Donate Before You Decorate 

Here's what happens every December. The holiday boxes come down from the attic: the tree, the lights, the 47 nutcrackers, the snow village with its own zip code. And they all need somewhere to go. But every shelf, table and corner is already full of the stuff that lives there the other eleven months.

So the everyday stuff gets shoved into piles. The holiday stuff gets crammed around the piles. And by Christmas morning, the new gifts have nowhere to land at all.

The fix is simple: donate before you decorate. Clear out first, while it's still November, and you'll have room for the holidays, room for the gifts, and a nice warm feeling that someone else is wearing that coat you haven't touched in three winters.

Why Declutter Before Christmas?

• The decorations need a home. Every ornament you hang needs a spot, and every box you unpack needs somewhere to sit until January.
• The gifts are coming. New toys, new clothes and new gadgets all need space. Make it before they arrive.
• Company is coming. Guests need room for coats, a cleared counter, and a guest room that isn't a storage unit.
• Charities need it now. Winter coats, warm blankets and toys do the most good before the holidays, not in February.

Your Donate-Before-You-Decorate Countdown

Set Up Your Sorting Station

Grab four bags or boxes and label them:

• Donate: Clean, working, and someone would be glad to have it.
• Sell: Worth the trouble of listing it. Be honest. Most things aren't.
• Toss or recycle: Broken, stained, missing pieces.
• Belongs elsewhere: Things that live in another room. Put them away at the end, not one at a time.

Set a timer for 30 minutes per area. Decluttering in short bursts beats the all-day marathon that ends with you sitting in a pile of old photos, crying over a third-grade report card.

Where to Start: The Five Holiday Hot Spots

1. The Coat Closet

Guests are coming, and their coats need somewhere to go besides your bed. Pull out every coat, jacket, scarf, hat and glove. Donate the coats nobody wears and the kids have outgrown. Pair up the gloves, and let the orphans go. Many communities run winter coat drives this time of year, so your extras can keep someone warm next week.

2. The Linen Closet

Holiday guests mean fresh sheets and towels, so make sure you can find them. Donate extra sheet sets and blankets in good condition. Got old towels and worn blankets? Call your local animal shelter. Many are happy to take them.

3. The Kitchen

Clear out before the holiday baking and cooking begins. Let go of the duplicate gadgets, mugs from events you don't remember, the bread machine you used twice, and the food storage containers without lids. Donate unexpired, unopened canned and boxed food to a food bank, where it's needed most during the holidays.

4. Toys and Kids' Clothes

This is the big one, because new toys are on the way. Let the kids help: have each one pick a few toys and books to give to children who need them. They're far more generous when they get to choose, and it's a great lesson in what the holidays are about. For a full plan, see how to organize kids' rooms before Christmas.

5. The Surfaces the Holidays Will Claim

The mantel, the entry table, the sideboard, the corner where the tree goes. Clear the everyday decor off them, and while you're at it, decide which pieces you still love. Pack the keepers into the empty decoration bins until January. Donate the rest.

Purge the Holiday Decorations, Too

Here's the part everyone forgets. The decorations themselves need decluttering, and the best time to do it is as they come out of the boxes. Sort as you unpack:

• Test the lights before they go on the tree. Strands that don't work and won't be fixed get tossed or recycled. Many hardware stores collect old string lights for recycling during the holidays.
• Toss broken ornaments. You've been planning to glue that one since 2014. It's time.
• Donate what you didn't use last year. If it stayed in the box last Christmas, it's not coming out this Christmas, either.
• Keep the treasures, like the handmade ornaments and the ones with a story. Let the filler go.
• Donate the duplicates. Nobody needs four tree skirts.

Donating holiday decor before Christmas is extra kind, because someone else gets to use it this year. For more on storing what you keep, see these Christmas organizing ideas.

Where to Donate

Every charity has its own rules, so check what yours accepts before you load the car.

What Not to Donate

• Anything broken, stained, ripped or missing pieces. If you wouldn't give it to a friend, don't give it to a charity.
• Used car seats. Most charities won't take them.
• Recalled items, like old cribs and baby gear.
• Expired or opened food.
• Underwear and socks that aren't brand new.

Charities spend real money hauling away donations they can't use, so a little honesty goes a long way.

Get It Out the Door

The most dangerous place for a donation bag is the garage. It sits there until spring, and slowly, the stuff wanders back into the house. Do this instead:

• Put the bags straight into the trunk the minute they're full.
• Pick a drop-off day and put it on the calendar.
• Schedule a pickup for big items. Many charities pick up furniture.
• Ask for a receipt if you plan to deduct your donations, and talk to your tax preparer about what counts. Donations have to be made by December 31 to count for this tax year.

Keep It From Coming Back

Gifts are coming, so try the one-in, one-out rule: for every new toy, sweater or kitchen gadget that comes into the house this season, something old goes out. It keeps all that hard-won space clear through January and beyond.

Need help letting go? My book, Room by Room, walks you through decluttering every room in the house, without the guilt.

Holiday Decluttering: Quick Answers

When should I declutter before Christmas?

Start in early November and finish before the holiday decorations come out. That leaves time to drop off donations while charities need them most.

What should I declutter before the holidays?

Start with the coat closet, linen closet, kitchen, kids' toys and the surfaces your decorations will take over. Then sort through the holiday decorations as you unpack them.

How do I declutter Christmas decorations?

Sort them as you unpack. Test the lights, toss anything broken, donate what you didn't use last year, and keep only the decorations you love.

Where can I donate before Christmas?

Try charity thrift stores, local coat drives, food banks, animal shelters and Habitat for Humanity ReStores. Check what each one accepts before you drop off.

Keep Going

Clear the decks for a calmer holiday season with these related guides:

• How to Declutter Your Home: Room by room, without losing it.
• Organize Kids' Rooms Before Christmas: Make room for the gifts.
• Christmas Organizing Ideas: Gifts, wrapping and decorations, sorted.
• How to Organize the Holidays: A simple planning system.
• How to Declutter Your Living Room: And keep it clutter-free.
• How to Organize Storage: So you can find the holiday bins next year.
• 20 New Christmas Traditions: Including one that clears out the toy bin.
• After-Holiday Cleaning: An easy green cleanup guide.