Less is more with holiday decor!

Do you want to know what I end up either donating or, unfortunately, needing to throw away more often than anything else? Holiday decor. There are two main reasons these items are not kept.

1. A trendy decoration that was a hassle to use (i.e. blow up reindeer that could never quite fold up small enough again, the 8 foot skeleton that everyone is going wild for, but you have to get a storage unit to store him off-season, etc).

2. Decorations stored in cardboard boxes. I cannot tell you how often I see holiday decor stored in a cardboard box that encountered moisture and became moldy or became a cozy home & meal for mice.

So what is my biggest advice for approaching seasonal decorations? “Less is more with holiday decor” is my favorite concise way to phrase it. Now I am in no way trying to tamper your joy. If that 8 foot skeleton is your favorite part of the “ber” months, you get him! It is the impulse to buy that I try to help folks become aware of.

This happens to me too! I will be walking through a store, and suddenly I am face to face with a spooky ghost pillow that would be absolutely adorable on the sofa for approximately 30-45 days of the year. My mind immediately whispers add to cart but I have a secret weapon, you ready for it? I picture my holiday storage bin. Can you picture yours? Mine are clear so I know exactly what is in there, and if that bin is filled to the tippy top, there’s no way that cute spooky pillow is coming home with me.

If you need to reel in your holiday decor habit, I want you to go look at your storage area and take a picture of it. That’s it, we don’t need to delve into getting rid of items today unless you are ready. Next time you are pulling into Home Goods, please keep driving - just kidding. Really, though, when you see a cute little decor item, pull out that photo of your decor storage and decide whether or not you want that item sitting in that bin for 10-11 months. If you decide “without a doubt, I need to add this item to the bin”, you should add to cart. If you waffle on it, give it some time. I love overthinking purchases. Why? Because I very rarely buy anything on impulse, it helps me to maintain a minimalist home, and it is a financially responsible way to approach life.

I will, no doubt, do a full blog post about general shopping tips. I hope this small dive into seasonal shopping helps lay some groundwork for keeping a mindfully joyful home. As always, send me a message if any of this feels tricky!