No matter your religion, culture or family practise the last month of each year is exceptional for all the stuff we give and get. Its the time of gift giving and in my world it becomes an annual crisis of stuff.
I have an attic, storage shed, and closet full of stuff accumulated over the years. Things purchased, inherited, and received as gifts become stuff difficult to discard. Each object in my collection has family history or a memory. The emergency is what should be saved and what should be thrown away. This is necessary to make room for the new stuff I will accumulate during the current holiday.
I have given a lot of good stuff to the parish thrift store and Salvation Army, but much remains to be recycled, re gifted, or trashed. Should I dispose of the board games received in 1959 at Christmas, but not played since 1981 ? Should I part with the colorful never worn holiday sweater received from a dear deceased aunt ? Is it time to part with my great VHS collection ?
The stuff, old and new, grows with each passing December. At times I curse the stuff as I stumble over heaps of it cluttering my living spaces. At other times, I go through boxes of my saved items and revel in the good memories associated with each piece. I wonder if I should have a huge garage sale in the spring, but shudder at the prospect of strangers demanding my precious items on the cheap. Perhaps I should re write my will and insure all my relatives receive a goodly portion of my saved stuff. But, would this be considered a gift or curse by my benefactors ?
Should the burden and blessing of having lots of stuff be added to the established list of stresses some folks suffer during the winter holiday season ?
I have an attic, storage shed, and closet full of stuff accumulated over the years. Things purchased, inherited, and received as gifts become stuff difficult to discard. Each object in my collection has family history or a memory. The emergency is what should be saved and what should be thrown away. This is necessary to make room for the new stuff I will accumulate during the current holiday.
I have given a lot of good stuff to the parish thrift store and Salvation Army, but much remains to be recycled, re gifted, or trashed. Should I dispose of the board games received in 1959 at Christmas, but not played since 1981 ? Should I part with the colorful never worn holiday sweater received from a dear deceased aunt ? Is it time to part with my great VHS collection ?
The stuff, old and new, grows with each passing December. At times I curse the stuff as I stumble over heaps of it cluttering my living spaces. At other times, I go through boxes of my saved items and revel in the good memories associated with each piece. I wonder if I should have a huge garage sale in the spring, but shudder at the prospect of strangers demanding my precious items on the cheap. Perhaps I should re write my will and insure all my relatives receive a goodly portion of my saved stuff. But, would this be considered a gift or curse by my benefactors ?
Should the burden and blessing of having lots of stuff be added to the established list of stresses some folks suffer during the winter holiday season ?
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