I remember coming down on Christmas morning when I was a kid. We would round the turn at the top of the stairs and peak around the corner at the tree in all her glory with presents scattered around the living room. It was a extraordinary few hours opening, smiling, playing, squealing. My mom always left the gifts from Santa unwrapped and the gifts from her and my dad lay wrapped beautifully under the tree. I’m not even sure when I stopped believing, but I know my mom did a real good job of keeping the magic alive.
After each and every gift was opened, we would have breakfast and spend the rest of the day playing or head to my Grandma’s house. I have fond memories of those mornings, as I’m sure you might as well.
Before we get there, to the magical few hours on Christmas morning, what if we prepare? Prepare our hearts for the miracle of Christmas and our homes for the abundance Christmas brings. The past few years we have done a Pre-Christmas Purge to prepare for the upcoming gifts coming into our home. It is always well received because we do it under the pretense that we all will be receiving gifts very soon and others may find value in the things we no longer need or want.
You may have seen a version of this on social media the last several weeks. Families are setting out a box labeled ‘Old Toys for Santa’ or a box with the child’s name on it. The idea is for kids to go through their toys and donate toys no longer used. Essentially, that is what the Pre-Christmas Purge is all about.
Instead of one big Pre-Christmas purge this year, we have been doing it in small doses, one child at a time. It has helped me focus on each kid, their room, and what they do or don’t play with or use anymore. Feel free to make it a family event or take it in small chunks. The result is still the same. For our entire family of six, it probably took around 60 minutes total to complete.
Maybe you are needing to implement a Pre-Christmas Purge into your home. You see the knick knacks, the books, the Chick-fil-A-whatevers piling up. Here is a breakdown of how our family does a Pre-Christmas Purge.
1. Set a time
Since Christmas will be here (like really soon), maybe you try and implement this in the next few days or week. Or maybe you ditch the Pre-Christmas Purge and do it after the big day has come and gone. (More on that in the coming weeks.) But, if you’re going to do it, put it on the calendar or your to-do list in the next day or two.
I understand there could already be 1,000 things on your to-do list at this very moment, but a little Pre-Christmas Purge doesn’t take long and personally I think it’s so incredibly worth it. But, if you can’t find the time, feel free to stop reading and come back after Christmas.
2. Announce
Tell your family. Tell your people there is abundance in the house and you need to make room for all the fun things coming in at Christmas. This would be a great time to discuss how it’s important to give to others. We always tie this in as one of our gifts to Jesus on his birthday. If you have littles, maybe start with having them find 10 things they would like to donate or give away. We always start there. Most of the time it snowballs and turns into much much more.
3. Get to it
It’s time to get to it. I think the best way to begin a Pre-Christmas Purge is by Mom or Dad initiating it. Basically, we need to be the examples, the leaders. When we started ours this year, I brought out some jewelry and some kitchen and decorative knick knacks I was going to donate. I also showed them a few books. It was a great way to kick start the process and the kids were more willing to join in, knowing Mom and Dad were invested.
4. Praise
After everyone has found the things they want to donate, praise, praise, PRAISE your people! We all love some good words said about us, so let’s not hold back when our family has done something to make our homes simpler and more manageable. Praise the ones you love for purging before Christmas.
5. Donate…SOON
Take 20 minutes and get those items out of your house. Find a church, school, Goodwill, or other mission-oriented organization and donate those items. I speak from experience here when I say if you keep them around, there is a good chance those toys and books could creep back into your home. Make it fun and take your kids to help you with the drop off and grab hot cocoa after.
Purging before Christmas always makes me feel lighter and the incoming plethora of gifts from the ones we love more manageable. It allows me to accept the gifts without thinking about where we are going to put them or how we are going to manage them all. The Pre-Christmas Purge sincerely allows me to enjoy the season a tiny bit more.
Tell me, will you do a Pre-Christmas Purge this year? If time isn’t on your side, stay tuned for a Post-Christmas Purge coming after the big day.
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