The beginning of the end.

We dumped the Christmas trees (yes, we have two) to the curb.

Literally. The city picks them up.

These are the last trees we’ll process through this house. This season, the kids kept pointing out all the “last times.” It’s our last Christmas morning, our last New Year’s, our last first snowfall. The last time I’ll have to fix the doorbell (I hope).

We’re all a bit sad, but my daughter is particularly attached to the house. She asked why we’re moving. After all, we have everything we need here; we live a good life. We’re settled. What are we running away from?

Sometimes kids can drive you crazy. She’s been asking the tough questions since she was 3, and she wanted to know precisely how the whole Santa/chimney thing worked. Now she wants to hold on to the mural on her wall and memories of what used to be.

The answer is simple: we’re leaving because we want to. We’re leaving because we are comfortable. We could keep the same routines, go to the same grocery store, and eat at the same cafe. We could let the ruts deepen until we forget their ruts. But it’s time to seek something new.

The reality is that both kids have moved out and started their own adventures. They just want us to be their anchor. But they won’t even be around. My daughter, the one who wants us to stay put, said she’s going to spend half the summer in Berlin. My son, well, he doesn’t know what he’s going to do.

And yeah, it’s emotional. The naked Christmas trees that we so carefully picked just a few weeks ago end up unceremoniously flung into the back of a garbage truck. It feels like the end, but it isn’t. It’s just a step toward something new; it’s an expansion rather than an ending.

So that’s what I told my daughter. And I reassured her that next year we’ll get another Christmas tree. I’m not sure where we’ll put it… But that’s part of what we will find out.

The world grows larger each time we step beyond what feels comfortable.

You don’t have to move across country or into a freshman dorm to push the boundaries. This week, try this:

1. Notice where life feels over-optimized.

2. Choose one small discomfort.

3. Enter it with curiosity.

4. Reflect: What expanded?

Practice prompt:

“What’s one small deviation from routine today that feels slightly uncomfortable?”

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The Last Christmas Trees