Somerville with Townie Tim: Allston Christmas

Hello students and welcome back to Somerville! For all those returning to the column, it’s good to have you back. This semester promises to be a good one.

But before we really get into the jibber-jabber, how was your move-in? If you are new to Tufts, then you probably did the whole song and dance where your parents take you around to every store and make sure the dorm is set up with matching sheets, towels, rugs, laundry hampers and snacks even though you have a meal plan. If you are a returning student, and especially if you are living off campus, then you probably just drove here yourself without so much as a goodbye or a change of clothes.

And here is where it gets interesting, because even though the previous residents of your West Somerville apartment were kind enough to leave you with the most lopsided bookshelf of all time, you still need some other pieces of furniture to really tie the room together. Enter the most wonderful time of the year: Allston Christmas.

If you are unfamiliar, every Sept. 1 many residents of Boston change apartments. Since the logistics of moving are never ideal, the streets become lined with free stuff looking for a home. The tradition started in the neighborhood of Allston, but at this point, it’s pretty much a city-wide happening. I do not know if the moniker is supposed to celebrate the wonderful magic of free stuff, or a more tongue-in-cheek reference to having too much of a good thing. All I know is that I have lived here for a while and I still make a point to circle the date on the calendar.

It is true that most of the stuff ends up being taken by our friends at the Somerville Department of Public Works, but every once in a while there are some real gems that will totally match that warped coffee table your roommate dragged here from his parents basement. Even I, an established townie with a settled apartment, found a bag of picture frames that I’ll repurpose into, well, some frames with pictures in them.

As Allston Christmas has come and gone already, this column will be too late to help you navigate the 10s of dollars worth of free stuff that was available a few weeks ago. However, that does not mean all hope is lost for your furnishing endeavors. There will be many chances during your collegiate career to pick up some street donations for your humble abode. Remember, anything from the sidewalk might be free, but it definitely can come with a cost. Recycling an old table is great for your budget and the environment. But, no matter how enticing that couch looks, once something upholstered hits the street, it irreversibly belongs to the street.

Last thing, if it rains on or around Sept. 1, go ahead and give up on finding anything. There is always next year, and mold is a strong enough opponent without a handicap. That said, I hope to see you out there next year!