I’ll be home for Christmas!

It’s so close I can almost taste it: the smell of the trees up in the living room, family room, and back porch; cookies and other goodies in the oven; my mom’s roast beef, meatballs, mashed potatoes (God, let there be mashed potatoes), and hor d’oeuvres of shrimp, cheese, and other delectable things.

Tomorrow is the day I board a jet plane and make my way back home for the holidays and the anticipation is killing me! Everywhere I go I am reminded of my family and of all the great things the holidays bring. The other day at work, a guest simply said “Merry Christmas” and I about burst out in tears because it made me so happy to hear those two words. Of course, part of it is the presents. Let’s face it, it’s the only time of the year I get presents, so I get just a tad bit more excited than most people for Christmas. However, more than anything, I am anxious to see my family, some that I only get to see during the holidays, and share in the traditions that we have come to enjoy for as long as we can all remember. There’s always something to look forward to because my family is so unpredictable. I have an uncle that has been known to spout out a few great one-liners over the years and they have made the holidays full of laughter. I can’t wait to see what he comes up with this year…

Sitting here in the kitchen, I’m contemplating how different it’s going to be back in Ohio: what’s actually different, how I’m different, etc. My whole definition of home is semi-in-limbo. Obviously, Ohio is where my family is and some say “Home is where they love you.” However, over the last four and a half months, I’ve felt very loved by the people I’m surrounded by. Still, others say “Home is where the heart is.” Without any doubt, this makes defining home even more difficult because I love New York and am so happy to be living here, but a part of me is still tightly tied to the comforts and ease of the Midwest. I’m actually scared to find out how I feel being home and not in the city. I’m scared I going to think I should move back to Ohio, but I know I can’t do that to myself just yet because I haven’t given an honest try at this whole big city life. It was difficult enough to leave my family and friends once, will it be just as difficult—or even more difficult—the second time around? All I know is that right now I want to see my family and friends, play with the dog, sit by the fire, admire the Winter Wonderland mantle my mom decorates every year, and listen to Christmas music while staring at the tree. Maybe home is a drug that I just need a little hit of to get over this bump in the road of withdrawal? We’ll see how I feel a week from now.

On the topic of home, I saw a very interesting movie last night: Up in the Air. The whole movie is basically about a guy that for better or worse doesn’t have a real home. He travels 300+ days out of the year and considers airports and airplanes his home. The days he isn’t traveling are miserable to him. His job is to fire people when their bosses don’t have the balls to do it themselves. He does motivational speaking engagements, as well, and doesn’t seem to have much communication with his family or even have any friends. It sounds depressing, but it’s actually pretty funny. George Clooney plays this guy without a home and he’s pretty freakin’ good in this movie. I never thought I would actually be a fan of the Clooney, but he’s grown on me over the years. His supporting cast consist of two ladies: a lover (Vera Farmiga of The Departed) and a new member of the company (Anna Kendrick of The Twilight Saga). Additionally, Jason Bateman appears as his boss. I haven’t really had the time to think about what I really feel about the movie, but my initial response has been very positive, as opposed to falling asleep during Invictus, in spite of my man-crush on Matt Damon. Either way, check out Up in the Air. I have a good feeling about this movie.

(Side note: it’s Awards Season, so expect A LOT more movie commentary to come.)

Happy Adventures and Merry Christmas!