If you have adult children, be sure to ask them if they would like any before giving it all away.

I don't know if this is what you had in mind, but yesterday I noticed Home Depot had a big bin the store where people could get rid of Christmas lights that don't work anymore.

I know you wanted different ideas but I would take them to goodwill. That way, a family that couldn't afford decorations could enjoy them this year. :)

Our pet rescues have a thrift store and take donations. They use what they make for the animals.

Try googling for a list of charities in your area and see if there is a local charity that might want them. For example, we have a local charity that helps people/families get back on their feet. They furnish apartments, supply food, have a toy drive so families can give their children Christmas presents, etc.. We gave them our old artificial Christmas tree so some family in need will have a Christmas tree for their home.

What a wonderful suggestion FlamingO!!! Not only do women in need have very little when they're placed...they often have young children with them and Christmas...or any holiday for that matter...are wanting times. We always supplied gifts for those involved...but there's no replacement for sparkling decorations. Especially for children.

If you donate to a shelter..be sure and tell them its for the residents when they leave. I help out at a women and children shelter lots of stuff gets donated..the workers receiving a pay check pick thru everything and take home what they want. often kids clothes for their kids or grands and kitchen supplies.I personally think its wrong as these people have homes and paychecks while the residents often only have wwhat's on their back.

I had asked my DD if she wanted a few special things, dating back to my childhood.

Then I asked one of my DDIL's if she wanted anything. She sure did, so we face timed and she and the 2 grands could say "yeah or nay". If it was up to the 3 and 5 year old they would have taken it all!

I did donate a lot too.

Freecycle is one way to give away, unwanted decorations. The Freecycle Network™ is made up of 5,295 groups with 9,096,341 members around the world, and next door to you. It's a grassroots and entirely nonprofit movement of people who are giving (and getting) stuff for free in their own towns and neighborhoods. It's all about reuse and keeping good stuff out of landfills. Each local group is moderated by local volunteers (them's good people). Membership is free. To sign up, find your community by entering it into the search box above or by clicking on 'Browse Groups' above the search box. Have fun! Freecycle

When we cleaned out prior to our big move, I took the good Christmas things to the upscale American Cancer Society shop first. The more ordinary things I took to Goodwill. I checked back at the ACS store two days later and everything I took was already sold.

And I loved Freecycle. I got rid of an amazing collection of stuff that way.

Salvation Army, Women's Shelter....

any place but Goodwill.

Sushipup I will look into a resale shop as a good portion of my decorations could benefit the resale shop and shoppers wanting to pay pennies on the $. The HL stuff can be giveaways.

pudgeder, why not goodwill? They appear to be a good operation in my area.

I usually try to find a local shelter that isn't Goodwill. Local shelters will often take more stuff in usable condition. We have one here that has a food bank in it. I try to donate there when I can. They appear to have more discretion in actually helping people in need.

bossyvossy: Many people don't like Goodwill because they get everything they are selling in their stores for free. So when they sell something it is 100% profit for them.

Many/most Goodwill workers are persons with disabilities. The donation that they got for 'free' is processed by people who are working for a wage. Do you not want to support those people by purchasing from Goodwill?

http://www.goodwill.org/press-releases/goodwill-works-to-support-employment-of-people-with-disabilities/

I don't like Goodwill as much because they basically only sell newish type stuff instead of selling in used, but still usable. Their prices are higher. If you truly a person in need, they may be out of your price range. Goodwill is great for costume and dress up type clothes.

I find the local prices will take my used things that may not be as pretty, but still serve a purpose. People who need help can get it there.

This article is four years old, but I read very recently that Goodwill was under fire for uncharitable practices. The same evaluation said when it comes to donating, the Salvation Army is a much better choice.

Goodwill's Charity Racket

Sushipup: I know that many of the people that work for Goodwill are persons with disabilities and I like Goodwill for that. I do not have a problem with Goodwill. I was just stating a reason that I have heard many times for people not liking it.

