by Jan Drexler
I've thought a lot about this post...exactly what does "Coming Home for Christmas" mean?
Jonas Weaver, the hero in my book "Sound of Distant Thunder," comes home in the third book in the series that is scheduled to be released by Revell in the fall of 2020. He has been in the army during the Civil War, and he longed for his home during the three long years he was gone. This is what he tells his friend, Aaron Zook:
“Family is important.” Jonas leaned back in the wagon seat. “Even when I was out East with the army, I knew my parents and the rest of my family were keeping me in their prayers. And home...”
His voice faded. He swallowed and then continued.
“Coming home wasn't to see the buildings and the farm, but to see the people. Katie, of course, but also my parents, my brother and sisters, the church family. That's what makes a home.”
Jonas' words remind me that even though I've lived in a lot of houses, the people and memories they contain are what makes them "home."
Traditions carried through the years become memories that speak of home.
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| around 1960 in Ohio |
to Michigan and beyond. Every year's tree is different (I've always had a real tree!), but the tradition is the same.
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| around 1963 in Michigan |
Even though the family grows and changes...
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| 1997 in Indiana |
...the tradition of the tree ties the years and memories together. We have ornaments from both sides of the family. This one has been part of my husband's Christmas tree since before he was born...
And this one came from my family, always having a place of honor in every year's tree.
Every ornament tells a story and connects us to Christmases past.
The hunt for the Christmas tree is an annual event that has also changed over the years. I remember hunting for the 1963 tree in my great-uncle's farm field in Vicksburg, Michigan. I also remember going to Christmas tree lots like the one in Charlie Brown's Christmas - searchlights scanning the sky overhead made the familiar parking lots into Winter Wonderlands.
For the past several years, our Christmas tree hunting expeditions have taken us deep into the Black Hills National Forest, where we never fail to find the best Christmas tree ever.
Is there a tradition in your family that ties your Christmases past and present together? Tell us about it in the comments!
And as a special Christmas surprise, one commenter will win a copy of The Sound of Distant Thunder, the first book in The Amish of Weaver's Creek series. This is the book where we meet Jonas as he leaves his home - not knowing if he will ever see it again. (Paperback US only. Kindle versions everywhere else.)
And as a special Christmas surprise, one commenter will win a copy of The Sound of Distant Thunder, the first book in The Amish of Weaver's Creek series. This is the book where we meet Jonas as he leaves his home - not knowing if he will ever see it again. (Paperback US only. Kindle versions everywhere else.)
You can find Jan on Facebook, Jan Drexler, author, or her website, Jan Drexler.com
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Hi Jan:
ReplyDeleteI heard someone once say that 'home' is where the mother is. All the kids might live in big houses but if the mother lives in a little old house, going there is going home for Christmas.
This pretty much has always been true for our family.
Oh, I love this. Vince, you paint a poignant picture with your words.
DeleteThat saying is so true, Vince. Some intangible essence goes out of a home when a family loses their mother. I've seen it happen so many times...unless one of the daughters steps in to continue her traditions!
DeleteJan, what a beautiful glimpse of past and present! Oh the stories each Christmas tree could tell! Thank you for this!
ReplyDeleteThank you, Ruthy! We've all heard the saying, "if walls could talk," but think about everything those Christmas ornaments on the trees have seen through the years! Every year when we decorate the Christmas tree, the ornaments remind me of so many memories of Christmases past.
DeleteJan, what beautiful memories. We've never taken the kids to get a real tree, so I guess that's not a tradition of ours :)
ReplyDeleteGlynis, you and your family are officially invited to go with us next year on the Great Christmas Tree Hunt! Meg and her family come every year, so you won't be among strangers! Put it on your calendar now: the first Sunday in December, after church. Be sure to buy your tree permit in November!
DeleteFun post, Jan. We don't have a real Christmas tree anymore, but when our son was younger we took him to a Christmas tree farm and cut down a tree. I do have ornaments on our tree that date way back. I'm not sure where some of mine came from, but I know some came from my parents or grandparents. We have a little paper drum ornament my husband made as a child. And of course lots of ornaments made by our son. Please enter me in the drawing.
ReplyDeleteWhat great memories you've made with your family! And homemade ornaments are the best. As our children have left home, they've taken some of their homemade ornaments with them, but we still have a few. :-)
DeleteJan, what sweet memories. My family of origin always bought a balled tree and planted it after Christmas. It was usually a blue spruce. Once married, we usually bought live cut trees up until two years ago. At that time, I decided I wanted a pre-lit tree. Now I don't have to mess with the lights! :) I do really miss a live tree, though (we usually got Fraser Firs). We do still use all the old ornaments, many that our kids made (they still have the macaroni and tissue paper glued on!). :)
ReplyDeleteYou have to weigh the convenience of the pre-lit tree with the nostalgia of the real tree, don't you? I'm determined to have a real tree every year - at least as long as we can still go out and cut our own. I can imagine a time when the trip to the forest will be too much...well, no, I can't imagine that, LOL!
