In With the New....Out With the Old

Well, Christmas is over and we've all started a New Year in 2012. The tree is gone, the decorations are gone (except for a pretty wreath on the front of my house and one inside....I just tell my husband that they are "winter" decor :-D), the house has been cleaned and any baking, boxed candy etc. have been put in the freezer where it will be less tempting ( but seriously...have you ever tried a frozen peanut butter bon bon?!) Now, where to put all those gifts we got for Christmas. Mmmm......?
I just read on a site that is challenging people to de-clutter their homes one day at a time for 365 day in a row. Today's idea was to look at your walls and see if anything was there that you really could do without. Eg. like a picture that has no emotional attachment, an out-dated  craft etc.
I think this idea has some merit. Look around your home, room by room. What do you see?  A closet that you put "stuff" in, walls cluttered in pictures, crafts or spoon holders, a floor you can hardly see, a dresser (or any flat surface) that you can't see, MANY knic,knacs, too many plants of which some you keep forgetting to water, a garage that you can't get the car into, multiple items that you only need one of, clothes you haven't had on in months (or years) AND the list could go on....but you get the idea, right?
So what can you do without? But before throwing things in the garbage consider what you can part with to give to a loved one, a friend or to charities. Please be considerate though that you don't force things on people with a guilty pout on your face if they really don't want your black dress with the football player shoulder pads from 1987. Maybe you didn't wear it "that many times" and "it's just like new" but to them, you've just insulted them. AND please don't donate garbage to charities either. They have to pay to have all that un-saleable stuff taken to the tip (dump). 
So here's to a very Happy New 2012 with thoughts of doing without so much excess in our lives.