“Christmas Broke Us”

Do you have “Big Trash Day” in your neighborhood? It’s one of my favorite days. I love walking up and down the streets of our little hamlet, taking stock of what my neighbors are throwing out.

“Christmas Broke Us” is another in the suburban series I started this year, and I am struck by the reality of this family’s predicament.

They are a household who goes all in with the decorations. To come upon their house on a winter’s evening is to be filled with joy and delight. Everything is festive.

This photo was captured mere days after Christmas. I so badly want to crawl inside the headspace of the homeowner, someone who had just expended a great effort making Christmas the joyous holiday it needed to be, only to be forced to deal with real life in a big way.

Did they wash too many clothes from children home for the holidays? Was it the sheets from the beds all their guests slept in? God forbid, did a grandchild get sick requiring grandma to clean and disinfect EVERYTHING?

We see a lot of varied items on the curb during Big Trash Day, but appliances are a rare - very rare - sight. There is a story here. Part of me wants to know what happened. The other part of me knows the truth will never be as good as the questions I’m making up in my head.