Today is the day that we participate in my children's least favorite holiday tradition. To be honest, the boy doesn't like it and Lou HATES it. And boy do I mean HATE!
Each year before Christmas we take a day and clean out their rooms. And not just the usual pick up that we do every Friday. Mom comes in and sits with you and makes you go through ALL of your toys. If you haven't played with it she makes you box it up and put it in that Garage! Or worse give it away! If it is broken or missing pieces it gets fixed or thrown away. We organize everything back into their correct boxes and we make room for anything Santa (or Grandma) might be bringing us on Christmas day.
It isn't an easy process (I mean they are MY kids...and I have a hard time letting go of anything!) but knowing that they have to make room for their NEW toys always helps the process!
What do you do to get ready for all of the new goodies Santa will bring the kids, big and little?
15 comments:
Oh we do the holiday clean out too. But I do it when she's at school, that way I can throw out stuff! I do put the stuff in bins until summer to see if she misses it first though!
We do the same basic thing. Then we take the unused toys in a box to the battered women's shelter. The women at our local battered women's shelter typically have children and typically have to leave everything behind to leave their abusers - so the kiddos can't take all of there toys and things. My kiddos and I clean up their unused toys and disinfect them and them donate them to all of the little girls and boys at the shelter. My kids really love the feeling of giving kids who have virtually nothing some toys and then they don't feel so bad about getting rid of the superfluous toys.
kel,
I used to do it when they were at school, but now they are old enough that they ALWAYS miss it and that I actually want them to be involved. (trying to get them to not be the hoarder that I am!! ;D)
But keeping it in the garage to see if they miss it is a really good idea!
KPG - what a great idea!
Hi Lorie,
Thank you for stopping by my blog. I always enjoy my visitors.
Christmas clean out - YES, YES & YES! Our home is so small this annual project is absolutely a must. Like you I involve my children. We dontate the gently used toys and toss the rest.
Mrs. B
We are doing this today too!! Good luck!!
You are my kind of Mom.
That is a fantastic idea! I will have to steal that when by son is older.
Great idea!! We do this but usually not at Christmas time...i think we will start though!
That's a good idea. The families I nanny for are always pack rats and have way too much stuff and never part with any of it.
My friend makes her kids do this too and tells them they have to do it if they want santa to bring new toys!
We are doing the same thing to day. I am trying to stay out of it so I went shopping and now I am hiding in my office :). Daddy is much better at this than me.
I will take the gently used toys and books to a shelter or to DFACS for foster families to use.
we do the clean and ditch routine too!
Can't imagine why they hate it! Good for you though. I really need to do that.
I don't like to clean out my room either. :-)
But...I do. We go through our closets and drawers and do a massive donation to Sally Army or Goodwill. I fon't know where the stuff comes from...We're not big shoppers, yet we always seem to fill a big bag every year. I think it multiplies in our closets or something!
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