Holiday

[panda1234]

Does anyone have tips on what they do when it comes to seasonal decorating? Yes, I do have too much stuff....no more pumpkins or rabbits for me. I am trying to use the nonseasonal items in other places in the house and avoid putting it in storage. I also plan a trip to Goodwill to donate some items if I can part with them. 

[Oznell]

@panda1234,  that's good that you've made a start by ruling out certain categories that you are oversupplied with, ha.  Me too!

The practice of donating or getting rid of items every time you do make one purchase, helps keep the number down, of course.  Another thing that has worked for me is having a storage "goal", like saying, I will pare down my fall decor to one small bin, or even shoe box, or whatever!  I cannot exceed that, so something has to go if I get something new.

I hardly ever get anything that is "strictly" seasonal now.  Almost everything I have, except for Christmas wreaths and some special, sentimental Christmas decor, can span the seasons by changing out what is around it. 

An example is, Valerie's 6 acorns and pinecones set-- the only way I allowed myself to get it, was realizing it could be used, depending on the container, for the long fall as well as the Christmas/winter season... 

I have enough winter decor, have enough light touches of fall (and am still getting rid of extraneous items), and am content with "spring" and "summer" pretty much consisting of a couple of oversized sea shells (my huge conch comes out as a big paperweight), a handful of sea glass and white pebbles, and some fresh flowers in vases.  It's plenty!

The "mind shift" you are making will be a big help in keeping decor down to whatever more streamlined level of prized items that is most "liveable" for you and allows you to breathe.  You're making a good start.

[jackthebear]

i got rid of all of mine, and I didn't have that much

Freecycled, local swap group on Facebook 

[alicedee]

When I take out a bin of seasonal decor, I use that bin to temporarily store things I need to put away to make room for them.  

When I get out my fall things in a week or two I plan to pare down a bit, too....only keeping things I really love, and not feeling the need to have every nook and cranny festooned.

I am finding that having less “stuff” around is calming to me.  I love having pretty seasonal things out..,,but I am going to be a lot more selective going forward.

[HLP]

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@panda1234 wrote:

Does anyone have tips on what they do when it comes to seasonal decorating? Yes, I do have too much stuff....no more pumpkins or rabbits for me. I am trying to use the nonseasonal items in other places in the house and avoid putting it in storage. I also plan a trip to Goodwill to donate some items if I can part with them. 

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I bought two large cupboards to store all my decorations in, and I love looking at them. I won't give one thing away, if I hadn't loved them, I would not have bought them. If you give them away you'll be looking for them in a year. They are in my basement.. There's a wall somewhere where you can stand a cupboard.

[qshpr89]

@panda1234  We moved into a bigger house with a dedicated room for my seasonal decor and somehow I now have endless bins of seasonsal stuff.  I'm not sure how it happened - perhaps they multiplied like the wild bunnies outside?   If you do sort your items, I found it easier to sort by season and then by room it is used in (kitchen, living room, etc.).  I also have a bin of general items (bowls, candles, holders, etc.).  Each year as the seasons come up, I go through more stuff and either save it for the garage sale, donate it or try to sell it on-line on Poshmark or etsy.  Good luck with your sorting!

[AuntG]

When I empty a storage bin of seasonal decorations, I put the 'everyday' decorations in that box. Yesterday, I completely organized my large storage bins. Everything (except Christmas which is stored on shelving in the basement storage room) now fits in six boxes in our entry closet (6x3 feet in size).

Valentine/St. Patrick's

Easter/Spring

Patriotic

Fall

Halloween

Thanksgiving

[jlkz]

@panda1234 

I don’t decorate every room in my house for the season: there is little excess because every quarter or so,I go through and donate one item.

When I go to Homegoods, I pick up an item and determine do I want to clean it.  Usually I return it to the shelf.  This makes making a decision simple for me.

Take a look at what you have now and consider the need to pick it up and clean it or its surroundings every week or so.  This may make the decision on its disposition easier.

HTH

[haddon9]

Do you have a basement?  We have a large storage closet (small room really) in the basement and I purchased large plastic bins where I store seasonal items on industrial shelves.

[JYWilliams]

I place them in a QVC box and put the box in a spare bedroom.