In honor of CIJ, who needs an intervention for their holiday storage?

Mominohio · ‎08-08-2010

Well, with only the warm up for the real CIJ behind us, I know that I have storage issues (who am I kidding, I've had them for years!) with holiday decor. I'm busting at the seams with it.

Before last year, I had one closet devoted to Christmas, and if it didn't fit, it had to go. I kept that practice for over 30 years. Then, last year, I so wanted a change in my decor, and between here and Hobby Lobby, I went a little nuts. I now have added about a half dozen plastic tubs to the basement as well.

I'm not proud of myself for this, as I really want to control my stuff, and usually, I have no problem with getting rid of things when a particular area is too full. But those darn holiday decorations just pile up. Every year I dig them out, and get rid of a couple of things here or there, but they are mostly sentimental, and I have such a hard time parting with them. Until this past year, I never just went out and bought 'stuff' for holiday, it was all individual purchases, at craft fairs, or on vacations, or trips, or from nice exclusive shops, put together one piece at a time, over decades. This past season, I wanted to put together some new looks, some totally purchaed together, made to match and coordinate, more upscale type decor.

Until last year, decorations had been slowly accumulating, many were rather expensive, and many were gifts from special people. Add to that the sentimental factor of seeing my kid in most of them, as we used them all through his childhood, and I'm stuck every time I try to pare down.

How many others love the CIJ tradition, but are feeling the stress of just what to do with all the decor, old and new? Anyone have ideas on how to pare down, when so much of it is so sentimental?

VaBelle35 · ‎03-10-2010

I will take a picture of my christmas closet later.

I did a major purge last year and reboxed what was left. I bought some new stuff, but the re-boxing was apparently a mistake because now I literally can't get into the closet.

I hang my front door decorations from the ceiling of the closet and I can barely get them down now.

It's a problem.

===================================
QVC Shopper - 1993

# IAMTEAMWEN

gidgetgh · ‎03-09-2010

I'm kind of in the midst of a major "shedding" in my life. Shedding of weight (yeah!) and shedding of "stuff" in our house. I've been working on it for a few years. It's kind of a hobby for me. We've never had a cluttered, disorganized house, but like most everyone, we had too much stuff. There are just two of us. How much stuff do we really need/want?

Specifically on your topic, Christmas decorations. We gave away our tree last year because it was worn out. We WILL be getting a new one, but it will be smaller. I was ruthless when I went through all our Christmas ornaments and a ton of them went to Goodwill. I sold most of my Swarovski ornaments through a Facebook yard sale site. We never had a ton of other decorations but I had a collection of Christmas reindeer. They were pretty bulky. Last year, out they went.

I love Christmas. It's my favorite holiday of the year. But I'm just over the clutter. Hallmark's ornament premiere is in two weeks. I looked through the wish book and there is only one ornament I want to get. In the old days, I'd come home with a shopping bag full.

Lately, I've been kind of following the Konmari method of decluttering and organizing. It's made me really look at the things I'm keeping and if an item doesn't spark true joy in me, out it goes.

Why is it, when I have a 50/50 guess at something, I'm always 100% wrong?

Mominohio · ‎08-08-2010

@gidgetgh wrote:
I'm kind of in the midst of a major "shedding" in my life. Shedding of weight (yeah!) and shedding of "stuff" in our house. I've been working on it for a few years. It's kind of a hobby for me. We've never had a cluttered, disorganized house, but like most everyone, we had too much stuff. There are just two of us. How much stuff do we really need/want?

Specifically on your topic, Christmas decorations. We gave away our tree last year because it was worn out. We WILL be getting a new one, but it will be smaller. I was ruthless when I went through all our Christmas ornaments and a ton of them went to Goodwill. I sold most of my Swarovski ornaments through a Facebook yard sale site. We never had a ton of other decorations but I had a collection of Christmas reindeer. They were pretty bulky. Last year, out they went.

