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Is it the most wonderful time of the year or the messiest? It’s a hard call. Getting ready for Christmas isn’t always easy (have you found Mom’s gift, yet?), but taking a little time out to declutter Christmas essentials is important. After all, you don’t want to be left scrambling for supplies on Christmas Eve.

1. Broken ornaments

Whether it’s that charming Santa ornament that’s missing a wire for hanging or a silver bell without a clapper, it might be time to nix it. While your holiday memories may last a lifetime, your ornaments probably won’t. So, it’s a good idea to declutter them every year.

This especially applies to glass ornaments because there’s nothing like cutting yourself on broken glass to ruin the festivities. There are enough hazards this time of year—so it’s best to try and eliminate one.

2. Christmas decor that’s seen better days

Is your tinsel looking sparse? Did your Elf On The Shelf fall last year and lose its hat? Toss any Christmas decor that’s not in good shape. It doesn’t look nice, and most decor can easily be replaced with something higher quality that will last longer.

3. Tangled and broken string lights

Between holiday shopping, work, and family obligations‚ do you really have enough time to untangle Christmas lights? Or worse, do you want to untangle and plug in those strands only to discover some of the bulbs don’t even work? Life can be frustrating enough. Skip this one and treat yourself to something new this year, and learn how to store tree lights to keep them tangle-free.

4. Fake Christmas trees

In many ways, artificial Christmas trees are better than the real thing. They’re more affordable over the long term, and you don’t need to shop for one every year. But while they last longer than a month, they really don’t last forever. If your tree is missing a few branches or has faded — it might be time for something new.

5. Baking supplies

Do you bake your famous Christmas cookies every year? Remember, those snowflake cookie cutters don’t last as long as your memories. Go through your holiday baking supplies and make sure all of your cookie cutters and cake pans are still in tip-top shape. Throw out anything that’s broken and replace it before your next baking session.

6. Almost-empty wrapping supplies

We hate to be the bearer of bad news, but that tiny piece of wrapping paper that’s half stuck to the roll isn’t quite enough to wrap that box of boots. Same for the quarter-inch of tape that’s still left over. Anything that can’t be used should go.

7. Last year’s gifts that are collecting dust

As much as you might try to give hints about what you want for Christmas — or say you don’t want anything at all — it’s inevitable, you’re going to get gifts you don’t want sometimes. So, go ahead and use the one-year rule on these things while you’re doing the rest of your pre-holiday decluttering. If there are gifts that have been collecting dust in your closet since last year, it’s OK to part ways with them.

(Real Simple magazine provides smart, realistic solutions to everyday challenges. Online at www.realsimple.com.)

©2025 Dotdash Meredith. All rights reserved. Used with permission. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.