And the stockings were hung by the ...

Tiger Lilly the very old Boxer, has been around for 13 Christmas mornings. She knows that those funny socks we hang suddenly sprout toys and treats. When we hang them, she makes a habit of checking them often. On Christmas day her diligence is rewarded. She shows the other dogs that there is something to be excited about. This year there was quite a LOT to be excited about. After our beloved traditional Christmas morning at home, we loaded the three of us and FIVE dogs into Chris' little Subaru. It was a tight squeeze! Then we headed south, over icy roads, through lovely falling snow, to Massachusetts. Because... I went HOME for Christmas. At the age of 51, I am one of the few people I know who can still go HOME... to a house where I lived from birth till college, to a home my father built by hand. My sister and her husband live there now. There were three sisters there this year, with kids and dogs and significant others. There was roast beef cooked to perfection, and music and amazing seasonal decorations. All of this was stirred with laughter and gifts and hugging and pleasant conversation. It was very, VERY good.

I have not been there at Christmas for 23 years or more. I was determined to create traditions of our own for our little family, and I did. When we had a baby I wanted her Christmas memories to be centered at HOME. I didn't want her to remember flitting from place to place, house to house, with no time to play with what Santa brought her. We have had lovely holidays at home, and we have treasured them. Going away was a break in those traditions, but a good one. On the way out of Boxford, Massachusetts this morning we stopped by the cemetery to visit my parents, grandparents and other loved ones. I thanked them for the roots that are my very foundation, and for the warm home to come back to. I paid tribute to the past, was grateful for the present, and took a quiet moment to look, expectantly, to the future. A future that hangs, with care. Much like Lilly the Boxer, who looks often at the stockings, I look towards tomorrow with great expectation.