7 Pre-Christmas Decluttering Rules Expert Organizers Say Will Make the Holidays Easy and Stress-Free

Your home can accumulate more clutter throughout the year than you realize, so by the time it comes to Christmas hosting, you're in full-on panic mode, trying to create a sense of order.

Making changes to your lifestyle and incorporating more consistent decluttering principles can help prevent this from happening in the long run, but in the here and now, before the holidays arrive, there won't be time for a major lifestyle overhaul — which is why knowing what to declutter in November is key.

I spoke to professional organizers to learn what simple rules they swear by to make the holiday season more restful and clutter-free. Many of these rules can be started today for a less strenuous Christmas in the weeks to come, so they are more than worth investing your time in. Here's what the experts had to share.

1. Donate items from your home in the weeks prior

It's a good annual rule to do a general declutter of your home and have a pre-holiday cleaning list in the weeks approaching Christmas to make space for any gifts that might be entering your life. It's also a great time of year to donate items to thrift stores so the less fortunate can snap them up just before the holidays.

Kiera Malowitz, certified professional organizer and owner of Decluttered, LLC, highly recommends doing a pre-Christmas declutter, especially if you have children. So get ready to declutter a kid's bedroom and get your home looking fresher than ever before the holidays.

"It's time to clear out old toys, broken toys, and toys the kids have outgrown," says Kiera, "You can do this by decluttering the kids' bedrooms, closets, and play areas. Touch each shelf, every cabinet, and bin and donate what they no longer play with."

You can also involve the kids in this process to help cultivate good decluttering habits while they're young, telling them how it's important to donate to others before Santa comes. Knowing many of the items your children will be receiving on Christmas day can help guide your decluttering.

"For example, if your child is going to receive a bunch of legos (our kids' favorite pastime currently!), it's okay to clear out all the miscellaneous legos that they really are not playing with," says Kiera.

2. Let go of excess decor

Decorating my home is the part of Christmas I most look forward to. However, untangling sets of lights and assessing the baubles for broken pieces is less exciting. If you declutter your Christmas tree decorations now, it will save you stress later when decorating and for years to come. A downsized decor collection doesn't have to be any less merry: it will only contain items you love and use, which is more approachable than haphazard boxes of unsorted pieces from over the years.

Kiera says, "When it's time to decorate for Christmas, it's a great moment to go through every decoration you have to let go of what you won't use. This can be an old tree, broken ornaments or other decorations."

To keep your decluttering effective, it's important not to purchase lots of new decorations afterward. I've been guilty of picking up gorgeous decor pieces I don't really need in January sales because they are good value, but nowadays, before making any new Christmas decor purchases, I ask myself the following questions: Do I have something like this already? Why do I like this item? Do I already know where I want this item to go in my home?

Asking yourself these sorts of questions will encourage more intentional holiday shopping.

Grace Hall, professional organizer and owner of Grace To Organize, adds, "I recommend setting a limit on how many new holiday decor items you allow yourself to buy each year. I personally buy one new thing per year, knowing that over time I will be able to decorate my home mindfully without getting overwhelmed by the amount of items I have."

To further limit your purchases of decorations, you could designate a storage tote or two for Christmas items. Once nothing else can fit into these spaces, decluttering must take place. The Sterilite 66qt clearview latch box from Target is affordable and a great place to store decor. It's airtight and transparent, keeping your decorations together and in view to be found easily year after year. You can also use storage reels like the Thyle 8 pack of Christmas light reels from Amazon to keep your festive lights from getting tangled. I might just have to get a set of these myself.

3. Think about where your guests will need space

Certain areas of your home will need space for guests, the most common being the mudroom or cloakroom, the dining room, and the guest bedroom. Put yourself in the shoes of a guest and assess whether your visitors will have enough space to comfortably use these areas. Then, where the answer is no, declutter the area using the 12-days of decluttering method.

You can temporarily remove shoes you aren't wearing this season from the shoe rack and limit the coats hanging up in your entryway to one or two vital pieces. This will allow space for your guests to store their possessions, helping them feel welcome.

Mary Jo Contello, certified professional organizer and owner of Organized by MJ, says, "If you are having overnight guests you will want to make sure the guest room/space is ready. Declutter drawers/closets and rooms to make the space feel inviting for guests, giving them a place to put their possessions."

While you declutter these areas, ask yourself if you truly need the items you're removing from each zone. Are you just moving clutter from space to space, or are you temporarily stashing your stuff elsewhere to allow space for your guests? Where you feel items are unnecessary, create a pile to donate or discard.

4. Use the 'rule of three' when displaying decorations

Whether you're focusing on your home or your guest space, following the rule of three design tip when decorating is a great way to pare down your festive decor so there's less post-Christmas clutter. It will also help ensure you don't create a cluttered appearance in your home by overdecorating.

