What do you do at your house to get ready for Christmas? Over the years I've noticed that family customs vary from household to household. Some like to decorate the house inside and out, while some only put up a few modest decorations in the living room. Some like to put the Christmas tree up the day after Thanksgiving, while others wait until Christmas Eve and make the decorating of the tree the last order of business for the season especially if the tree is a LIVE one! (How many needles does this thing have, anyhow?)

But there's one ritual that's carried out about this time of the year in homes all across America, maybe even in YOUR home. Does this sound familiar: You go down into the basement, or up into the attic, and stumble around amongst the too-many cartons and boxes stored there (c…