Taking Down Christmas

Such a bittersweet activity! I always hate to see the holiday season end, but disassembling Christmas is a guaranteed trip down Memory Lane. Every ornament is special, associated with a person, event, or time. For instance, we have old ornaments from my childhood Christmases, souvenirs from travel--wooden shoes from the Netherlands and fuzzy mittens from Alaska--and a patriotic ornament from 2001. This year we added two ornaments to our collection. The "Happy Camper" ornament is in honor of Vango. The school bus is a replica of the lunch pail I so proudly carried throughout first grade! Now our home looks empty and dull, and I am left dreaming of Christmases future.