get rid of unnecessary possessions

I have a lot of STUFF. Some things are easy to get rid of like books that I don’t have use for anymore. The things that are more difficult are things like the nick-knacks. They are mostly gifts, and/or animal related. I like them, but in reality they are just decorative and dust collectors. I just can’t bring myself to get rid of them because they are of animals, and I love animals, and I also don’t know what to do with them to get rid of them. Any ideas?