Tips for Decluttering Christmas Items {Net Zero Clutter Challenge 2019}

How is it December already?! And yet here we are. Christmas is three and a half weeks away. As the song says... "It's the most wonderful time of the year!" And it really is.

But December is also the most busy time of the year for most of us. Or the most stressful time of the year. Those aren't things they usually write holiday songs about.

When things get overwhelming for me, one of the things I do to alleviate the stress is to declutter. Call me crazy, but extra stuff around me adds to the anxiety at any time of year, but especially in December!

• When I need to find places to store all the Christmas gifts we'll be giving. 
• When Christmas decorations, though beautiful, sometimes make my home feel smaller. 
• When entertaining means hiding things in the rooms we don't use as often. 
• When our schedule is extra full with school concerts, Christmas parties for every group or activity we're part of, and extended family gatherings. 

On their own, each of these things is wonderful, but all together, in the space of a month, it can be overwhelming.

I don't know about you, but I have a heightened awareness of how much stuff is in our home. And when I think about all the stuff that will be entering our home throughout the month.... well... it's even more overwhelming.

So... I declutter. It makes me feel better at any time of year, but especially in December :)

Since I started the #NetZeroClutter challenge 5 years ago (can you believe it's been 5 years?!), I've really noticed how much better I feel as the month goes on.

Join me this month!

Decluttering Holiday Items and Storage Areas {NetZero Decluttering Challenge 2018}

Do you feel overwhelmed during the month of December with all the stuff that enters your home? It makes it hard to enjoy this festive time of year.

I've found that when I declutter it really helps me feel less overwhelmed and I can enjoy the holidays so much more.  Will you join me in the Net Zero Decluttering Challenge this year?

Last week was a big week for items coming into our homes and you might be feeling overwhelmed now as you step over and around all the new gifts and empty boxes. If you've been decluttering all month, you should have space to put those items away into their new "homes". But even if you haven't decluttered earlier in the month, there's still time to do some decluttering to make room for all the new stuff :)

Today I'm sharing tips for decluttering your post-holiday items and storage areas.

Decluttering Living Areas {NetZero Decluttering Challenge 2018}

Do you feel overwhelmed during the month of December with all the stuff that enters your home? It makes it hard to enjoy this festive time of year.

I've found that when I declutter throughout the month it really helps me feel less overwhelmed and I can enjoy Christmas much more.  Will you join me in the Net Zero Decluttering Challenge this year?

If you're entertaining at all over the holidays you'll want your main living areas to be clutter-free so you have space for your guests to enjoy themselves. Rooms like your living room, family room, dining room, and entry / hallway.  If you're having guests stay with you during the holidays, this would be a good time to declutter the guest room too.

Today I'm sharing tips for decluttering your living areas!

Decluttering Kitchen Items {NetZero Decluttering Challenge 2018}

Do you feel overwhelmed during the month of December with all the stuff that enters your home? It makes it hard to enjoy this festive time of year.

I've found that when I declutter throughout the month it really helps me feel less overwhelmed.  Will you join me in the Net Zero Decluttering Challenge this year?

I'm so impressed with stories of what you've been decluttering already this month! Let's keep it going this week.

Today I'm sharing tips for decluttering your kitchen items!

Decluttering Kids' Items {NetZero Decluttering Challenge 2018}

Do you feel overwhelmed during the month of December with all the stuff that enters your home? It makes it hard to enjoy this festive time of year.

I've found that when I declutter throughout the month it really helps me feel less overwhelmed.  Will you join me in the Net Zero Decluttering Challenge this year?

I'm so impressed with stories of what you've been decluttering already this month! Let's keep it going this week.

Today I'm sharing tips for decluttering your kids' items!

Decluttering Christmas Items {Net Zero Clutter Challenge 2018}

It's December! And you know what that means... clutter! For most of us, more items enter our homes this month than any other time of year. And we're so much more aware of the clutter in our homes because we tend to entertain more this month than other times of the year as well.

Besides all that, December can feel so overwhelming... there are so many extra tasks to do, places to go, and people to see.

All of these factors make it hard to enjoy this otherwise wonderful time of year!

Whenever I feel overwhelmed I've learned that I will usually feel better if I declutter (at any time of year... it's really a stress reliever!). But over the last several years I've found that the single most important thing I can do to help me feel less overwhelmed in December is to declutter throughout the month.

Once I reduce that overwhelm, I can enjoy Christmas much more! So this year I will be decluttering again :)

For the last three years, I've hosted the #NetZeroClutter challenge and many of you joined in and decluttered in December. Will you join the Net Zero Decluttering Challenge this year?