I'm glad glad I posted this question as it led me to finding this in my city:

http://houston.cbslocal.com/top-lists/best-stores-with-a-cause-in-houston/

Now to make some calls to these resale shops with a cause.

Almost everything donated to charities that have thrift shops goes to the thrift shops, which sell the donations to people who can afford to buy stuff.

What the thrift shops can't use or don't have space for, they trash.

It's just the way they're set up; they don't have a way to match donations with clients in need.

Before I gave things to anybody, I'd ask them how the items would be distributed.

My first thought for Christmas items was to donate to a church that has an annual sale.

Sylvia, the one where I volunteered sold unsellables to manufacturers as rags and it became a revenue source to help clients pay rent, light, etc. The was step b4 trashing. They kept it hush hush as they didn't want to offend donors who donated, let's be honest, GARBAGE, but who felt nearly holly for dumping it as a charitable donation. It wasn't uncommon for the truly destitute to dumpster dive, so in the end, little was actual trash.

Alisande, thanks for posting that HD takes used light strings! I worry about how much bad stuff goes into the landfills. :(

Hey, I just happen to know about that holy trash dumping first hand lol!

Hundreds of years ago, our office served as a drop-off point for donations to a new charity in the small town in which I lived then;

the charity didn't yet have its own building, & it was Christmas time.

Most people just brought in their boxes & said thanks, & we said thanks, & they left.

One day a young, well-if-casually-dressed woman came in & questioned me closely about the donations.

When she was satisfied that the charity deserved her "donations", she had her husband bring in their 2 little moppets.

Gravely, she explained to the moppets that they were doing a good deed by giving their old toys to "the poor" (I hadn't heard that term since the last time I watched an old movie like maybe A Christmas Carol), & her husband hauled in some boxes & she ceremoniously presented the boxes to us.

Next day, I was first in the office;

unlocked the door, went in, was overwhelmed by the smell, looked everywhere, couldn't find it.

Secretary came in & immediately said, "It's the boxes those people brought in.".

Not only were the toys broken & torn up, but the husband's sweaty, grass-clipping-smeared week-old laundry was in there.

The guys at the hardware store next door just shook their heads when they gave our secretary the key to their dumpster (we only had "trash bag" pick-up, no way to get rid of this mess).

After that, I checked every incoming box & bag, & for a little while, I felt a bit guilty about pawing through the people's donations, but it beat having to take an anti-histamine & air out the office!

(& the head of the charity added a new stipulation in her newsletter, something like, "Please do not offer us your old socks, used underwear, or broken or dirty items. If you can't use it, our clients can't use it.")

edited to add:

I had to edit to correct a typo, so I'm adding this:

It's been many many years since I've thought of this.

The moppets would be grown by now, & I wonder how they turned out.

Maybe they wrap up their discarded yard-work clothes, used coffee grounds, & broken electronics for their parents at Christmas!

I hear ya, Sylvia. It's a pet peeve of mine when people can't stop and think for a minute about distinguishing between gently worn and trash.

Back to my Christmas stuff, I called all 5 listed resales shown on the above link and every single one turned me down. Reason: people are no longer buying and no space for stuff that won't sell. Was told that early October is best time to donate Christnas stuff

I guess it will all be giveaway as I'm not lugging all that stuff back in the attic.

pudgeder, why not goodwill? They appear to be a good operation in my area.

For the reasons disclosed in the article that Alsainde linked to.

IMHO- NO CEO of a non-profit should make such huge salaries!

Oh...I didn't know.

As a last resort, put them at the curb.

These days, many people are "curb shopping".

All gone via CL

Craigslist was one of my suggestions; the other was, if you have one in your area, a Free Store. Unlike the VoA, SA, or other organizations that sell their donations in their shops (don't get me wrong, that is how they get money to run the shelters, rehab services, after school programs etc and that is fine!), free stores pass along their donations, for free, to those that have need. Our local one is run by a church.