I'll Be Home For Christmas

Well, the holidays have arrived. It is Christmas Eve in Japan and I find myself sneaking in every last ounce of Christmas music while I can. If you work for the "Mouse" then you probably know that the holidays last nearly two months, but it is amazing how you can still manage to feel so separated from the holiday spirit. I have done everything I can to make my Christmas special in Japan. I have a beautiful, yet fake, Christmas tree adorned with all of my ornaments from home. My stocking is hung by the WINDOW with care. Two baby poinsettias are decorating my coffee table alongside Martha's December issue! I even baked Christmas sugar cookies. But something tells me it is not quite the same. There is something to be said for being HOME for Christmas. I miss my family this time of year. I miss seeing the last-minute shoppers on Christmas Eve. I miss the nearly empty tree lots. I miss the amazing raviolis my uncle makes every year for Christmas dinner. I miss the rolling green hills in Lafayette. So while I am an ocean away from all of my FAVORITE THINGS, I will be wishing I was home for Christmas.....if only in my dreams. -M