Packing Up

Most years, I take our Christmas tree and decorations down before New Year's Eve. This year, I decided to leave everything up until MP2 had to go back to UNT.

That was today. Here he is, headed up the airport escalator with the ubiquitous saxophone and messenger bag, about to go through security. Sooo, time to face up to the fact that the holidays are well and truly coming to an end. Yesterday, I took the tree down, but the ornaments and other decorations still had to be packed up and put away. This involves opening the mammoth, antique cedar chest I inherited from my parents nearly two decades ago. They acquired it when they bought a century-old, three-story, plantation-style home on St. Albans Fairway, in Memphis, TN. I guess they just coudn't part with it when we moved to Denver, and now it's like a family member.

Detail of wrought iron handle

At any rate, opening the chest is quite a production--not only because it is huge, but also because I have to move the futon and other bedding off of it. (We keep it in MP1's room and she sleeps on it when she comes home for the weekends or holidays; it is actually far more comfortable than a regular bed and mattress. One of my younger brothers slept on it when he was a kid.) It is a great storage chest, and amazingly enough, still smells like cedar more than 150 years after it was made.

Repacking Xmas Decorations

It seems to be a rule that once the chest is closed and locked, and I'm patting myself on the back for the great accomplishment of getting all this stuff put away, I'll spot something I forgot. Sure enough, it happened again this year. Too bad, I'm not opening up that chest again for at least six months.

All stored away...or so I thought.