Song 10--Home for the Holidays

"No Place Like Home for the Holidays/Home for the Holidays"
Words

Home for the holidays.  It sounds like a great idea for some folks.  For others--not so much.  Sometimes home is where the heart is.  A man's home is his castle.  Home sweet home.  Sweet Home Alabama.  Home on the range.

Where ever or whatever your home is, I hope you find it this Christmas.  A few "home" Christmas memories for me include the Christmas I spent down in West Virginia volunteering on a Catholic Worker Farm.  We existed on donations and people were pretty generous at Christmas, so it wasn't a bad time.  I was working at a fast food place to try to pay some bills.  On Christmas Eve, I got off work and felt like going to Midnight Mass.  So, I drove to a church I knew a couple of hills away, and low and behold, their midnight mass started at 10:00pm.  HMMM.  Kind of disappointing.

Another holiday involved driving back from Minnesota to Ohio.  Going back I ran into a horrible storm and sat on the interstate outside of Minnesota for quite some time.  Another Christmas was also a snowy time and we blew a tire on the Indiana Turnpike with two kids in the car, freezing weather and snow.  (Still thankful for that state trooper who helped change the tire).  Needless to say, we don't travel much over Christmas anymore.  But travel wasn't always bad.  We had a fantastic Christmas in Webster, Wisconsin on a family homestead one year.  Cut down our own tree, made decorations.  That travel worked out great.

Recently, Christmas Day has turned into a very low key, relaxing day.  Just my wife, our kids and me.  We manage.  I know my parents would really like us to travel over Christmas, but we just aren't traveling through all this white stuff.  Christmas Day we wake up.  Get the coffee going before anything else.  Our kids then open up their presents.  Sometimes we wrap those presents.  Sometimes we hide them.  Sometimes they don't finish unwrapping because we all start playing with something.  No big deal.  There was one year when they were little, my wife and I waited downstairs watching to see them come down.  We waited.  And waited.  Finally they appeared and we got started. 

You probably have your own traditions and ways you like to do things.  Some of you may be flying this Christmas.  Some of you may be driving.  Or maybe everyone comes to you.  Whatever the case, I hope you will be surrounded by those you care about and who care about you.  May you and all your loved ones be safe and make it home for the holidays.