I love Christmas. It's my favorite holiday of the year. But I'm just over the clutter. Hallmark's ornament premiere is in two weeks. I looked through the wish book and there is only one ornament I want to get. In the old days, I'd come home with a shopping bag full.

Lately, I've been kind of following theKonmari method ofdecluttering and organizing. It's made me really look at the things I'm keeping and if an item doesn't spark true joy in me, out it goes.

Congrats on the weight loss! Life long battle of my own, so I know how hard that can be!

So many people are on board with Konmari method, and it's root is really something to consider, if it doesn't spark joy, we can probably do without it (except for the most basic stuff, like my the contents of my underwear drawer don't spark joy, but I need them anyway!(LOL)

Where I fall short is that I have given away some old Christmas stuff that went back a couple of generations, back in the day when new and shiny was what I thought I wanted, and I so regret not having those pieces now, and all the memories that they held from all the homes they were enjoyed in. Luckily, I saved some, and they are my most precious Christmas decor. Live and learn, I guess.

gidgetgh · ‎03-09-2010

It's too funny that you mentioned underwear. I've changed several sizes in underwear and had been sticking with my normal Breezies, but was disappointed in the quality. So, when I changed sizes again last month, off I went to Macy's (sale and coupon!) and found 2 styles I really liked and bought them in fun colors and found other fun colors of the same on Amazon and got those and folded them in the Konmari way and, to sound ridiculous, when I open my underwear drawer now and see all the pretty colors that are totally me, it actually DOES bring me joy. Bizarre, I know.

Why is it, when I have a 50/50 guess at something, I'm always 100% wrong?

mousiegirl · ‎03-09-2010

I have one bedroom so full that I cannot step into it before removing Christmas things. I had built in drawers and cabinets installed a year ago in the family room and one wall in the rec room thinking that this would solve my storage issues, thinking that I could empty the bedroom, I was wrong. The bedroom is still full, and so is the family room, and there is still more around, so now am thinking of having one wall in the living room become built ins, not to mention the storeroom under the house which is full of ornaments, etc., and one complete pantry in the kitchen filled with gingerbread decor, and several tall large shelving units in the rec room filled with Valerie's wereaths and garlands in the red storage bags bought here, and some overflow in the laundry room. I didn't realize it was this bad until I began typing, holy moly.

GCR18 · ‎07-03-2013

I have plenty of room, but I don't want or need closets full of stuff. Over the winter, i put shelving in the closet in the spare bedroom and organized everything. I moved out things that didn't fit in with the majority or I no longer liked it. Now I can see everything at a quick glance. The exception is flameless candles, I moved them to the top shelves in the kitchen.

Mominohio · ‎08-08-2010

@gidgetgh wrote:
It's too funny that you mentioned underwear. I've changed several sizes in underwear and had been sticking with my normal Breezies, but was disappointed in the quality. So, when I changed sizes again last month, off I went to Macy's (sale and coupon!) and found 2 styles I really liked and bought them in fun colors and found other fun colors of the same on Amazon and got those and folded them in the Konmari way and, to sound ridiculous, when I open my underwear drawer now and see all the pretty colors that are totally me, it actually DOES bring me joy. Bizarre, I know.

You made me laugh! But I do get it. And perhaps it's time for an intimate apparel shopping trip, as I need my undies to bring me joy as well!

Mominohio · ‎08-08-2010

@mousiegirl wrote:
I have one bedroom so full that I cannot step into it before removing Christmas things. I had built in drawers and cabinets installed a year ago in the family room and one wall in the rec room thinking that this would solve my storage issues, thinking that I could empty the bedroom, I was wrong. The bedroom is still full, and so is the family room, and there is still more around, so now am thinking of having one wall in the living room become built ins, not to mention the storeroom under the house which is full of ornaments, etc., and one complete pantry in the kitchen filled with gingerbread decor, and several tall large shelving units in the rec room filled with Valerie's wereaths and garlands in the red storage bags bought here, and some overflow in the laundry room. I didn't realize it was this bad until I began typing, holy moly.

I bow to the Queen! You have me beat! I bet your house is beautiful during the holidays.