Christmas Decorations Declutter!

[@EricaLucasLoves]

Found the Advent Ideas link!! www.messylittlemonster.com/2018/11/advent-calendar-ideas.html?m=1

[@voiceojane]

I decluttered about ten items from the decorations yesterday, most of which were gifts I didn’t like. I said to my daughter, “It’s a holiday, not a punishment!” And out they went!

[@EricaLucasLoves]

Woohoo!!

[@sarahsmom1002]

One of the gems from this video that really resonated with me: "This is one of those things I just put up because I have it, not because I love it anymore." Very helpful in spurring me on to start decorating more intentionally, and not just for the holidays. Thanks Erica! I love watching your videos!

[@daniellej5778]

I just decluttered yesterday while decorating and decluttered 63 items. I emptied 2 totes.

[@EricaLucasLoves]

Great job!

[@habeebideemashayish2750]

I remember watching your first declutters, and it was, "watch Erica justify keeping most everything" but at least you were getting organized so I stuck around. Then it was "watch Erica declutter, just keep too much". Now it's "watch Erica declutter like a boss." Love it!!! It takes time to learn how to do it when you've built the habit of KEEPING like you had. Living for the growth, and your house looks so much cleaner and calmer!

[@bertholdstefanie6175]

Here in Germany we traditionally have a tree from Christmas Eve till Jan 6. and the children will only see it when the door to the livingroom opens for „Bescherung“ in the late afternoon of Dec 24. Of course this has changed with more open architecture and modern life style. But, I organize my totes Advent (Christmas Decoration, circular advent wreath, sitting on the table with a candle for each sunday of advent, outdoor lights). a tote with the technicalities of the christmas tree and the nativity and two totes with tree ornaments. There were so many cute things among my Christmas clutter to decorate a winter home, candle holders, winter decoration(berries, glittering glass ..) I decided to have a pre-christmas winter decoration box (Autumn/early winter, but not Halloween - chestnuts, pine cones, fake fir, gold ornaments, fairy lights) and a more brighter after-christmas tote with white, graphic origami paper-art, and simple glass, introducing the first vase of snow drops, narcissus or tulips. Thus I change out decoration slowly and „tote by tote“. I found this very relaxing and have only been able to install this my clever idea because of your videos giving me inspiration and the will to purge. Thank you soo much.

[@FifiAllia]

Andy, chilling so relaxed till...GLITTER!!

[@3llenzinha]

Ranger is such a lovely dog 🥰

[@EricaLucasLoves]

He’s the best.

[@pamboatwright8281]

I just LOVE Andy! Most husbands don't join in on this type of stuff, but Andy does so, willingly and happily! He is a jewell!

[@MelindaPlainandSimple]

Great declutter! I did my first one this year. We had 36 bins! It took 6 days to go through it all and 4 more to clear out the decluttered items. I decluttered more Christmas stuff than most people have to start with. It felt so good! And best of all, I got to bring joy to those who wanted/needed Christmas decor. I plan to whittle my stash down some more each year.

[@EricaLucasLoves]

Great start to the season and an end to 2021!

[@findingaway5512]

You can always get a fresh Christmas wreath. If you like fresh ones I don't know but that might be a fun thing to do every year since you don't have a real tree.

[@ChristianAnneSmith]

I make one every year and just reuse the same wreath wire base and wire/ and ribbon. I use it as an opportunity to prune the coniferous trees by our house.

[@amygalloway2699]

I totally agree with you. Ditch the red picture frames and get a small album to put all the pictures in. I guarantee your kids will look at them much more. It was very telling when your daughter put them all down after a second or two. PLUS, you can then declutter the frames but still keep the photo memories. Whoohoo!

[@kims914]

I agree 100%. The flip book would be so much easier. You also risk the frames falling and breaking. Great job decluttering yet again!!!!

