{Ties to Home}

A thought came to me this morning as I was pitying myself because I was so far away from home for Christmas...I have a little bit of home all around me. In getting ready for Christmas here in my new home, I have brought bits of my old home with me. Some call them traditions. I prefer to call them ties to home. They keep my heart tied to the ones I wish I could be with at this time of year. 

First there's cookies. We always made lots and lots of Christmas cookies. We made at least four kinds of the same cookies every year, and usually Ma would try a new recipe. 

 These are the sand tarts we would make every year. Blessedly, I didn't have to decorate them alone. Mechanic man helped me. I made sure I made a cyclops gingerbread man with a red hot for an eye, like somebody always ended up making as a joke.

 These are the traditional candy cane cookies. I baked them today.

When I was at home, I was usually the one to eat the most cookies and milk. Now I'm in a competition with my man.

It seems that everywhere I look I find these ties to home. I see them in everyday things but especially in the Christmas things around. 

Like the lights on our tree. We always had the colorful lights on our Christmas trees. They mean Christmas to us. 

And of course my stocking, the one my Grandma made for me. We never could remember whose stocking was whose. It seemed to me that my stocking switched every year. But this is the one I got in the mail for this Christmas.

As long as I can remember, these teddy bear ornaments were on our Christmas trees. I don't even know where they came from, but this year Ma sent me one to put on my Christmas tree.

These are my two favorite Christmas movies. It just doesn't seem like Christmas without Linus telling Charlie Brown what Christmas is all about.We watched that movie so many times every year that I almost have it memorized. And that's the way I'd like to keep it.

All of these things are ties to home, ties that remind me of who I am and where I've come from. Ties that remind me of the good family life I had growing up, and the great family I still have. Ties that I want to pass on to my littles someday. 

I am realizing more and more that it doesn't really matter where you celebrate Christmas or any other holiday. Just as long as you get to be with someone you love, and you know that there are people out there who love you still. 

I love you all, Dad, Ma, Anna, Erin, Si. 

Thank you for giving me these ties to home.