Sunday, December 9, 2012

I'll Be Home For Christmas - A Virtual Advent Tour Post

It's that time of the year again. Time for the Virtual Advent Tour hosted by the lovely Kelly and Marg. This year, I had no problem coming up with an idea for a post. My life has written it this year. It's my first Christmas in a place of my own to call home, my first Christmas away from the home I grew up in. There's excitement in that and a lot of melancholy type feelings associated with it as well.
The picture above is from my mom's house two Christmas' ago and it still looks the same this year for Christmas. It's the Christmas that I've always known. And it's the Christmas day that I'll know again this year as I'll be sleeping there on Christmas eve and waking up there on Christmas morning still. But this year has been a big year of change. I wasn't there to help put up the tree. Me and my sister aren't freaking each other out every day with the creepy snowman. We aren't taking turns moving the mouse on the advent calendar. Those days are becoming memories now and I'm building new memories and traditions.

After thirty one years, I have my own apartment to decorate now, and looking at it in the picture above, I can certainly see how my mom has influenced my decorating choices. I guess we surround ourselves with things that remind us of "home"...things that bring us comfort..especially around the holidays. While it's been a big change and a big adjustment, it's definitely been a good change and a good growth period. There was a certain warmth and giddiness finding decorations for the first time for Christmas. A certain happiness and revival that came and continues to come with starting my own new traditions.

I guess that's been the theme of this year. Change and adjustment. Giddiness and happiness and revival. All things I've felt lots of this year. So much has changed this year with a change of address. More than I ever would have imagined if you would have asked me a year ago if I ever would have expected any of this. Some of it, most of it, has been wonderful...and other things have been rough. But I know it's all for the good and will all end in me taking it as a growing experience.

So this first Christmas in a home of my own, or a rented home at least, is a bit of a transitional one. But a wonderful one. It's one where I leave all of the known behind and start new memories. It's a reflection of what the last year has been. Do you remember your first Christmas away from your childhood home? Similar feelings as this? What I am looking forward to so much are all of the new and unknown memories now waiting to be discovered in the future. After looking at all of the change in just this last one year, it's kind of exciting to think of all of the things that may live waiting in the years ahead.

Hope everyone is having a wonderful holiday season so far!



10 comments:

Tami said...

Your decorations are gorgeous! Congratulations on your new home. May you have many joyful Christmases there!

DesLily said...

having your own place is a wonderful thing...but only as long as "you can always come home" to family...It runs like this: In the beginning you are all with your family. Somewhere in the middle you are out on your own. Then as the later years creep up..it's all about family once again..sometimes I wonder why families all go their own way?? But it is how it is! I hope this is a great Christmas for you Chris

Cath said...

I love your decorations, Chris. Hope you have a wonderful Christmas. :-)

Carl V. Anderson said...

Great advent post! It is exciting to make this step and start making some traditions of your own, but yes, the melancholy is there as well. I do remember Mary and my first Christmas (it was my first away from home) and it was a lot of fun. We would still always go back to Nebraska to my parent's for Christmas Day and so it didn't feel entirely different until a few years back when my parents moved down here. Now we have our own family Christmas on Christmas Eve and Day and also get to go over and have Christmas time with the extended family, so we have the best of both worlds.

Congrats on the first Christmas in your own place and the start of what will grow to be your chapter in your family's history of holiday traditions.

Marg said...

My first Christmas away from home was in a whole other country, in winter instead of summer, but that Christmas in Paris is one of my favourite memories.

This year will be the first year in at least 11 years that I will be going 'home' for Chrismtas. I am looking forward to seeing friends and family and hope to come back to my home now still sane!

Thanks for your continued support of the tour Chris, and Merry Chrismtas to you and yours!

TP said...

I can definitely relate to it not being the same, spending Christmas away from home. But hopefully you'll make it your own, experience new things & create new traditions :-)

Tanya patrice
Girlxoxo.com

Debi said...

Wow...this post made me all teary. Both for its beauty and its melancholy. It makes me so happy, so very happy, that you'll be waking up at your Mom's on Christmas morning though! And I'll bet it thrills your Mom and Michelle beyond words! :D Merry Christmas, Sweetie! Love you!

Joy said...

Your decorations are beautiful. And very homey -- just perfect for a Christmas in your own space.

Joy's Book Blog

Kailana said...

Great post, Chris! I am so glad you joined in again this year. Your Christmas decorations are lovely! I still typically go to my mother's on Christmas day, but usually I stay home the night before. Lorrie tends to have a lot going on on Christmas day, so Christmas eve is when we celebrate together. :)

Deb Nance at Readerbuzz said...

I was thrilled to have my own place. Sounds like you are loving it, too!