Week 4 - Post-Holiday and Storage {Net Zero Clutter Challenge 2017}

Happy day after Christmas! We're almost at the end of the month... just one week left in the Net Zero Clutter challenge for this year. And it's a big one this week! Today I'm sharing tips for decluttering your post-holiday items and your storage areas.

For many of us, yesterday was a big day for items coming into our homes. You might be feeling a little (or a lot!) overwhelmed today as you step over and around all the new gifts and empty boxes. If you've been decluttering all month, you should have space to put those items away into their new "homes". But even if you haven't decluttered earlier in the month, there's still time to do some decluttering to make room for all the new stuff :)

Each week I've been sharing decluttering tips and ideas to help you declutter a different area of your home.  The idea is that you'll end the month with the same number of items in your home (or maybe even less!) than what you started the month with. If you're just joining in, work on decluttering the same number of items as you just received!

Week 3 - Living Areas {Net Zero Clutter Challenge 2017}

It's living areas week in the Net Zero Clutter challenge! Are you ready to declutter rooms like your living room, family room, dining room, and entry / hallway? This will make it much easier to tidy up and clean your home before entertaining for the holidays! And your friends and family will have space to enjoy themselves in your home. If you're having guests stay with you, this is a great week to declutter your guest room too.

If you feel overwhelmed during the month of December with all the stuff that enters your home, join the Net Zero Clutter challenge so you can enjoy this festive time of year!

Week 2 - Kitchens {Net Zero Clutter Challenge 2017}

It's "Kitchens" week in the Net Zero Clutter challenge! Ready to tackle your kitchen this week so you aren't as overwhelmed when you're doing your holiday baking or entertaining? Or just so you can prepare meals easily during a busy month?

December can feel so overwhelming... there are so many extra tasks to do, places to go, and people to see.  But more than demands on our time, are the demands on our space. If we're entertaining during the holidays, we suddenly become much more aware of the clutter in our homes. And just the thought of how many new items will be entering our homes this month is overwhelming! All of these factors make it hard to enjoy this otherwise wonderful time of year.

There are lots of tips out there for managing your time better during the holidays, but I've found that the single most important thing I can do to help me feel less overwhelmed in December is to declutter throughout the month.  And reducing that overwhelm means I can enjoy Christmas much more.

This week I'm sharing tips to help you declutter your kitchens. Feel free to declutter anything you want though! Whatever will help you achieve your goal :)

Week 1 - Introduction and Holiday/Kids' Items {Net Zero Clutter Challenge 2017}

December can feel so overwhelming... there are so many extra tasks to do, places to go, and people to see.  But more than demands on our time, are the demands on our space. If we're entertaining during the holidays, we suddenly become much more aware of the clutter in our homes. And just the thought of how many new items will be entering our homes this month is overwhelming! All of these factors make it hard to enjoy this otherwise wonderful time of year.

There are lots of tips out there for managing your time better during the holidays, but I've found that the single most important thing I can do to help me feel less overwhelmed in December is to declutter throughout the month.  And reducing that overwhelm means I can enjoy Christmas much more.

For the last two years, I've hosted the #NetZeroClutter challenge and many of you joined in and decluttered in December. Will you join the Net Zero Decluttering Challenge this year?

Week 6 - Challenge Wrap-Up {Net Zero Clutter Challenge 2016}

It's the end of the month! And the end of the #NetZeroClutter challenge. How did you do?  Did you feel overwhelmed during the month with all the stuff that entered your home? Did your decluttering help you enjoy this festive time of year?

Each week this month I shared decluttering tips and ideas to help you declutter a different area of your home.  Hopefully you found them helpful and you're ending the month with the same number of items in your home (or maybe even less!) than what you started the month with!

This week is a chance for you to look at your overall numbers and see how you did! Even if you didn't keep track, I'm sure you can feel the difference decluttering made :)

Week 5 - Post-Holiday and Storage {Net Zero Clutter Challenge 2016}

Do you feel overwhelmed during the month of December with all the stuff that enters your home? It makes it hard to enjoy this festive time of year.

Yesterday was a big day for items coming into our homes and you might be feeling overwhelmed today as you step over and around all the new gifts and empty boxes. If you've been decluttering all month, you should have space to put those items away into their new "homes". But even if you haven't decluttered earlier in the month, there's still time to do some decluttering to make room for all the new stuff :)

I've found that when I declutter it really helps me feel less overwhelmed and I can enjoy Christmas much more.  Will you join me in the Net Zero Decluttering Challenge this year?

Each week I've been sharing decluttering tips and ideas to help you declutter a different area of your home.  The idea is that you'll end the month with the same number of items in your home (or maybe even less!) than what you started the month with. If you're just joining in, work on decluttering the same number of items as you just received.

This week I'm sharing tips for decluttering your post-holiday items and storage areas.

