Unwrapping Christmas

I’ve mentioned before that a couple of years ago I chopped down a Christmas tree and later discovered it was covered in spider mites, which took over my small apartment.

My fear of bugs still threatens to override my love of Christmas, so I’m sticking with fake trees until I have more square footage to share with those tiny home invaders.

This year I borrowed my mom’s fake tree. She has a destructive mischievous new cat who cannot be trusted with trees, lights or ornaments. One of my favorite things about putting up the tree is unwrapping my ornaments. I am such a cornball sucker for trips down memory lane.

I came across ornaments that make me miss friends with whom I’ve lost touch.

And ornaments that make me miss family members who now enjoy the same role as the winged woman atop the tree.

The old newspapers in which the ornaments are wrapped hold almost as much sentimental value as the ornaments themselves.  I unwrapped one from a sheet of newspaper dated late 2005. I was a senior in college, mourning the fact that four years of education disguised as ridiculous fun were nearly over.

I then unpacked a small glass ornament wrapped in newspaper dated December 26th, 1997. I was 13. It was the last year my parents lived under the same roof. My dad was nowhere near as sick as would later become.

I wonder if my dad held that newspaper from 14 Christmases ago. I wonder if he read it with coffee that morning. I bet my mom stepped outside in her slippers to get the paper with our two dogs. It was our puppy Molly’s first Christmas.  She stayed with us for 12 more.

I love those times.  I love where I am and the relationships I have today, but man, what I wouldn’t give for another glimpse at life the morning of December 26, 1997.

I hope that years from now I will unwrap ornaments from newspapers imprinted with a date of December 26, 2011 and feel as blessed as I do today.

Merry Christmas!