Going Home, for the holidays, off to visit Mom, Dad, and the rest of the relatives. Or the excitement of everyone coming to your place this year. Sitting around the table sharing a meal, and watching that football game yelling and hollering, friendly betting on the side. The smell of coffee and bacon frying by Gramma early in the morning, making all of us scramble out of bed. Snowmen in the front lawn, and bright Christmas lights joyfully put on the house.These things bringing home the need to head home for the holidays, but what of us? those who for what ever reason didn't have a Family Homestead to grow up in? What is home for us? I grew up all over the world, My Dad was Military, so home for me wasn't so much a place as the people who shared that experience. My Mother was then and is now an amazing woman whose forward thinking was that no matter where we were she made it "Home". Mom went out of her way to make ever country an experience rather than a destination, Her idea was to share the culture with us and incorporate their holiday tradition with in ours. She encouraged us to embrace each country we got to live in.
The excitement of Christmas in Germany, or Japan, or any of the other locations we lived, still today influence my own Christmas (and most other Holidays). My own Sons are experiencing these unique traditions even today and love to make our holiday a "theme".
Last year we sat around the living room and I realized not one person there had the same birth mother ( my sons are adopted),and yet everyone sitting there was part of my Family.
So Home is indeed where the heart is.. no matter where the actual homestead is, or was, we can make Home special for everyone.Develop our own family traditions, using all our life's experiences, custom make our going home.
Thank You Mom, for all your life lessons and teaching me to love everyone and every place with excitement and unconditional love.
I wish all of you love and Home for the holidays. Kate.
