean, and keep this project manageable. Give yourself a time limit to go through your items, and stick to it. You don’t want to give yourself such a huge task that it takes away from your holiday fun.
2) Tackle one or two categories that you know are over grown. Stuffies have had a big moment this year for my daughter, and I know more are on the way, so this is a category I’m gunning for. Art projects are also taking over my house, so I will be making a few sentimental selections and tossing the rest.
3) Sell/Giveaway/Store. Decide whether you’ll opt to sell items of higher value, give them away via a Facebook group like “Buy Nothing” or to Goodwill, or consider storing them to swap out at a later date. When you’re considering selling an item, think about the time you’ll spend posting the item and engaging with potential buyers. If it will only net a couple bucks, it’s probably not worth your time. Pop a load in your trunk and give it all away in one shot.
4) A note on storing/swapping. This is a great strategy when you don’t have a ton of space, but your kids still enjoy, and use regularly, all their toys. I have several bins of toys that I bring out every couple of weeks. My kids are able to “trade” in a current toy for one in the bin. It feels so exciting to them, and it keeps their rooms from becoming overrun with their things.
5) Revel in the chaos on Christmas Day. Some of my favorite Christmas memories are of Christmas morning with wrapping paper everywhere, munching on a stocking treat and everyone in their jammies listening to Christmas music and playing with their new toys. Enjoy the craziness and soak up the joy, then the following day wash the new clothes and find permanent homes for all the new.
Is a pre-holiday purge part of your holiday plans? If so, what’s the category you know you need to tackle first?
Happy holidays!
With love,
Steph
