EDITORIAL: Moving to Plymouth On Christmas Eve

More than 30 boxes.  Check.

Furniture to fill a house. Check.

Three old television sets. Check.

Lamps, DVDs and the Wii. Check.

New home for the holidays. Check.

Santa may have a list and be checking it twice, but he didn't have to move on Christmas Eve.

Of course, I am glad I don't have his job either. Traveling that kind of distance with all that stuff doesn't sound like fun.

But I felt like Santa with his elves this weekend. It was finally the time for me to move.

And you never realize how much stuff you have until you have to pack it and move it.

Living in a town on the outskirts of the metro has been quiet and peaceful, but commuting there to Plymouth everyday to cover all the happenings that go on here has been a challenge.

I'm excited to live in Plymouth and only be a few minutes away from family and friends again.

Having grown up in the area, I am familiar with all the amenities Plymouth has to offer. I can’t wait to walk around the pond outside, go cross-country skiing when the snow does come and more!

And now when I am at City Council meetings, listening to discussions on taxes and policies, I will feel even more invested in the decision making process.

Being a first-time homeowner has had its ups and downs. The ups being that I found a great townhome, with a nice open floor plan, plenty of kitchen counter space, a double garage and more perks than I've had renting previous places.

The downs have been few and I’m not sure moving on Christmas Eve is a down.

Originally, I was set to move on the previous weekend, Dec. 17, but because of some further paperwork that needed to be done it didn't happen in time.

I've been told that delays can happen quite often. The underwriter wants a second appraisal done or the townhome association hasn't signed and sent in what it needs. Whatever it is, it usually isn't a deal breaker or at least it wasn't this time.

And moving on the holiday weekend wasn't a requirement, but feeling like your home has become a fortress of boxes about to surround and bury you isn't a comfortable way to live. Rooms got much smaller when everything gets boxed up.

Luckily, renting a moving truck wasn't an issue on Christmas Eve. In fact, many stores and restaurants seem to be open on the day, more than ever before.

The hard part was that several friends weren't able to help because of their holiday plans. But that is quite understandable. Christmas is usually a relaxing time for families and the stress of moving doesn't fit the best picture of yuletide. I am so thankful that I had family and friends who could come and help with the heavy lifting, sorting and bringing food to keep us all going.

No matter I was grateful for such nice weather, which is uncharacteristic of Minnesota this time of year. We usually have something on the ground, even if it's frost. But with the sun out, it was a picture-perfect December day in Minnesota. Now I’m OK if it wants to snow a little, just not too much.

It's great to be sitting in my new house, even if I'm still surrounded by boxes. I know that won't be for long.

Tonight, as I lay in bed, I'll be getting used to the noises this house makes compared to my old one. Or maybe I'll just be hearing Santa on his sleigh, coming in for a landing.

If so, and, I hear him bumping around all the boxes I’ll just tell him “Don't worry, Mr. Claus. I'm home for the holidays.”

And that's one of the best Christmas presents anyone could ask for.