Home

I've been thinking a lot about home over the past few weeks... Now, I have two versions of home... there's the home where I currently live... my little run down Cape Cod in New Jersey... and then, there's 'Home', as in 'I'm going home'... and that home is England. I don't know when I'll stop referring to England as home or if I ever will... perhaps England is so ingrained into me, that it is at the very core of my existence... I live and breathe it, and when the plane touches the tarmac at Heathrow, the only thought going through my mind is, ' I'm home'...

During the holidays, I may be, physically, here in the States, but my heart and mind are well and truly 3,000 miles away... reliving past Christmases... my Christmases as a child... I close my eyes and remember the decorations, the smells, the excitement, the food, and even the TV shows (right down to the excitement of getting the Radio Times and flipping through to see what was on the Christmas telly line up)... Lost in a sea of nostalgia, I then set about thinking how I can recreate that here in America for my girls. Now, I have a pretty blank slate to start with, as my husband is Jewish... so, as the girls experience all their firsts at Christmas, so does he... I am the seasoned veteran in this house.

I get to pick and choose what Christmas traditions I want to carry on, and, along the way, even throw in some new ones.... Unfortunately, some of the traditions from England I've had to leave behind, due to my geographical location... bye bye, Queen's Speech and Top of the Pops...

... some of them, I manage to keep going, even though it becomes a little pricier when paying import prices... case in point, Quality Streets... to anyone from the UK, these chocolates are synonymous with Christmas (well, they were in my house). The opening of the Quality Street tin of chocolates on Christmas Eve signalled the start of the festivities... now, they're not particularly tasty, but I'm sure most people don't get them because of their deliciousness, but simply, because that is just the way it is... I still manage to get these in for the season, but, instead of a generic chocolate price tag, they now cost the same as a swanky Belgian number! Is it worth it? Yes... to watch my girls oohh and ahh and pick out their favourite colour... just like I did many moons ago...

Another tradition was reintroduced this Christmas... after discovering a holly bush by chance... and so, the other day, I nipped down to the waterfront (secateurs in hand) and liberated some holly from said bush... it was laden with berries and perfect for trimming up the house... the very act of carrying bushels of holly into the house reminded me of walking across the fields with my father as a child... the hazy sun low in the sky, frosty ground under foot, seeking out the bright red berries amongst the hawthorn hedges... old rickety wooden stiles and cattle gathered around the feeding trough, piled high with food... we would bring our bounty into the house and trim the old mirror over the fire, and it would stay there, 'til the leaves went brittle and the plump berries would wrinkle... so, even though this experience was so very different from my English holly gathering days, the simple sight of holly in my little home will always keep my memory alive...

So, this year, I'll be pulling a Christmas cracker, eating Christmas pudding, while drinking a glass of port... bringing a little bit of 'home' Christmas, into my new home...

It's been good catching up with you all today... I've missed writing this little old blog and sharing my thoughts with you!
Take care.
Lx