Home for Christmas, At Last

 

I’m sitting down for just a few minutes before I start cooking supper.

It’s the 22nd.

I braved the grocery store today for the last-minute perishables for Christmas dinner, cleaned the house, wrapped presents… all the mom things that quietly stack themselves up before the holiday arrives. What a madhouse!

Now I’m here, lists running through my head, logistics looping like a familiar soundtrack.

Is it too early to mop the floors?
With dogs, cats, and kids?
Yes. Absolutely yes.
And it looks like rain.

If I make the deviled eggs now, they’ll be runny by Christmas — but I could boil the eggs. Could I boil the potatoes ahead and mash them later? But wait… before any of that, I need to clean out the fridge to make room for everything that’s coming.

This mental choreography feels as old as I am.

What’s striking me tonight is that this is one of the only times since about age ten that I’ll be home for Christmas Day.

For years — until about twenty years ago — we traveled back to Ohio every Christmas for a big family gathering. And every year, without fail, I still get bitten by the road-trip bug. Driving through the night. Watching Christmas lights blur past. Catching glimpses of other people’s lives through illuminated windows. Tiny mountain towns. Snowy Midwestern fields stretching on forever.

When we moved into this house, we promised the kids they could open their stockings and presents at home on Christmas morning. And we kept that promise — though it was often followed by a scramble to pile into the car and drive four hours to see grandparents. A couple of years, we hosted everyone here. Once, memorably, just a couple of weeks after we moved in.

But most years, Christmas still involved travel.

This year is different.

Our grown son and daughter-in-law will arrive for Christmas dinner, and we’ll spend the entire day right here. No packing. No rushing. No night driving. We might even wander out for day-after-Christmas sales — a luxury that always felt just out of reach before.

We’ll celebrate with extended family later.

And wherever you are celebrating this year — home, on the road, or somewhere in between — I wish you a peaceful, joyful Christmas.

If you’re still looking for gifts, my digital instant downloads make wonderful last-minute options — the kind that don’t need wrapping paper or shipping delays. Doll repair guides, business courses, and creative resources you can gift with a click. Sometimes the best presents are the ones that give someone new skills, confidence, or a fresh start.

Our very last physical gift is supposed to arrive tomorrow so I can finally wrap it. And then — supposedly — it’s a relaxing holiday for everyone except Mom, who cooks the big dinner.

Although that’s not entirely fair.

Jerry has been busy replacing the bathroom floor, repainting the trim, and hauling things to the dump. The kids will rest. The house will be full. The food will get made. The lists will quiet down.

And for once, Christmas Day will unfold right here — just as it is.

Wishing you warmth, rest, and a little stillness wherever you are this season.