The Holiday Hope Chest

Sounds like a great name for a Hallmark Christmas movie, doesn’t it?  I was watching Hallmark Christmas movies today as I did laundry and other household chores.  I was vacuuming the living room so that it would be clean when my dad came to help put up the Christmas tree, when I remembered Christmas decorations that I usually put up in my bedroom.  It occurred to me that not only had I not found them this year, but it had been so long since I had, that I had no idea where they were.

After checking the obvious places in my room, I cleaned off the top of my hope chest, thinking that perhaps the missing décor was inside. I found not only the three items I had in mind but enough items to completely fill the large wooden chest.

Aside from the Christmas fairy figurine, Christmas NYC postcard and picture, I found holiday decorations I had put aside years and years ago. I say holiday because I found not only Christmas but Halloween décor as well. Most of the Christmas decorations I remembered from my childhood, some I had no idea where they came from.

Not only did I, find holiday decorations, I found cups, dishes and kitchen towels. I even found knickknacks from my childhood room. I don’t remember storing most of the items I found and some I don’t remember being given or buying at all.

Some of the items Mom gave me specifically for the hope chest, meaning I would have them when I moved out, married, and had a home of my own. They included a recipe card box filled with her handwritten recipes and homemade potholder.  Those made me miss Mom even more than I usually do around the holidays.

Finding those items that Mom made or bought me also made me very grateful for the time I had with her, especially around Christmas. I wondered why I had left the hope chest closed for long. Was it simple laziness? I do have things on top of the chest, so opening it does mean taking time to move things around.  While I’m sure laziness played a part, I think it was sadness mingled with apathy. The contents either made me miss Mom or reminded me that I was not married with a place of my own.  In order not to be sad, I chose not to care.   To be honest, I don’t know why I kept my hope chest closed for long. Most likely the reasons are a jumbled mix of all the reasons I suggested. 

Rather than focus on regrets, I want to focus on good memories and creating new ones. I am donating some of the items, some I gave to Dad, and some are sitting in the chest waiting for me to decide their future.  I put most of the Christmas decorations up to enjoy this year.

 Christmas and life are mostly what we as individuals make them. Even though I work retail, I don’t want to lose sight of the love and sharing that is Christmas and that is what I have taken away from my holiday hope chest.