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The Little Lilypad is a lifestyle blog mostly written by a mum to two beautiful, cheeky and entertaining daughters. It is sometimes written by the Man on the Pad or by one of our baby bloggers. Occasionally we accept guest posts too. There is frequently talk of sustainable living, saving money, lifestyle and travel. It is hopefully helpful, sometimes funny and always honest.

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Decluttering your House after the Christmas Fest

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Well, it’s practically all over. The presents have been ripped open, boxes played with, chocolates eaten, cuddly toys hugged tight and fought over. The New Year celebrations have come and gone, heads have cleared and the future beckons. Before you can get back to normal, of course, it’s time to deal with those pesky decorations.

Time to return your home to normal.

After all the festivities, it’s tempting to throw them all in one box, lug it up to the loft and forget about decorations for another year so if you really want Christmas 2016 to be the occasion you spent three hours unravelling the lights, then go right ahead.

LLP - Decluttering your House after the Christmas Fest

A little time and preparation now can make next year a breeze and also help you keep control of all those trimmings. If you’re like me, your collection can grow, from bespoke baubles and oversized glittering beads to a crazy singing reindeer.

Sometimes it’s a good idea to declutter, throwing out the old and in with the new, as the saying goes. To do this you have to show a good deal of resolve but it can also be a pretty cathartic process. It can also make sure you stay in control of your Christmas decorations.

  • Sort your trimmings into like for like piles (stars, baubles, tinsel, lights etc).
  • Decide which you are going to keep and the things that have seen better days and need to be let go.
  • Keep your baubles for the tree in one box, your more intricate decorations for the mantlepiece in another.
  • Make sure your lights are wound properly (if you don’t have something ready-made then how about an old strip of stiff card?).
  • Dismantle your Christmas tree carefully and repackage it properly rather than throwing it in the box.
  • If you had a real tree, then take it down to the recycling depot before the pine needles start to fall off.
  • Throw away/recycle any decorations that have lost their sparkle or have seen better days.

The end of the Christmas period is also a great time to declutter other parts of your house. You don’t have to stop with the decorations. In many Eastern cultures, New Year is the perfect time to get rid of unwanted clutter. Why not try these simple tips?

  • For each gift you got this year, why not get rid of two old ones in exchange. Got a new shirt or blouse, throw a couple into the charity shop sack. What about those DVDs? Try giving away the ones you don’t really watch anymore.
  • Paper recycling can be fun. If you aren’t going to be using that Christmas paper again next year, then make sure you put it in the recycling. But don’t just stop there. What about those old newspapers and magazines that can go too? How about all those books which could be given to the local second hand shop?

Houses, especially with children in them, can quickly be overwhelmed with stuff and Christmas is the ideal time to get the family involved in reducing all that clutter. Get hubby to sort out his collection of unused sport equipment, the kids to tidy up and give away the toys and games they are no longer interested in, while you go through everything from the closets to the kitchen.

Once everything is put away and the house is suddenly tidier than you’ve ever seen it, the new year ahead will seem so much brighter. And those properly sorted Christmas trimmings can go up in the loft or into the store cupboard, all set for next December when the festivities begin again. 

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Comments

  1. Some great tips here. I hate the christmas come down and putting everything away. I am usually guilty of throwing it al in the box and not thinking about it again and then cursing myself come christmas time. I definitely tried to be more organised this year. Love the idea of using the time to de-clutter things like your wardrobe to make way for new items. Thanks for sharing.

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  2. Great tips - I hate the post Christmas declutter. I box my decorations away according to the room they were in. Kaz x

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  3. I so agree with this and have been on a bit of a decluttering mission today sorting out and rearranging my little ones toys. i have a box to give to charity and a box to go in the loft for number two and about 2 bin liners of junk to throw! How do we accumulate? I will also be doing the Christmas decorations but not till the 12th night :) so will be referring to this. xx

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  4. Some really good tips; thank you! We are taking the tree down tomorrow!

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  5. Great tips especially about putting the decs away carefully as it makes it much easier when you get them back out too. I need to declutter once the children are back at school.

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  6. I think delcuttering is the best way to start 2016, I did mine over a month ago now and I am due another in 2 weeks, I intend to do mine every 6 weeks.

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  7. Yes - a reminder to make sure to wind up the lights neatly as to not run into the same issues as this year next December! Some really good tips here for reducing the amount of clutter which is EVERYWHERE after the Christmas season - I've no idea where all this stuff came from, but it is in every corner and crack!

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  8. Oh I wish I had read this before my husband got stuck in taking the decorations down. And went with the Chuck em in and hope method! I am decluttering the playroom though, the big one needs to pick toys to donate!

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  9. We've just moved house so I feel like I've spent the last two months decluttering - firstly so we didn't drag loads of stuff we didn't need to the new house, and now when I'm unpacking and trying to make everything fit! It really does feel good to have a clear-out I think.

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