Unpacking is both like and unlike the present-receiving portion of Christmas. There is a lot of unwrapping, and associated litter. In truth, one could say about every item, I’ve already got one of these. But often one says instead, I’m so relieved to find this! or, I’d forgotten we had that, or, Why did I ship these across the country? So there is an element of surprise, and also of uncertainty as to whether each “gift” will bring joy, resignation, relief, or remorse.

We are also doing more shopping than we would like to do, just as at Christmas. In that case, one is often thinking, Is this advancing the meaning of Christmas, or obscuring it? In this case, one is often thinking, Did we really just downsize so we could upsize again? Both feel like effort at cross-purposes.

Since we moved such a long distance, we have a lot of Look-at-that reactions because the houses, the flora and fauna, and the landscape are different. That also happens during the Christmas season, when both homes and businesses decorate. (I know you are not all Christmas-celebrators, but let’s face it, despite what you may have heard about a war on Christmas, it trumps every other holiday in terms of visual displays. Halloween is second.)

I have to do a bit of reaching to connect to the spiritual side of Christmas. We are grateful for our safe trip across; for our wonderful buyers, with whom we hope to continue a relationship; for our dear friends who made time to see us before we left, and especially those who provided temporary housing;  for our California realtor who supported us through the buy and the period of non-occupancy, and who continues to be a resource now; and for the support of our families, especially our children, in fulfilling this dream. We frequently walk by the ocean and find ourselves staring silently at it, listening to the wind and the waves, observing others doing the same. The Pacific is impossible to ignore for long, and inspires thoughts of the eternal effortlessly.

So there’s an extended metaphor, maybe overextended.