on collecting

I've always had torn feelings about collections.

On the one hand, they're a nice hobby and way to remember things in your life.  My mom - who goes through a half a pack of Diet Coke a day and sleeps with a can on her bedside table - has a festive collection of cans from each country she's visited decorating the top shelf of her office. 

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But on the other hand, collections can empty wallets, don't serve any real practical purpose, create clutter, and sometimes lead to people falling just a bit off their rocker.  Like here: 

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Despite these many obstacles to the hobby, however, I have developed a little collection of my own:

Matchboxes!

Not only are the little guys cheap (and by cheap I mean FREE!), they're incredibly practical - especially when you love eating dinner by candlelight as much as Stefan and I do.

Plus picking up a pack grants me an instant moment of memories:

my college days drinking beers and eating burgers at the Water Street Grill,
champagne and dessert at The Modern when my mom and Kaka would come visit me while I was living in NYC,
late night drinks with colleagues at MATCH in Boston while working my first real job,
staying at the Hotel Europe in Davos for a Swiss mountain-top wedding,
some romantic (and delicious) dates at fleur de lac and cafe des bains when Stefan was still living in Switzerland,
I could really go on and on and on and on.

Finally, the collection is (fairly) clutter free.  I pop all my boxes into an empty vase which serves as decor on our built-in bookcase.

Do you have any collections?

xoxo
KK