I am a lover of the ‘ber months. I will tell anyone that listens: I thrive between the months of September- December. As a mom, I am even more joyful watching my young kids get excited about every activity, batch of cookies, holiday party, craft, and crisp, cool Friday evening spent by our fire pit in the back yard. Thinking about those quiet, special moments gave me a visceral reaction as I typed it.
You know what also gives me a visceral reaction? The amount of stuff in my house on December 27. I can’t find an open spot of floor in anyone’s bedroom, and I want to throw it all out- even the new stuff. Last year I tried something a little different. I cleaned out the toybox (and the closets, and the dressers, and the kitchen junk drawer…) in September. Now it is a family tradition every year we do not PCS to do a big September toybox clean-out. I like being in holiday mode until January 2, and I want you to feel like you can be, too. Here’s why:
I can take inventory of what toys my kids do (and don’t) need this holiday season.
There are times throughout the year where I look around my kids’ rooms and I think: “how did yall get this many toys?!” Sometimes my kids will find a beloved toy they haven’t seen in months. Cleaning out the toybox in September allows us to see what toys my kiddos are (and are not) playing with, keeping my husband and I on budget for Christmas shopping. I can make our family’s amazon wish list earlier in the season, so that family knows what the kids would like under the tree as opposed to ending up with duplicates or just guessing what they “might” like.
Having your kids participate teaches organization skills.
As the kids have gotten older, I have requested that they participate in this clean-out. Because it is not my stuff in the toybox. There have been some really good conversations about placing certain toys in the communal play area versus their rooms, making autonomous choices to part with toys they no longer play with, and voicing wishes for specific toys when Christmas comes around based on what is already in the toybox. This has also helped encourage responsibility to clean up after themselves- although they still need plenty of reminders!
You can have candid conversations with your kids about taking care of their belongings.
Sometimes when we do a toybox clean-out the kids will find a beloved toy that is in pretty bad shape, and it makes them sad. This gives us a chance to talk about why the toy might be in rough shape, why we can’t donate it to anyone else, and what we can do in the future to take better care of our belongings. This includes putting directions back in the board game box or putting game pieces in reusable plastic bags so that we, and eventually others, can enjoy these games and toys.
These September clean-outs keep your family PCS prepared.
There is no time more panic-driven than the weeks leading up to your PCS when you feel like you have not even made a dent in your packing because you feel like you have so much stuff. A September toybox clean-out helps keep a mental inventory of what we have as opposed to ignoring it until it is time to PCS. This specific clean-out has reduced (reduced, NOT negated) my stress level for as often as we move.
Your local on-post thrift shop will thank you!
I am involved with the Mountain Post Spouse’s Club here at Ft. Carson, and one of our philanthropies is our Thrift Shop. Like other Army (I can’t speak for other branches) Spouse’s Clubs, proceeds from the Mountain Post Thrift Shop goes to fund grants and student scholarships in our local community. During PCS season and right after the holidays, the thrift shop’s storage is bursting because everyone is getting rid of stuff at the same time. It’s so overwhelming. Doing your toybox clean-out before the holiday season helps not to overload your local donation centers, and over time, you can focus on accumulating less stuff!
Shoppers at your local on-post thrift shop will thank you even more!
Colorado Springs is a high cost of living area for the west. Many of our community members utilize thrift shops in the area for gently used clothes, military uniforms and supplies, kitchen items, furniture, books, and children’s toys. Before the holiday season, we all feel the financial pinch. Cleaning out your toy-box well before the holiday season helps families in your local community inventory items their families want and need well before the stress of the holiday season stets in.
The long term goal is to accumulate less stuff!
The September toybox clean-outs have given me some fresh perspective on impulse purchases. Sometimes as I saunter down the aisles of my local Target I will pick up an item and ask myself: “will I get rid of this next September?” if the answer is not immediately ‘no,’ I put the item back. The less time I spend organizing, the more time I have to dedicate towards other tasks or projects. Sometimes, I am the project with the goal to reduce the amount of stress I have. Less stuff- for me anyways- leads to less stress.
The beauty of doing a September toybox clean-out is that you can make this project look however you want! More than anything, I want you to feel that you can be present and enjoy the magic of the ‘ber months no matter what stage of life you are in. Removing the overwhelming feeling of clutter before the holidays has helped me regain a sense of presence and joy around creating holiday magic for my family so that I can participate in the magic, too. I hope that this idea helps you do the same!
You can find the toybox in this article here!
