This is for those of you who aren’t quite done yet with post-holiday cleanup around the home. Don’t feel bad if this is the case. 2021 has already been a hectic year and we’re only a little over two weeks into January. But if you want to start a productive home project for the new year, I recommend getting rid of excess holiday gift clutter if you haven’t already done so.
To be frank, holiday gift clutter includes the gifts that we’ve received over the holidays that don’t do much for us other than take up unnecessary space. There’s two kinds of holiday gift clutter: 1) the items that we love but need to make space for, and; 2) the gifts that we have zero intention of using or putting out on display. The process of decluttering holiday gifts includes getting rid of older, unused household items to make room for the new things that we have every intention of using as well as ethically getting rid of the gifts that we have zero intention of using. This process can help prevent a bunch of stuff from being unused, wasted, and forgotten.
Getting rid of holiday gift clutter can be a fairly easy task for many of us; but for others, this may be an overwhelming process. For complex psychological reasons, some of us hold onto things out of guilt or worry that we may appear unappreciative or that we are somehow causing harm to the gift giver. While understandable, please remember that gifts are not people, and gifts are not the sum the relationship between two (or more) people.
With this in mind, remember to always openly express gratitude to the gift giver regardless of what you receive. We should always be grateful for the friend, the family member, or the colleague who wanted to express their appreciation for us. But also remember: it is better to honor the gift giver’s intentions by putting those items to good use rather than having them not being used to their fullest potential. Keep the things you will absolutely use or keep the things you absolutely cherish. You can let the rest go in gratitude without shame. Remember to also be honest about your wants and needs for future gift-giving occasions amongst friends and family if you want to pursue a more minimalist lifestyle.
Below is a list of ways on how to clear out some of that holiday gift clutter (without the guilt or the burnout).
- Don’t wait too long to de-clutter for the holidays. Dragging things out can make any task feel daunting. I recommend completing all of your holiday clean-up tasks before the end of January, if possible.
- Space out and designate your cleaning times throughout the week. This helps tremendously if you have a bigger home, an overwhelming amount of clutter, or both. Try to save the bigger tasks for your days off. Also, try decluttering smaller, easier items throughout the week. Set a timer for each task from start to finish to help stay focused and avoid burnout.
- Designate your cleaning zones. Rather than running around from room to room collecting miscellaneous holiday clutter, take it one zone at a time. Define your home’s specified areas (i.e.; entryways, rooms, dining areas, outdoor spaces, etc.) and take care of each zone from start to end. This can help us avoid feeling overwhelmed with each task.
- Toss the obvious trash.To me, this is the easiest clean-up task before putting away the bigger items. Dispose of any used packaging items that won’t be used again such as boxes, used wrapping paper, and ribbons. I strongly encourage you to recycle, if possible.
- Use the one-in, two out rule. This rule implies that for every one new item that is brought into the home, two similar items are moved out of the home. For example: for every brand new sweater I earn for Christmas, I find another home for two sweaters that I no longer need. With regard to your unwanted gifts or your older “two-outs” from around the home, consider selling, donating, returning, or even re-gifting them for another occasion. (Pro-tip: only re-gift brand new, unopened items.)
- Finally, go through your cards and letters and decide which ones to keep and which ones to toss. For the ones that you want to keep, you can get creative with them by putting them in picture frames, photo albums, or scrapbooks. (I don’t recommend putting them in boxes. From my personal experience, I’ve found that boxes just take up more unnecessary space, so I use them sparingly.)
Essentially, your home is your sanctuary, so you decide what goes in and out of it. Be devoted to your space and honor your boundaries by keeping the practical and cherished items, but feel free to let the rest go in gratitude. I strongly believe that we should remember these rules in every aspect of our lives—not just for decluttering our homes.