Christmas Boxes

I’m betting that not too many people get sentimental about putting away the Christmas decorations, but I do. There is something about putting an object in a dark box where it will sit and collect dust in an attic or garage for an infinite amount of time that just seems so sad to me. I’ve always been like that. The story of the Velveteen Rabbit pulls on my heartstrings in the most unbearable way- that poor, loved on, discarded, stuffed bunny was the reason I kept my two favorite stuffed animals from childhood on my bed in the broad daylight until I was married. No dark and lonely closet shelves for them! And my family and close friends know that the best way to torture me is to softly sing a chorus of “Puff the Magic Dragon.” I can’t hear the line about "little Jackie Paper coming no more" without choking up.

So today when I was carefully wrapping up the glass angels, ceramic santas, and the kid’s special ornaments, I couldn’t help but get all sappy and reflective. I thought about how last year when I was wrapping up those very same things, I was oblivious to how our life would be changed by the next time I saw them. When I packed away Christmas last year, Baby Roo was a teeny tiny newborn. We didn't yet know the serious, watchful, and affectionate baby girl she would become. Princess G was still in preschool. She was a good 2 inches shorter, and she most certainly wasn't reading yet. J was still in diapers. 9 was only a 7th grader, which seems so much younger than an 8th grader.

By the time we pull the Christmas boxes down next year, Princess G will be a full time elementary school student in 1st grade. I'll drop her off at 8 and won't see her again until almost 3. She’ll be reading and writing on her own. She’ll have a whole bunch of new friends. She’ll be wearing a school uniform, and god forbid- Hannah Montana may have released a whole new album to which she’ll probably know all the songs.
9 will be in high school and only a year away from getting his learner's permit. This fact always shocks me, because I first met him when he was a Kindergartener which doesn’t seem so long ago.
J will….well, J will be J. He’s unpredictable. I’m sure he has a whole bunch of surprises for us up his sleeve.
And my baby girl will be talking. Pieces of her personality and talents that we can't see yet will be unveiled. I can’t wait.

’09 has brought me and my family so many wonderful things: new school, new friends, (a new blog!), and many experiences both good and bad that I wouldn’t trade for anything (except that one trip to Ralphs when J had wet his pants and Roo had chewed on the club card and Stupid Jerry the Checker humiliated me by loudly asking for hand sanitizer. I'd trade that experience in a heartbeat).
I don’t know what 2010 will bring- a thought that is breathtaking in it’s ambiguity. Whatever it brings, I hope that you and your family enjoy a blessed year and that we’re all here together again next December when it’s time to once again bring those dusty boxes of Christmas decorations back out into the light.