Bringing holiday decorations out of the dark
My Christmas decorations are up in the attic.
I know where they are — right by the door, waiting for someone to open it. The attic holds the outside lights my husband would hang, along with tubs of awesome or outdated decorations. Randy was the one who got the holiday season started by bringing it all down from the attic.
Now, it is my son.
Taylor is like his dad; he thinks that his mother dragging down boxes, while balanced on a ladder, is not a great idea. As a result, I have limited exposure to my attic. I am told it holds a wonderland of my life.
Old pictures from the old house, trinkets and treasures that are only treasures to me. There are cartons with labels and tubs without lids and, then, those Christmas decorations.
Waiting to come down.
Last year, I streamlined the number of boxes I needed from the attic. I have no plans for the outside lights or anything that requires an extension ladder or extension cords. I only need one tree, the same ornaments from the year before, and a few other miscellaneous items that are hard to explain. That’s why it’s all been sorted and tagged with yellow duct tape so there’s no guessing which holiday decorations stay up in the attic and which ones get to come down.
The attic is deep and full of shadows, but holds everything I want to keep with room for more. A table with removable legs that Randy made. Dress bags with fancy dresses and shoeboxes full of old letters. Suddenly I realize anything in the attic might never see daylight again.
Except when the attic is open to get out those Christmas decorations.
I don’t know where else to put them. I don’t have an unattached outbuilding and my closets each have a purpose. The tool shed holds the tools, my garage closet holds my garage stuff and my storage cabinet hides my suitcase, travel coolers and a single box of Halloween decor. The multi-boxes of Christmas decorations have to go into the attic.
Where they are right now. Waiting.
My husband died between Christmas and Thanksgiving, so my approach to the holiday season hasn’t quite been the same. Randy knew what decorations I needed from the attic and, once he got them down, he helped me put them up. He got out the ladder, brought down the lights, the ornament box and the leftover holiday wrapping paper. Then when Christmas was over and the tree was bare, Randy climbed into the attic and put it all back.
I miss those days.
When my son opened the attic door, I stood below and tried to remember what it looked like inside. Taylor pulled out the tree and the boxes with yellow tape, and we hauled it all into the living room where the tree typically goes. There they have sat, unopened.
Waiting.
I am pretty sure they are waiting for the Christmas spirit to find me. It seems not so very long ago that I took this tree down, alone. And now here it is to remind me of that again. Maybe I need a new tree and new decorations to jumpstart my holiday heart. Still, the ones I have are the ones we had.
The ones sitting in my living room.
When I finally opened those boxes of decorations, it felt like I was coming home. I smoothed out the tree skirt, and soon the lights on the tree filled my living room and me with comfort. The old ornaments took on a new life and the familiar Christmas tree stood taller, looking wiser than the year before.
The irony of it all was not lost in the glitter, and I felt a rush of peace as I sat in the glow of my simple tree and remembered the past and the present and what Christmas will forever and always be.
A reason to hope.
You can reach Lorry at lorrysstorys@gmail.com.
This article originally appeared on Columbia Daily Tribune: Bringing holiday decorations out of the dark
