25 Things You Should Get Rid of Before December 25th

December has a way of filling every surface and closet. Gifts come in, school projects pile up, Amazon boxes multiply, and then you’re trying to wedge wrapping paper, extra chairs, and groceries into a house that already felt full.

Instead of trying to organize everything on top of clutter, clear out some low-hanging fruit. These are small, specific things you can toss quickly that add up to a home that feels easier to live in by Christmas Day.

1. Orphaned Food Storage Lids

If you have lids with no containers or containers with missing lids, they’re not helping anyone. Match what you can and toss the extras. You’ll actually be able to find a full set when it’s time for leftovers.

2. Stained or Cracked Storage Containers

Containers that are stained orange, warped, or cracked will make you mad every time you grab them. December is not the month for that. Toss them and keep the ones that look and seal well.

3. Single Socks With No Match

If you’ve been saving partner-less socks “just in case” for months, it’s time to let them go. Toss them and free up your sock drawers and laundry baskets for pairs that actually exist.

4. Old Mail and Flyers on the Counter

Stacks of old mail, grocery ads, and random papers steal the space you need for Christmas cards, baking, and wrapping. Sort quickly: important, shred, recycle. Most of it can go straight in the bin.

5. Dried-Up Pens and Markers

You do not want to discover every marker is dead while labeling gifts. Test pens and markers in one sitting and toss the duds. Keep a small cup of ones that actually write.

6. Expired Coupons and Old Receipts

That pile of crumpled store coupons and receipts from six months ago is clutter, not savings. Toss anything expired or irrelevant. Keep only what you truly need for returns or budgeting.

7. Worn-Out Oven Mitts and Pot Holders

If your oven mitts are thin, scorched, or have holes, they’re a burn waiting to happen—especially with more baking going on. Toss the bad ones and keep the mitts that actually protect your hands.

8. Chipped Glasses and Cracked Cups

Glasses with chips on the rim and cups with hairline cracks are both unsafe and annoying. Trash them and keep a solid core of safe, sturdy pieces you’re comfortable handing to guests.

9. Old Spices That Smell Like Nothing

Spices lose flavor over time. If you open the jar and barely smell anything, it’s not going to help your recipes. Toss the worst offenders and make a short list of what to replace before heavy holiday cooking.

10. Warped or Burned Cookie Sheets

If your cookie sheets are badly warped or covered in baked-on residue you can’t scrub off, they won’t bake evenly. Ditch the worst ones and keep the pans that still cook properly.

11. Extra Plastic Cutlery From Takeout

That drawer full of plastic forks, knives, and napkins from drive-thru orders takes up space and never really gets used. Keep a small handful if you truly grab them, and toss the rest.

12. Broken Ornaments You Keep Rewrapping

If an ornament is broken beyond a simple fix or missing key pieces, stop wrapping it carefully every year. Toss it and make space for things that aren’t sharp or sad.

13. Holiday Crafts That Are Falling Apart

Construction-paper wreaths that are disintegrating and glitter projects shedding all over the tote don’t need to be saved forever. Keep a few favorites, take a quick photo of others, and let the crumbly ones go.

14. Gift Wrap Scraps Too Small To Use

Those tiny strips of wrapping paper and wrinkled scraps aren’t big enough to cover anything and only clutter your wrapping bin. Recycle them and keep the full sheets and decent pieces.

15. Extra Store Bags Stuffed in a Cabinet

If an entire cabinet is dedicated to bags you never reuse, it’s time to pare down. Keep a small stack of sturdy ones and recycle the rest so you can actually use the space.

16. Expired Medicine in the Cabinet

Cold and flu season is a bad time to rely on medicine that expired two years ago. Pull everything out, check dates, and toss what’s clearly out of date. Make a quick list of what to restock.

17. Old Phone Chargers and Cables That Don’t Work

Dead chargers and cables with exposed wires just take up drawer space and cause frustration when you grab them by accident. Test them and toss the ones that don’t work.

18. Stretched-Out Hair Ties and Broken Clips

Bathroom drawers and counters collect worn-out hair ties that don’t hold anything and clips with missing parts. Toss them and keep a smaller stash that actually works.

19. Takeout Menus You Never Use

Most menus live online now. If you have a thick stack of paper menus and half are for places you don’t even order from, recycle them. Keep one or two you really refer to, if any.

20. Old Calendars and Planners

Last year’s planner isn’t helping you run this holiday season. Recycle old calendars and notebooks that you don’t need for records, and make room for the one you’re actually using.

21. Dried or Crusty Nail Polish

If your nail polish is thick, separated, or years old, you’re not going to reach for it when you want to feel put together for a Christmas party. Toss the bad bottles and keep a few reliable colors.

22. Board Games With Missing Key Pieces

Games that can’t be played because pieces are missing do nothing but hog shelf space and cause kid meltdowns. If you can’t replace the parts easily, let the game go.

23. Worn Doormats That Don’t Clean Shoes

If your doormat is flat, slick, or falling apart, it’s not doing its job. Toss it and plan to replace it with one that actually scrapes mud and dirt off shoes before everyone tromps inside.

24. Old Candles With No Wick Left

Those candles burned down to metal or have the wick buried in wax. They’re not going to magically work again. Toss them and make space for fewer, better candles you’ll actually light.

25. Empty Boxes You Saved “Just in Case”

Some boxes are worth keeping for storage. But if you have a mountain of random boxes leaning in a corner, it’s time to flatten and recycle most of them. Keep only what you know you’ll use for wrapping or organizing in the next month.