And the moral is... [unfortunately]

The AirPod charging case is the usual elegant Apple design, gleaming and smooth with a nice heft and rounded edges everywhere. It looks great and feels good in your hand. But a flat bottom would have been more practical, so it could sit upright for ease of use. So I rummaged around in my Box of Tiny Boxes and found one that fit perfectly. Cut some cardboard off the flap of a middle-sized box to add a supportive infrastructure, and... voila! Now I can easily plunk the AirPods in and out without having to pick up the case and open the top. 

The moral? Don't ever throw anything away.