I'll be Home for Christmas

What? It's Christmas?!
OH NO! But Auntie Nettie's not here ....

No worries, Elle. Christmas doesn't always have to be on the 25th.

Christmas can be whenever family and friends gather to celebrate.
It can involve trees, presents, or all kinds of rituals, like food and games.

You know the song: "I'll be home for Christmas"?
Home is really where ever your heart is.

For me, it's ranged from the Connecticut house,

to high school hallways with best friends, to tiny dorm rooms at college with lifelong friends,

included songs, various decorations, watching others open their gifts,

and especially keeping an eye out while the parents decorated the trees.

it's also included visits West to new branches of the family Christmas tree,

to celebrating with my Caramoor family around teatime.

Christmas includes seeing Grumpa Max open presents carefully to save paper and hope it's not what's in the box, and seeing Grandmary beam with pride at Uncle Max's accomplishments.
She also likes to count her Benjamins for her sparkly Diamond Studs.

A few years, Christmas involved the Western families visiting the East Coast (brrrr!), or

quieter gatherings with just Grandmary, Grumpa, Auntie Nettie, and crafts and trash, OR

general silliness, like the mockings of traditions -- which every family does -- to,

new traditions of visits at the Grandmary's and Grumpa's various Dam Houses or Big White Houses.
How quickly time is passing and how fast you all are growing.

Some families puzzle how to incorporate traditions from two sides, while others resort to snowball wars.

Universal trends include looking at lights, talking to Santa,

or goofing off with siblings and cousins,

but always presents -- lots and lots of presents -- and food.

Merry Christmas my lovies.
I'll be "home" for Christmas, where ever you all are.
(even if I'm really in an airport, in a security line, or on a plane ...)