[@Myeverydaywifelife]

Thanks for letting us know you had 24 bins of Xmas stuff but you don’t get rid of it all at once. You get rid of more and more each year. I think people need to know it does not happen and one full swoop! 💜💜💜💜💜

[@jodeanerhoades2645]

That is the best advent calendar I’ve ever seen!!! You are such a good mom 🥰

[@susanchevrier9288]

I use two shelves to limit all of my seasonal containers. Everyone knows where those bins are stored. Once the two shelves are full of bins/containers, no more decor! Any new item has to bump out an old item of the same space requirement. Labels on bins, two sides and lid help everyone know where and what at all times. It may not sound minimalish yet the shelf limiting bin quantity is an effective bin boundary. Additional benefits are more protection if you have a basement flood and less purchasing temptation as a new purchase often is not worth the “swap out’” of old. The shelves boundary concept has worked for many of my clients as well.

[@juliesanders4468]

I really enjoyed this video, Erica. I think you seem so relaxed here. I started watching when you first started decluttering. You seem SO much calmer and contented these days. It's very impressive! I'm so happy for you and your family!! ( And I love your hair!)

[@jodtay]

I think decluttering the believe tray was the right idea. Felt on the bottom would solve the scratching problem but keeping it would mean it needed filling and could lead to keeping more ‘things’ than you genuinely want to. Good decision.

[@lisaann6267]

Now put a large 8x11 label on the container that says fall!

[@KaranJohnstone]

Creepy Pair of Underwear was dedicated to my school! If you look in the front or back of the book, there is a dedication to a student in the school I teach. The student came up with the idea for this book.

[@Raven.13]

My kids at primary school 'study' this book. My kids love it!

[@Myeverydaywifelife]

No no don’t get a tree with lights, aka prelit tree! I have one and after couple years the lights don’t work but tree is still in great condition. Now I have to string lights over top the lights that don’t work. Ugggh 🙀

[@ChristianAnneSmith]

Same.

[@susannovak8263]

I chuckled when you said you were going to keep the boxes for those ornaments in case you ever decided to get rid of them. I used to do that too. I kept the boxes for years and years. Finally got rid of all the empty boxes. Why waste my time managing empty boxes? Enjoyed the video, though. Thank you!

[@jennylhenry78]

6:58 put felt pads on the bottom of that crate. You know, the kind you'd put on the bottom of chairs so they don't scratch the floor.

[@deborahderosa4987]

I love that your husband gets involved. Chapel Hill grad here.❤

[@annegamble7698]

Practical, charming and always a little humor. Thank you for sharing.🎄🎀⛄❄

[@lonecapricorn9518]

It was great to see your face break out into a huge smile for the items you decided to keep, a reaction like that means you made the right choice

[@KatyInNH]

I hang my cookie cutters as ornaments on the tree until ready to make the cookies

[@Aphantys]

I love the advent calendar idea! 😍 I think the flipbook with the christmas photos will work best, they can look at it and store it with nonfear of it breaking

[@williamsmith4899]

I do serious deep cleaning before I start to Christmas decorate - this year I'm decluttering all excess Christmas décor. IF I don't use it and really love it, it's time for it to go.

[@paulacrews319]

I “upgraded” to a pre-lit tree. The second year 1/3 of the lights went out. Next year even more lights out. I finally cut the lights off the tree and just put on strands of lights. This way if they don’t work they are easy to change. Really regret the pre-lit tree purchase. I love gnomes too! I have way too many, but they bring a smile to my face every time I look at them.

[@christinawithach817]

Amen on the regret. Our pre-lit only made it 1 year and the next all the lights were out. I attempted to find the problem, but after several hours I quit.

[@Caseyd1966]

Ugh to the prelit tree. Mine gave out after 2 years and what a pain to cut out all the lights!

[@danixoxo8637]

I was going to say that. As much of a pain it is to put the strand of lights on the tree. It's easy to replace where it's more difficult if they are attached to the tree.

[@onairwitherika4644]

I love that you decorate as a minimalist. Its so cozy and memorable for kids. great job! Im decluttering Christmas this week too!

