More Than Decorations

Packing up holiday decorations for the last time before our PCS feels surreal. Not just because of the extra bubble wrap and the hope that everything moves safely. But for almost three years, this home in Germany has been the backdrop for our family’s holidays. Twinkling lights lining the windows, decorations collected from markets and travels mixed in pieces from our own childhoods, and little traditions that became our own. Each box I lift holds more than decorations; it holds memories of laughter, first steps, late-night baking, snow-dusted walks, and quiet moments with just the four of us.

As I carefully wrap each ornament (with extra bubble wrap!), there’s a mix of joy and grief swirling inside me.

Honoring the Memories

I celebrate all the life we’ve built here. The friendships that family and the new traditions we created are far from familiar. And yet, there’s a sadness, too. Saying goodbye to a home that witnessed milestones, streets, and neighborhoods that became ours, and a chapter of life that will never come again.

I pause with each decoration, reliving where it came from, who we were when we hung it, and what made it special. There’s comfort in knowing that year after year, when we bring out these boxes, I’ll be reliving these memories, knowing that these traditions and stories travel with us.

As the last box is shut and labeled, I take a deep breath.

Packing up isn’t just about moving belongings. It’s a quiet way of honoring the home, the holidays, and the life we’ve lived here. Grief and gratitude exist side by side, and I hold both as we step toward a new chapter back in the States.

The memories aren’t in the boxes; they’re in us, in our boys, and in the stories we carry forward.