DeleteJan, our trip to buy a tree wasn't a fun, group event like yours. So your church outing is a bigger deal and would be a lot harder to give up. I just miss the smell of a real tree.
DeleteI'm a little scattered today but Jan this is beautiful.
ReplyDeleteI hope your scatteredness is productive in its own way, Kathy!
DeleteJan, it's fun to read of the importance of the Christmas tree in your family traditions. :) I loved seeing the ornament that's been passed down through your husband's family. A Christmas tree was always a part of my growing up years as well. My husband and I still love buying a fresh tree and decorating it. But, we've traveled over the past few years to spend time with his side of the family, which throws my favorite traditions out the window. I guess the one tradition we've held to in these past few years is sharing lunch with our boys before we open Christmas presents, reading Luke chapter two and praying to thank God for His goodness and His gifts through the year before we open presents.
ReplyDeleteMerry Christmas, Jan!
That's part of being married, isn't it? Two families' traditions blend into a new tradition for the new family. :-) I wonder which of the traditions will be the ones your boys remember as being important to them?
DeleteMerry Christmas, Jeanne!
Like you, Jan, we have lived in many different towns, so being “home” means being with family. With grown sons with job responsibilities (nurses work 12 hour shifts on holidays) and their own extended families, our Christmas celebrations sometimes are at different times and in different places.
ReplyDeleteYou are right that the family traditions mean Christmas whenever we celebrate it. A birthday cake for Jesus has been a tradition for my husband since he was a child. Each year the cake is different...decorated by grandkids or bought from the store, but it reminds us of the reason for our celebration! Wishing you and your family a merry Christmas!
Exactly, Sherida! Christmas isn't a place, or even a certain time. When I was growing up, we often celebrated Christmas with one side of the family on Thanksgiving, at home on Christmas, and then the other side of the family on New Year's. Every celebration was special.
DeleteIt is nice to look back on all the past Christmas gone by Merry Christmas to You and y0ur family
ReplyDeleteMerry Christmas to you, too, Patti!
DeleteWhat a beautiful post today, Jan! I love your special ornaments, and the reminder that the traditions and memories are about the people and our shared experiences, rather than the things.
ReplyDeleteMerry Christmas!
Merry Christmas to you and yours, Erica!
DeleteWhat a Beautiful Post Jan and I Love your pictures and your Beautiful ornaments! MERRY CHRISTMAS AND A HAPPY NEW YEAR TO YOU AND YOUR FAMILY!
ReplyDeleteI love this post! Yes, we also have a Christmas tradition of going to find a tree with the kids. It has definitely changed over the last several years with one moving out on their own. The kids that are still at home enjoy going to choose a live tree. We also love to reminisce about the older ornaments and enjoy adding new ones each year. We also love to bake cookies and watch Christmas movies together. I'm truly treasuring the time we have left with our teens. Merry Christmas!
ReplyDeleteThank you for sharing your memories today, Jan. A live tree has always seemed so important to me. I don't remember at what point my parents switched to an artificial tree. I think it was due to allergies. But my husband and I had a real tree every one of our 34 years together. This year I'll be traveling for the holidays so I didn't get a real tree. I miss the scent of evergreen in my home.
ReplyDeleteThis Christmas will be different for our family as my daddy transitioned to heaven last month, so going home this year will be just mama waiting with her arms open wide and no daddy. Praying that I can uplift her. Thank you for sharing. Merry Christmas! 🎄🎁
ReplyDeleteThis year I am thinking I will be spending it with my own kids and grandkids, my mom sorta decided to go have dinner with my cousin and her siblings. I really miss the tradition that we all got together on my grandparents farm when I was growing up. I fix the same foods and candies and desserts that my grandmother did. Each year she would have gum drop nougats, ribbons candy and fudge and grandfather would make us Shirley Temple cocktails.
ReplyDeleteMerry Christmas Everyone
Blessings to each of you
Linda Marie Finn
Thanks for sharing your photos and Christmas memories Jan.
ReplyDeleteFor us, the tradition that ties the past and the present together are the recipes I try to make for our family. I've taken plates/foods my husband associates with Christmas and ones I do, and combine them for our little family. Tourtiere, yule log, and Christmas cookies are some of the items our kids look forward to having (us too!).
Merry Christmas!
Hi Jan, this is such a lovely post. I often say "When I was home" because my parents and brother were my first concept of this special place. My husband and I now have our own home and I believe that my daughter feels the same way about us. You are so right, it isn't a town and it isn't a house, it is the people we think of when we say home.
ReplyDeleteMerry Christmas!
Connie
cps1950(at)gmail(dot)com