[@cashauer]

For items you think will scratch furniture put chair leg felt circle things on the bottom. Makes moving them to dust under an such easier too

[@caitlinbures4802]

Hi Erica, In your Christmas video form last year (12/7/2020) you didn’t have a wreath on the door yet but you said that you had already ordered one that matched your outdoor rug. Great job with the decluttering you gave me motivation to do mine again!!! 😁

[@suedefringe]

Yes !!! Ranger needs a stocking !!!! Also, it's very acceptable to get 7 more dogs... after the kids are grown 😆

[@jennifercooper4014]

Yayyyy…Andy’s back! I love when you guys declutter together❤️

[@lupitat6698]

The owls are so adorable 😊

[@sammiegaines7785]

Love how far you've come on your decluttering journey xx

[@stephaniemaurer6037]

That pup is such a sweet boy!!!!

[@eileenjordan6738]

Collectable ornament with boxes was a marketing thing I threw away boxes and just wrap them in paper 🎅

[@pameehanson3866]

We did large declutter of Christmas stuff last year and I do not want to decorate this year. Hoping the mood will come in a week or two. I no longer want to decorate seasonal just have the things I love and they stay year around. Thanks for sharing today.

[@dorothy9618]

I have a beautiful white ironstone bowl that I placed pine cones and small silver ornaments in. It’s sitting on my coffee table. I also have a wreath on the front door. Evenings I burn a scented candle. Other than that I only have wrapped gifts on display. Simple and easy!

[@ANNtique]

Having the photos in an album would be a great idea. We have a shallow basket that we put Christmas cards in and the basket sits on an end table so we can look through them and enjoy them throughout December.

[@3llenzinha]

I have a tradition of watching christmas movies throughout December. Home Alone 1 and 2 are some of my favorites. Do you guys also do it?

[@EricaLucasLoves]

Oh yes! ELF kicks us off!

[@SauerPatchGardening]

I love the advent stocking garland

[@cherylcoolidge8249]

It just makes me happy to watch you and Andy. I love your channel.

[@laurenmanley4616]

You made someone very happy this year! Nice donations 👏

[@ankiking]

Love the “to do” advent calendar!

[@DipityS]

Lovely video - I very much enjoyed it and I'm now in the Christmas spirit thank you. I shed a tear saying goodbye to the two-tier tray - I remember that from when I first started watching your channel 😊

[@KathyBerlin]

With slapstick😅😉 in the beginning. I love you Erika! Greetings from Germany! 😀🙋🏻‍♀️

[@CammyHell]

Yes put felt and use it. It’s so cute! The Believe box for a centerpiece

[@co7314]

The things that make you >smile< immediately, like the welcome mat, the mama snowman reading, the gnomes... The things that make you giggle. The things that make you break out into song, or recall a tradition... Those are special. Valuable. Worth keeping. Lovely video, thanks!

[@BudgetingbyJenn]

I've been watching you from the beginning of your journey. You have come so far and inspire so many of us. I dont have a lot of Christmas decor, because as a child, my mother went overboard and I always thought it looked cluttered and didnt like it. In 22 yrs of marriage, we have never had large houses with basements for storage, so we have to keep our extra stuff to a minimum. We have a total of 8 boxes of Christmas and that includes the Tree and 3 wreath boxes. 2 small ones for decorations and 2 others for the linens that I use.

[@TeresaSTJ]

Joyful home to be a child ♥️

[@divalicious541]

I really like your advent calendar! Such a great idea!

[@hakuna8374]

The bear is sooo cute under that blanket!

[@azaliahoyte5930]

I've been looking forward to this video.

[@3llenzinha]

Your hair looks fabulous 🤩

[@EricaLucasLoves]

Thanks!

