Feeling good about boxing up the holidays

A few weeks ago, I fa-la-la-la'd my way into the attic and cheerfully unearthed six cardboard boxes.

I took great care as I unwrapped the fragile glass angels and marveled at how well my kids' homemade crafts have weathered the last few years. And you can be sure that Christmas- and winter-themed knickknacks were placed on every available space from my living room to my dining room to my kitchen.

Each window in our Advent calendar helped us count down the days until Dec. 25 as I shopped and baked and celebrated with family and friends.

Then it happened.

We prepared a special plate of cookies, a glass of milk and a bowl of carrots for the big guy in the red suit and his team of flying reindeer. As the big day approached, my kids were especially excited -- so excited that they rose before 7 a.m. and begged at my bedside for my husband and I to wake up.

Only a few hours later, I found myself counting down the minutes until my own favorite holiday -- Boxing Day.

I have always noticed this holiday labeled inside the Advent calendar box next to Christmas Day. I knew it originated in the United Kingdom and had just assumed it was exactly as it sounded -- a day to pack up all the holiday stuff and put it away.

This year, I looked forward to wrapping up the ornaments, the decorations and the wreathes. Most of all, I couldn't wait to get that big dead tree in my living room outside where it belonged. I had forgotten to water it and it had turned into a petrified piece of wood.

As we enjoyed our Christmas dinner, I looked around at all the stuff and started to feel claustrophobic. Was it just me? Was I a grinch for suddenly wanting a simpler decor?

As I spent the rest of the day fighting the urge to un-tinsel the tree and un-deck the halls, I researched the real meaning behind Boxing Day. I found out I was wrong about it being a day to box up items and put them away.

As I looked around at the presents and the shoes and clothes, I realized how fortunate my family is. It was then that I decided to embrace the true meaning of Boxing Day.

I spent Dec. 26 boxing up the gently used clothes that no longer fit and toys no longer needed and I put them into my minivan. I dropped them off at Goodwill a few days later.

It felt really good to take the right step toward the New Year. But I have to admit that it felt just as good to pack up those six boxes of Christmas junk and stuff them back into the attic. You can also be sure that my dead Christmas tree went out into my compost pile, where it belonged.