If you're like me, you go to pack away your Christmas decorations in early January only to find that you have nowhere to put them because of all the junk you have crammed in that little closet under the stairs. So, you start a massive cleanup project and your house becomes a giant mess peppered with various and sundry decorative items you no longer use. As you begin packing things into boxes to haul to the Salvation Army, you remember how your friend always complimented that table runner and genius strikes: host a swapping party!

Swap parties are a fun, free and green way to get rid of what you no longer want and take home something you do. Invite a few friends and ask them to bring a few items to swap. Display the items in a pleasing manner, allow "shopping" time and then take turns choosing one new item for each item you brought. Make sure to specify that your swapping items be clean and in good condition.

When inviting guests, make sure to let them know how many items to bring. For example, if you invite five of your girlfriends and have them each bring 10 unwanted items in addition to your items, each person will have at least fifty new things to choose from. Tag each item as it arrives with a brief description or selling point and put a claim system into place. For example, you could have clothespins of different colors or monogrammed stickers that guests could attach to item tags to claim them. If more than one guest claims the item, put the names into a hat and draw a winner. At the end of the party, have guests help you box up leftovers to donate to charity.

As with any shopping experience, it's always more fun when the items are set up in a pleasing display with similar items grouped together. Use your dining room table or your buffet for a large display area. Cover your tabletop with brown craft paper first to protect it. Turn cardboard boxes or milk crates on their sides to form a bookshelf and drapes tablecloths, placemats, blankets or throws over a foldable clothes-drying rack to make sure every item can be seen.

What party would be complete without a few snacks? Host your swap in the morning and serve homemade quick breads and juice beside a coffee bar or have an evening cocktail affair. Open a few bottles of wine, serve a few portable appetizers like baby quiche or VeryVera's Vidalia Onion Dip on crostini. Mix up a few girly cocktails and make a night of it! For more ideas, check out Real Simple.

If your friends can't bear to part with any of their beloved belongings, check out trading sites like Craigslist, Bag, Borrow, Steal and Swap Tree.

Photos fromrealsimple.com.