I have never lived in the house my parents live in now, let alone the town. They moved here after I went away to college. So technically it is not home. But one thing I've learned is that I can be home wherever my family ends up.
I love hearing about other people's traditions. I often wonder what it would be like to have a tradition filled family holiday. My family, well we've created some of our own traditions over the years. We were forced to do so because of my father being in the military and off TDY many times while I was young. I think our biggest tradition has to be flexibility though. Every year it seems like we do things just a bit different. This year was fun. It is the first year I have not taken responsibility for a big meal. My mom did the "ham" dinner, my granny did the "turkey" dinner, and my rapidly become a gourmet chef brother is making Pomegranate & Balsamic-Glazed Chicken for dinner tonight. I can't wait. And yes, we did have two traditional meals this year, neither of them on Christmas day. But since I wasn't home for Thanksgiving and probably won't be home for Easter, I got to have both over the Christmas holiday. I'm a lucky girl.
Other things to be thankful for, being home for the holidays: long walks with my father and their dog, going on wine trails with my brother, playing family games like Train, Phase 10, and Yahtzee, watching old black and white movies with my mom, football games with us all piled on the couch, just sitting and enjoying my Granny. All the things I never take the time to do while at home. I really should slow down more often . . .
Things to think about for a better life when I go home to Tennessee.