Week 4 - Living Areas {Net Zero Clutter Challenge 2016}

Do you feel overwhelmed during the month of December with all the stuff that enters your home? It makes it hard to enjoy this festive time of year.

If you're entertaining at all over the holidays you'll want your main living areas to be clutter-free so you have space for your guests to enjoy themselves. Rooms like your living room, family room, dining room, and entry / hallway.  If you're having guests stay with you during the holidays, this would be a good time to declutter the guest room too.

I've found that when I declutter throughout the month it really helps me feel less overwhelmed and I can enjoy Christmas much more.  Will you join me in the Net Zero Decluttering Challenge this year?

Each week I'll share decluttering tips and ideas to help you declutter a different area of your home.  If you do that, you can end the month with the same number of items in your home (or maybe even less!) than what you started the month with.

This week I'm sharing tips for decluttering your living areas.

Week 3 - Kitchen Items {Net Zero Clutter Challenge 2016}

Do you feel overwhelmed during the month of December with all the stuff that enters your home? It makes it hard to enjoy this festive time of year.

Kitchens can also feel really cluttered when we're spending so much time with holiday baking, entertaining, and preparing holiday meals.

I've found that when I declutter throughout the month it really helps me feel less overwhelmed and I can enjoy Christmas much more.  Will you join me in the Net Zero Decluttering Challenge this year?

Each week I'll share decluttering tips and ideas to help you declutter a different area of your home.  If you do that, you can end the month with the same number of items in your home (or maybe even less!) than what you started the month with.

This week I'm sharing tips for decluttering your kitchen.

Week 2 - Kids' Items {Net Zero Clutter Challenge 2016}

Do you feel overwhelmed during the month of December with all the stuff that enters your home? It makes it hard to enjoy this festive time of year.

I've found that when I declutter throughout the month it really helps me feel less overwhelmed.  Will you join me in the Net Zero Decluttering Challenge this year?

This week I'm sharing tips for decluttering your kids' items!

Week 1 - Introduction and Holiday Items {Net Zero Clutter Challenge 2016}

Do you feel overwhelmed during the month of December with all the stuff that enters your home? It makes it hard to enjoy this otherwise wonderful time of year.

I've found that when I declutter throughout the month it really helps me feel less overwhelmed and I can enjoy Christmas much more.  Will you join the Net Zero Decluttering Challenge this year?

Day 31 - Christmas Lights {Net Zero Decluttering Challenge}

Before I jump into today's post and the end of the #NetZeroClutter series... I just want to celebrate something else right now.  This is my 500th published post on this blog!  That's a pretty big milestone :)  And how fun that it's on December 31st!

I had no idea when I started this blog 3 1/2 years ago that I would ever write that many posts.  Or that I'd even still be blogging.  Or that anyone would be reading it!

So thank you... my loyal readers... for being here every step of the way!  Whether you've been here since the beginning (if you have please comment and let me know so I can thank you personally!), or whether you've joined me along the way or even recently (welcome!), I am so honoured and proud that you take time out of your lives to join me in this little part of the blogisphere.

Thank you for sharing your decluttering and organizing journeys with me... through comments here... or on social media... or in the 365 Items in 365 Days Facebook group.  Hearing your stories makes my day.  All the time.

So thanks!  Have yourself a bit of cake today to celebrate with me :)

OK... on to today's post!

Day 30 - More Decorations {Net Zero Decluttering Challenge}

Have you ever felt overwhelmed during the month of December with all the stuff that enters your home? The trick I've found helps me is to declutter throughout the month. Will you join me in the Net Zero Decluttering Challenge?

Each day this month I'll share some decluttering tips and ideas so you can end the month with the same number of items in your home (or maybe even less!) than what you started the month with.

Today I'm sharing tips on decluttering more holiday decorations.

Day 29 - Tree Ornaments {Net Zero Decluttering Challenge}

Have you ever felt overwhelmed during the month of December with all the stuff that enters your home? The trick I've found helps me is to declutter throughout the month. Will you join me in the Net Zero Decluttering Challenge?

Each day this month I'll share some decluttering tips and ideas so you can end the month with the same number of items in your home (or maybe even less!) than what you started the month with.

Today I'm sharing tips on decluttering your tree ornaments.

Day 28- More Clothing {Net Zero Decluttering Challenge}

Have you ever felt overwhelmed during the month of December with all the stuff that enters your home? The trick I've found helps me is to declutter throughout the month. Will you join me in the Net Zero Decluttering Challenge?

Each day this month I'll share some decluttering tips and ideas so you can end the month with the same number of items in your home (or maybe even less!) than what you started the month with.

Today I'm sharing tips on decluttering more clothing now that you know what you've received for Christmas.