Christmas Debris

Even the treetops are done with Christmas. I took this photo one handed while pumping gas – true multi-tasking. The balloons look so stuck. They have lost their shiny edge and are now part of Christmas past.

Christmas sure produces a lot of debris. The wonderful, aromatic spruce tree will soon be dried up tinder stuck in a snow bank. All the fancy wrapping paper and bows are now wadded up and waiting for trash day just like the turkey carcass. And what about all the boxes?

Many of the boxes will go out with the recycling, but some will be saved for next year. Not all stores give out boxes with purchases. On December 10 my Sears store was "out of boxes." Out of boxes!??!! Were they not expecting Christmas shoppers? Did they not have enough time to plan for it? Were they caught by surprise?

So we will need some boxes in reserve for next Christmas. Which brings me to a question about box etiquette. What do you do when the person who opens the gift and ooh’s and ah’s about the name of the store on the box? For example, my wife’s favorite store is J Jill. When she gets excited about the J Jill box, what do I say if the gift is not really from J Jill? Do I ruin her excitement by telling her the truth or do I add to her Christmas joy by remaining mum?

I hate a moral dilemma right in the middle of a major holiday. I would rather be out on the treetops.