Home is Where the Heart Is

I haven’t been this excited about anything in a long time, as I am about Christmas this year. While the deepest desire of my heart is just to have my chicks at home under my wing for Christmas, ALL my chicks at MY HOME, that is…sometimes we just have to chuck it and go for what works. Since Kari and Danny live 20 hours east and Ash and Nick live 18 hours north, and none of them have vacation time or resources to drive/fly home for 3-4 days-- we decided to meet somewhere more central to everyone. So we are spending Christmas in the smoky mountains!!! Sevierville, Tennessee, to be exact (and that, by the way, is pronounced by the natives as SA – VEER- VUL). Weird, huh?

So the plans include packing up all our worldly possessions and moving to a cabin in the smokies for Christmas week. On the agenda is cutting a tree and decorating with ribbons and cranberries, a nighttime trolley ride to look at billions of lights in Gatlinburg during their “Winterfest”, hiking in Cades Cove (please please let us see a bear…), an afternoon of geocaching in the smokies, hugging on the grandkids, a Christmas eve service at a local church, Christmas movies, family Christmas worship, family game night, and the most creative gift exchanges we could come up with. We are using themes for our gift exchanges and making or buying $2 gifts that can be kept or stolen. (The first night, something red. The second night, something that begins with the letter “m”, and the last night, something fun/funny.)

I heard a very wealthy man a very long time ago talk to a group of struggling young married couples about what was really important in life. As impassioned as he could be, he stated simply…make good memories. I’m in!