Gretchen Moen, chief clutter cutter at Cut The Clutter, RVA, says, "Focusing on a few vibrant pieces can amp up the festive vibe without adding much to your workload. When following the rule of three, less is more. You stick to three key pieces per space when decorating for the holidays to avoid clutter. For example, a wreath, a centerpiece, and a festive pillow for the living room can be enough to bring holiday cheer without a room full of decorations."

Everyone is different in their decorating style, with some adoring maximalism and others preferring the minimalist aesthetic of less. Target has options to suit all tastes in its Christmas collection right now, with playful character ornaments such as the 18.8" battery operated animated plush dancing Christmas tree for those looking for cute-factor, as well as more subtle, classic pieces including their Northlight 10" frosted berries and branches Christmas wreath that holds votive candles. This would look perfect on a mantelpiece or table.

5. Pare down your pantry

Many people look forward to Christmas dinner, but if you're the host, you won't enjoy trying to navigate a full-to-bursting pantry. That's why pantry organization ideas are key. In the weeks approaching the festivities, do all you can to use up the food you already have in your home and discard unwanted items so they won't take up space or make your Christmas dinner items harder to find.

"Before you host any holiday gatherings, or even before you start baking to take yummy treats to parties and events, it's a great idea to take inventory of your pantry," says Grace. "It's incredibly frustrating to go to make a recipe and realize you don't have the ingredients you need, you don't have enough of the ingredients, or they just aren't in good condition anymore."

It's even more frustrating if you know you have what you need to cook with but can't find it in your kitchen's cluttered state. To declutter your pantry, start by taking everything out of the space. Next, create piles: a pile to keep, a pile to discard, and a pile of items that aren't past their best but that you know you'll never use. These items can be given to neighbors, family, and friends or to a local food bank.

When placing your items back into the pantry, we recommend organizing them using transparent storage containers, such as the iDesign Linus pantry bins from The Container Store. These will keep everything in a home, easy for you to find in a designated space the next time you go to cook.

The same rule applies to your fridge or freezer space. However, if you really need to organize these areas fast, you could designate a fridge shelf and a freezer drawer for only your Christmas dinner ingredients.

6. Simplify your holiday traditions

Traditions are a large part of what makes Christmas unique for each family, but many of these traditions unintentionally involve acquiring more stuff. Festive cards, DIY ornaments, and white elephant gifts in exchange, the list goes on.

You can still celebrate the holidays and enjoy tradition, but perhaps if you're looking to cut down on clutter and lessen the amount you have to tidy up in the post-Christmas slump, assessing which traditions mean the most to you or taking time to incorporate new ones which don't bring objects into your space will bring more peace to your holiday.

"Whatever this looks like for you, give yourself the grace to let some things go and focus on quality time with those you love," says Gretchen. "Maybe this is the year to let yourself off the hook and stop mailing holiday cards. Or perhaps you can forgo planning the big party in exchange for a couple of small dinners out with friends and family."

There isn't a right or wrong here, as what aligns with one person will differ from the next.

7. Clear off your kitchen counters

Knowing how to declutter kitchen countertops will be a lifesaver when it comes to Christmas dinner. Without doing this, you'll be stuck with countless dishes and nowhere to set them down. This can lead to stress and potentially burnout as you go to and from the oven with hot pans and trays.

"You may wonder what your kitchen counters have to do with being less stressed at Christmas, but you've now had a whole year to use every utensil and dish, so countless items could be all over the place," says Kiera. "If you haven't used items in a long time, it's time to let them go."

When choosing things to declutter before Christmas in the kitchen, I like to take everything out cupboard by cupboard and lay the contents on a clutter-free dining table. This large space allows me to see all of the items clearly and make sound decisions about what has and hasn't been used.

Take note of which items were at the back of your cupboards, too, as these are the pieces that likely haven't seen the light of day in a while. Removing unnecessary kitchen utensils and countertop appliances will free up storage space for the items you use, giving them room to be stored away after use off the counter, too.

"Taking action on this, alongside my other rules, literally saves my sanity every year," says Kiera.

FAQs

How do I prepare my house for the holidays?

Gretchen Moen, chief clutter cutter at Cut The Clutter, RVA, shares the following little guide to get your home holiday-ready, hassle-free.

"Getting your home holiday-ready is all about organizing and clearing out the clutter so you can enjoy a stress-free season. Start by tackling the areas you and your guests will use the most—like the entryway, living room, and kitchen. Get rid of things that don’t belong (looking at you, piles of shoes, and random papers!) and clear off countertops to make room for all the holiday goodies. Encourage your kids to choose which toys can be donated to make space in their playroom. Others in your community will appreciate your pre-holiday donations.

When it’s time to decorate, remember to take a quick inventory. Before you add new decorations, pull out the old ones and decide what to keep or let go. A good rule of thumb is to add only a few festive decorations in each room. It keeps things from getting too cluttered.

Set up little “stations” for all your holiday needs. Have a spot for gift-wrapping supplies, party essentials, and even a guest room prep kit if you’re hosting. With everything organized and easy to find, you’ll feel way more relaxed and ready to enjoy the holidays.'