Everyone has a different version of their holiday traditions and celebrations. We think that’s awesome, because frankly, if we were all the same, what a boring place this world would really be. Some traditions include cutting and trimming a fresh evergreen, some include lighting candles, some include singing songs, and some include incredible gourmet meals. Traditions are important to keep, but at the end of the day, coming Home for the Holidays is probably the most fulfilling part of the holiday tradition.
TIMES HAVE CHANGED
You see, in today’s day and age, Home is no longer your grandmother or abuela’s place. We don’t come together every Sunday for a family meal. We don’t have our aunts and uncles disciplining us right along with our parents. We are all spread out across the states, the nation, and the world. However, during this time of year, the holiday season, we make every effort to come together. We travel by plane, car, and sometimes even train to get to Aunt Susan’s or Uncle John’s house. We make the effort to get to Grandma Betty or Nanny Chambers house. We go to visit those friends that are really like family. Sometimes we even rent a cabin nestled within the North Georgia mountains to have a more neutral location to gather with our most favorite humans.
Regardless of the home that you flock to, whether it’s owned by someone you know or not, Home is where you gather. Home is the place where you stay up until midnight telling old stories. Home is where you get into full blown monopoly wars. Home is where you cook up your most favorite meals. Home is where laughter rings through the hallways. Home is where you share your hopes and dreams with your loved ones. Home is that place in your heart that swells when you are around people you love and enjoy. It really doesn’t matter the geographic location of the Home. What matters is that you are all together.
BE THE JOY
Not everyone has the luxury of having a home to go to. While the holiday season is filled with excitement, joy, wonderment, and delight for most, for some it is filled with worry, sadness, grief, stress, and pressure. So, this season as you prepare to go “Home for the Holidays” remember those that are less fortunate. Reach out to the ones that don’t have others to care for them. If you know someone has recently lost a loved one, go to their home and share a meal with them. Invite your new acquaintance over, they may turn out to become your best friend. Give your estranged cousin a call, you may be surprised at how you’re received. Be the one to take away a little of that sadness. Be the one to bring joy into someone’s life.
This is a time of year where we never really know what to say to each other. We want to be cautious not to offend each other, but it really seems like no matter whether you say Merry Christmas or not, someone is bound to have beef. For us, we want to take all the pretext out of any phrases and simply wish you peace, love, and happiness today, tomorrow, and always. We hope you find your way Home for the Holidays, wherever that may be. Enjoy your Christmas, Kwanza, Chanukah (belated), Festivus, or however you want to describe your time spent together with loved ones.
