The Pre-Holiday Purge: Declutter Now for a More Meaningful Holiday Season

Signs of the season are beginning to emerge everywhere.

Red Starbucks cups in the hands of fellow nature park visitors on a Sunday afternoon. Lights woven tightly around once leaf-filled trees. “What would your children like for Christmas?” already articulated by loved ones.

Yes, it’s finally beginning to feel like the holidays are upon us.

I love the anticipation and excitement the holidays can bring, but their arrival also stirs a need for action. 

Why? 

Because we are entering a season of excess.

Consider these examples:

Overspending – On Black Friday and Cyber Monday, Americans will spend an estimated $148.5 billion shopping ($285 million more than last year). Fifty percent of us overspend or don’t set a budget at all and 28% are still paying off debt from last holiday season.

Overeating – On Thanksgiving, the average American consumes 4,500 calories, which is almost twice the recommended daily intake. Most Americans gain weight during the holidays that they don’t lose the next year.

Over-scheduling – A recent study by OnePoll showed 88% of Americans feel stressed when celebrating the holidays and the average couple will have seven arguments throughout the season.

The solution to this “excess mindset?” The pre-holiday purge.

While maintenance decluttering is something I frequently do to continue living a minimalist lifestyle, I take it up a notch before the holidays.

I like to spend the weekends before Thanksgiving letting go of possessions we no longer use and love. I focus on items that we will likely acquire more of as gifts during the holidays (kids toys and clothing).

Regardless of what you choose to let go of, beginning the holiday season with a serious decluttering stint has its benefits.

Here are 5 reasons you’ll benefit from a pre-holiday purge:

1. Perspective Shift

By starting your holiday season with decluttering, you enter into the season of excess in edit mode, attuned to what matters most and ready to discard the rest. 

When you’ve spent a few days clearing out excess possessions from your life, you adopt a mindset that’s not seeking to overindulge, overschedule, or even acquire. Shifting your focus from giving instead of getting prepares your mind for a more meaningful holiday.

2. Lower stress 

This year has been unprecedentedly stressful. If 88% reported being stressed over the holidays in the past, it’s reasonable to think 2020’s stress stats will be higher.

Reducing clutter in the home can lower holiday stress levels in two ways. First, research shows clutter raises cortisol levels (especially in women). Less clutter reduces the number of stress triggers in the environment. 

Second, decluttering now will create space for the new gifts you and your family will soon receive. By making space beforehand, you’ll know right where to put new things when they enter your home. If not, they will sit out and become clutter, which can lead to post holiday stress.

3. Increased presence

Decluttering now can help you connect more deeply with loved ones when the holidays are here. When your mind isn’t burdened by questions like: “Where are we going to put all these new toys?” or thoughts like: “Our home is already so full, the last thing we need is more stuff to take care of,” then you’re able to more fully focus on the person in front of you. And giving the gift of your presence really is the best present you can give (especially to your children).

4. Less work after the holidays

Author Tom Robbins said, “Any half-awake materialist well knows—that which you hold holds you.”

Just like everything you currently own, everything you will acquire during the holidays will demand some of your time, energy, and attention. More clothes means more time doing laundry. More toys means more for your kids to pick up (and more times that you will likely help them do it). More coffee mugs and kitchen items means more to clean. Ask yourself how you want to spend your post-holiday time. Managing more stuff? Probably not.

If you declutter now, acquiring more won’t increase the time you spend managing stuff. The new will replace the unused or unloved, and maintenance time will stay the same.

5. More time for self-care 

Self-care is anything that helps you stay grounded and be your best self for others. During the holiday season, when routines are often changed and to-dos often increase, self-care can be pushed to the side. But when life feels busy, that’s when it is needed the most.

Decluttering is a form of self-care. As you get rid of things (possessions, thought patterns, commitments) that no longer serve you and your family, you free up more space in your life. Now you can intentionally add in more of what builds you up. A hot drink held with both hands. Time in nature on a crisp morning. Getting lost in a good book. Extra time spent in prayer. 

More time and space for self-care leads to a more grounded and more meaningful holiday season. 

Author Anna Brackett said, “We go on multiplying our conveniences only to multiply our cares. We increase our possessions only to the enlargement of our anxieties.” 

I’d like to propose that we decrease our anxieties when we decrease our possessions. If the holiday season is a high time for added stress, then there’s no better time than now to let go of unloved and unwanted items.

You don’t have to remove boxes of stuff from every room in your home or cancel commitments completely, but even small actions toward editing your life now can make a big difference in your holidays. 

Think you’ll be getting new books? Let go of three or four now. New clothes? Donate several outfits you no longer wear. Need more downtime? Opt out of one commitment for the next couple months.

Let’s embrace the pre-holiday purge and, this holiday season, shift our perspective from acquiring to letting go.

Your holidays will be lighter and more meaningful for it.

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Julia Ubbenga is a freelance journalist whose teachings on minimalism, simplicity, and intentional living have reached thousands of people worldwide through her blog. Julia practices what she preaches in her Kansas City apartment home with her husband, two extremely lively young daughters, and newborn son. You can also find her on Instagram.