[@mickalaloeffelbein4935]

Yessssssss it’s happening! ❤️💚❤️💚❤️💚🎄🎄🎄🎄🎄. And that laugh/chortle noise you made after pulling out the light up snowman globe made me so happy. I make that noise when I’m doing stuff and things are running through my head like a personal joke between me and myself 😂 you should get a nice Christmas themed photo flip book for those pictures from the red frames, it’ll last longer and be Christmas specific or match the decor when it’s sitting out. Saw a red truck one at hobby lobby this year!

[@JessicaSmith-uv4dx]

So lovely to see that you weren’t super overwhelmed with decluttering Christmas this year! Thank you for being you and sharing your journey 🥰

[@Leah-ic1et]

I have placed my kids Santa pictures on the wall in the shape of a Christmas tree. I don’t have room for them anywhere else but it looks neat and different to putting them in a mantle to look cluttered as there is a few of them.

[@ankiking]

Boom - Christmas! 😍😆💕

[@MelindaPlainandSimple]

You could sit the frames up in a box, like a photo box, to be flipped through. If the box is the right size and has a lid, you could store them in it as well...inside your bin, of course.

[@pattiharrison1211]

Really nice video, thanks for sharing ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️

[@Raxx777]

lots of fun to watch- love the lighted glowing snowman !! Have a wonderful holiday season- Best Wishes

[@shadegarden7375]

Ranger has yoga ears!!😍😘

[@belindaroberts3090]

I put out less decor this year & when I pack my Christmas stuff up I'm gonna declutter as I go. Love how you decorated.

[@KSLassie457]

You are such a good mother. I love watching all the little things that you do with your kids and family in mind! And it is nice to see Andy pich in and share in both the decluttering and decorating.

[@dianneknowles645]

“Boom….Christmas”😂😂😂 My favorite line….😂😂

[@heathergruenberg3273]

When you were trying to move the big Christmas Tree in the red bag....I was laughing so hard!! Hope you didn't hurt yourself!! I like the idea of putting your Santa photo's into a photo book. They will be protected and you can easily look through the book!! Great decluttering and decorating!

[@TiffanyW73]

Merry Christmas 😊💖🌻🦘

[@catharinabra]

Love your song! 🎶

[@danabrown2391]

Wow, you did well we littering some more! I've been waiting for this video to be put up!

[@sarahvandekendelaere8761]

Watching this clip feels like spending time with (nice) family. Thank you, Erica and co :)

[@beachlover4413]

I enjoy your decluttering so much because I can relate to you. I can't just get rid of stuff. Unfortunately, since we moved from a large house (really 2-2nd marriage) into a small condo. Lots more stuff than house! And I am very sentimental. I just threw out a huge bag of photos after going through them and pulling out doubles and triples (remember the days you got pics developed and got a second set free?), scenery my kids won't remember, and the horrible, blurry shots. I went through that discard bag at least 5 times, pulling back pictures just in case I missed keeping the better ones. Decluttering isn't easy!

[@lindamusser7370]

I saved watching this as a reward for doing my dishes this morning. I'm getting ready to get my Hanukkah/ Christmas stuff out. This is perfect.

[@ashleyfreedman123]

I love Ranger!

[@terrilloyd3691]

An idea for Christmas photos... IKEA has frame ledges in different lengths that you could put up. Then swap out Christmas frames for other photo frames. One could go over the kids books. Great job getting Christmas stuff to a few bins. You mentioned Dept. 56 village. I have some that my dad gave me and he collected them for years.... they were everywhere in their house at Christmas. They take A LOT of space to store and take on a life of their own. Merry Christmas.🎄🌟💫

[@kellylockwood9529]

Put felt on the bottom of the believe box. If you decide to keep it.

[@lesleyharris525]

Hi,I'm late but thanks for sharing your decluttering Christmas ideas,hubby is hopefully getting the decor down today and I'm thinking some stuff needs a new home,💖

[@susancook3360]

We don’t do seasonal decor in Australia Don’t know why

[@Chrissyhappy]

We don’t in the UK either 😊

[@baconegger1450]

The red stocking of Andy's you were going to donate could be for Ranger!

