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!