Bountiful Boxes

Up in the attic we found a TON of boxes!  Piles and piles of white gift boxes, the kind the department stores hand out at the holidays, were covering the floor.  Not wanting to throw out forgotten gifts or hand written letters, we opened and looked in each one.  It was close to hoarding.  Some people think that hoarding actually began in reaction to the Great Depression.  Can you picture depression era habits like hoarding?  Based on what I have seen, it appears that holding onto everything you have and making every resource stretch was a real need for this family.  I can attest that specific items like jars, fabric and boxes were close to hoarding amounts.  Overall, the boxes were not that exciting, but I did find a few that I thought would be fun to share.  It is fun to assume a few things about Hazel and Harvey, the owners of the boxes!  But remember, these are just assumptions, not facts!

Harvey loved his Volkswagen; maybe he was given this toy model because it was like the real one he owned.  Or maybe he would never own this car, and it was simply a long time dream to have a car like this one.

Hazel was a fine woman.  She would dress to the nines when it was time to leave the farm, whether she was going to church or out on a date.

At one point Harvey may have struggled to see the little things he needed to fix.  I can picture his daughter buying him these binoculars for a much needed Christmas gift.

After a hard day at work on the farm of tossing hay bales, herding cows and pulling weeds in the garden, Hazel and Harvey were sore!  They needed a few heating pads and steam packs to soothe those muscles!

What woman doesn’t want a new STAINLESS STEEL sharp knife?

Do you think these hand dipped, dripless candles were for a special occasion, or put aside  for an emergency to light up a dark room?

Even though picking through the vintage boxes took some time (we are only half way through the job), I have enjoyed seeing the past through them.  This was such a throwback to an era that wasn’t so long ago!  Not only was it fun to see all the items that the Smith family owned, but I also remembered some of the department store boxes from my own childhood.  Exploring the attic has been an exciting journey.  Sifting through so many nostalgic items and reminiscing of a life lived to its fullest, satisfies the dreamer in me.

♥ Meghan