When I think of going home for Christmas, all of my senses combine to take me back, if only in my memories of days gone by…
I imagine that I hear Mom singing her favorite Christmas songs. Soon I’m humming along. I hear in my memory the solemn carols forming an incongruous backdrop for the excited squeals of children as they exit the church following Christmas Eve service. Every child clutches a small brown bag filled with an assortment of nuts and hard candy. Their smiles are so joyful and exuberant! I almost feel like a child again myself!
Then, home from church. I can almost smell the sweet scent of hay in the barn where a newborn calf struggles to stand, and I laugh along with my dad – a farmer through and through. I feel his whiskers rough on my cheek as we inhale the pine smell of the tree just cut. We place the tree near the front window where many, many trees from past Christmases have stood before. The tree tilts a bit, like always. I smile at the memory.
Suddenly, the moment is disrupted by the sound of car doors slamming. I feel the cold December air rush inside along with relatives I haven’t seen in a while. Hugs ensue. Each one is unique and made even more special by a quick squeeze of my shoulder or a silly head drubbing. I see age etched on adult faces. Yet, I easily recognize eyes that sparkle as they did during past adventures together.
I taste a bite of homemade fudge. I let the velvety divinity candy melt away to nothing in my mouth. Standing beneath the mistletoe to taste the sweetness of my husband’s kiss, I whisper my thanks for his encouragement – no, his insistence – in coming home this Christmas.
I couldn’t have known then that this would be the last Christmas I’d celebrate with my mom. I hadn’t a clue that a new job would make future Christmases at home few and far between. But I had that Christmas. It was almost like a fairytale, looking back now. I’m so very, very glad that we went home that December long ago. Now I can revisit it in my heart every time I think about going home for Christmas.
What good things do you remember most about going home for Christmas? Share some holiday joy and tell us in the comments below.
Related:
Give experiences instead of traditional gifts this Christmas
##RVT1031
I agree with these posters Gail.- Those memories come alive in the way you recount and write about them, thank you.
Thankfully work never prevented us from going home for Christmas. It almost did one year though. I had started a new job on the 20th of December and my wife was a junior associate at her law firm. We drove the 12 hours to her parents, leaving after work and arriving early the next morning (~9 AM). We spent the rest of the day there, exchanged gifts, had dinner, and retired early. The next morning we drove an hour or so to my parents and spent that day with them, exchanged gifts, had dinner, and retired early. The next morning we drove almost 11 hours back to our home, retired early, and went to work the next day. Thankfully, all the subsequent years included week-long visits to our parents until we moved within an hour of both sets of parents 4 years ago.
Thank you for sharing one of your memories, Gail. It left me reminiscing about Christmases long ago and far away; thank you!
I enjoyed reading about your memories too. Thanks for sharing!
Thank you Gail for sharing such a beautiful memory. It is quite similar to many of my own childhood Christmases. So we all really do “come home for christmas”
Thanks for posting Gail. Your story reminded me of my “last Christmas at home” before life took over and things became more complicated. All the best to you and yours for this Christmas season and hopefully 2022 will be brighter. Cheers.