I must admit, I was a bit of a “bah humbug” when it came to decorating for the holidays. And, since Halloween is one of my daughter’s favorite holidays, for us decorating starts the first week of October and lasts until January 1st. 

Don’t get me wrong, I love the holidays and all it represents…family, giving, celebration, food, fun, etc., however, to me, it was like consciously deciding to dismantle my house and pull out bins that tucked away so nice and tidy all year. Since it’s inevitable we will decorate, I decided to change my mindset and embrace the season to make it more enjoyable for me, and in turn, my family. 

Here is how I approach it now. 

Set a date! 

I put the date on the calendar to pull out the decorations so it’s not hanging over my head as a constant reminder when I drive down the street and see all the neighbors’ decorations in full bloom. The whole family knows the date and is prepared to participate.

Pull out the bins! 

On the scheduled date, we pull and empty each bin and assess the contents to see if it has all it’s parts, if it’s broken, worn, etc. If this is the case, it gets recycled or fixed. 

Decide! 

Decision time. Before thoughtlessly putting up everything simply because we have it, we decide if we love it enough to look at it all season. If we do, it stays, if we don’t, it goes. Remember, less is more…keep it simple. 

Store!

Put the bins back in the storage place they’ve been all year so it doesn’t feel like you’re living in chaos around the house or on the garage floor as you make your way through the holiday season. 

**Bonus tip: When storing, label your bins (if they are not already) and put the last holiday in the back of the storage area and the first holiday in the front. When October rolls around, you will be glad you didn’t shove all of your December decorations recklessly in the storage area so you have to pull all of those out to get to the back. 

A great way to reduce clutter during the season is to put some of your household stuff in the empty holiday bins. For example, if you put something seasonal on your bookshelf, remove something and store it in the bin for the time being until it’s time to swap it again after the holiday is over.

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