[@tanyajohnston8262]

that was so much fun to watch. Good for you getting rid of some decor. I ended up with more decor this year. More pencil thin trees, small decorated trees, wreaths and candles but loving it. I actually bought 3 gnome's for the first time this year. They are cute. I gave my decor that I chose not to use to my son who did not have any.

[@amandab.6815]

Love the intro music!

[@luna7453]

i love the Xmas sign and all your decor and style :) you inspire me =, i do cleaning and decluttering in the same time :)

[@donnagrifford7142]

👏👏👏💕 U inspire Me! ...... Let the Christmas stuff decluttering Begin! 👍😘

[@marciewhite5368]

You can get felt circles at dollar tree to protect your table.

[@kimberlyfake9127]

Looks great Erica!

[@StellaClare29]

I just love you guys!!! Such a great supportive relationship ship you have. Thanks for sharing and Andy thanks for taking the time to help your wife!!! 💗🎄🥰

[@erikastanger7848]

I just love how you and your husband make such a good team! Your decor is very cozy and sentimental. I just can't be minimal when it comes to Christmas. I've tried. 😬 Every other season works for me though..

[@Chrissyhappy]

Here in the UK we don’t really do fall decorations. I emptied my entire loft eight years ago. Absolutely horrendous. Dad was in the loft passing stuff down. I was just sobbing I was so overwhelmed. The loft was not my ‘domain’ so I’d not been up there in the 12 years since we got the house. I didn’t realise how bad it was. Long story short it took an entire day. Three trips to the local tip. A lot of sorting. As we were done I asked dad to leave the Christmas stuff down for me. I was so drained I had to leave it until the next day. There was so much. Most of it I didn’t even want anymore. It was dated and not my style. I took the children shopping and we made some new memories choosing what we liked not what we’d been given. Each year we go shopping and buy a couple of new ornaments for the tree. It’s now one case, a wreath and some lights. That’s it. A real tree and two sets of table cloths and napkins. I love keeping it simple.😊

[@karinbloch4003]

22:30 - hilarious converation. You made my day!

[@LindsayDroke]

You could make those pictures into ornaments

[@koc718]

Make a new "clothes line" with the red clothes pins for the Christmas photos. I think you got new kitchen chairs around the round table? Nice 😊

[@cassiejob6709]

I have a 2 year old and one on the way. I feel such a kinship toward you-how your few purchases are for activities to do with your kiddos! Those are the things I want to spend my money and space on❤️ It’s way more fun to see their joy.

[@aliciaalmendarez518]

Hi Erika, I just discovered your channel and I love it!! I'm already a fan!! 💖

[@CG-gm8fe]

This was a lovely video...so enjoyed it...thanks.

[@Amandahugginkizz]

Use those felt pads they sell for bottoms of chairs and put a few on the bottom of the bin it already has sticky stuff on them

[@sharonshmuel3386]

Loved this video so much - we are celebrating Hanukkah 🕎 here in Israel 🇮🇱 I love the way you work together 💖❤️ Great declutter too 👍🏼🎄🎄

[@LeaSonnenscheinTrier]

Happy Hannukkah!

[@Joshua24-15Home]

Chag sameach! May your candles burn brightly!

[@LeaSonnenscheinTrier]

@@Joshua24-15Home Toda raba! Yours too!

[@jodyolson9869]

I love your advent idea completing an activity vs. candy consumption! ❤️

[@johannathorisdottir2456]

mmm decluttering i love it!!!

[@debbiford]

I glue felt on the bottom of stuff to prevent scratches

[@sherirae]

I have one bag of Christmas decorations for the tree and lounge. My rule is what that bag holds is the maximum Christmas decorations. Why.... because I don't wish to have heaps that has to be stored for 11 months of the year. Decorations go up 1 December and come down by the 5th January as that is my oldest girl's birthday. Happy holidays everyone. Celebrating with family and friends is the important thing for us plus it saves money.