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Coming Home for the Holidays

Writer's picture: Allie CroweAllie Crowe



"I'll be home for Christmas. You can count on me. Please have snow and mistletoe...and presents under the tree." First released around Christmas in 1943, the song is written from the perspective of a soldier serving overseas during World War 2. He is telling his family he is coming home and to prepare the place with special requests. Many artists have recorded this Christmas song over several decades. It has become a holiday classic, yet it begs the question, What does it mean to come home for the holidays? Who or what is home to you?


As someone who grew up away from family, coming home for the holidays meant a long drive from whichever state we lived in and returning to the mountains of Western Maryland and West Virginia. Most of my family never left the area; the ones stayed close by in the Pennsylvania region. When we came home for Christmas, it was a 13-hour drive from Tennessee or Georgia, an 8-hour drive from Connecticut, or the lovely 17-hour drive from Wisconsin. When we came home for Christmas, it was a production of packing clothes (with added prep for random winter storms we could see) and, trying to Tetris the back of the van with gifts, luggage, children, and always making room for our poodle, Willie. There was hardly any wiggle-room.


My brother and I would (most of the time) sit in the back seat, trying not to drive my parents insane (it only lasted a few moments), and tried to find ways to keep us busy without one of us (me) getting motion sick! It was the same situation: drive a couple of hundred miles, stop for gas and bathroom breaks for humans and the poodle, grab a snack if needed, pile back in, and down the road we would go. For years, I was excited to get back to the mountains, to family, and to see what would be waiting under the Christmas tree. Two instances changed my thinking and shaped my understanding of what coming home for Christmas was really about.


Event 1: When I was in Elementary School, we arrived back in the area for Christmas. I was hanging out at my Mammaw's house when a frantic aunt came running in and needed the phone. After I realized she was calling for help, I looked out the back window to see her house on fire. I was told to stay put and to watch her poodle and mine. I sat on a bench in the mud room, watching as fire trucks arrived and the process of saving her house took place. Thankfully, they didn't lose everything. It could have been worse, but the reality of how quickly material things can disappear became clear.


Event 2: I was in 6th grade. It was a cold winter (already) for WI. The family piled into the 93 Chevy Astro van to head towards home when suddenly we started to hear a noise. We had made it to Merrillville, Indiana, when Dad realized he had to look at the van before we tried to get further down the road. Dad pulled into a garage, where they looked over the truck. We got the news no one wanted. Something essential on the van needed to be replaced, but because it was December 23, the part wouldn't arrive until December 26th. We had no way to go anywhere, and no one could get us. Mom and Dad scrambled to call nearby hotels that were willing to take us and our poodle. Finally, they managed to find a place that was compassionate to our circumstances. Willie was a mellow poodle, not a barker, which made it a little easier for the hotel to accept us. Mom and Dad went into problem-solving mode when we arrived at the hotel. One was on the phone with family, explaining what was happening. My dad and brother walked to a grocery store to get food we could eat in a hotel without a kitchen. I sat silently (a rare form) because I felt utterly useless. I was 11 and didn't know how I could help.


I kept Willie company while Mom was on the phone. Mind you, this was before the cell phone era, so everything was through the landline phone in the room. My dad and brother arrived at the hotel with microwave or hot water-ready ramen cups, an electric kettle, and other snacks to keep us going. We spent time watching movies on TV and other Christmas shows. It was the weirdest Christmas Eve on record. This was the first time I could remember without a church service. No churches were within walking distance for us to attend; someone would have had to stay back with Willie. Mom and Dad realized that finding food the next day would be hard, seeing as most restaurants within walking distance would be closed. We pulled "A Christmas Story" moment and ordered Chinese food delivered to the hotel. Christmas day was so quiet. I remember needing to get out of the room. Mom and Dad told me I could sit by the Christmas tree in the lobby. My brother walked with me. We sat by the tree for a while before laying on our backs. One thing stood out to us: the star at the top of the tree. The star wasn't what got our attention; it was the shadow the star cast on the ceiling. It was a cross. My brother and I noticed it simultaneously, looked at each other, and smiled. I was 11, he was 15, and for the first time, we both understood what coming home for Christmas meant.


The Prophets told the people for centuries about a Messiah to come:

  • "The days are coming,” declares the Lord, “when I will make a new covenant with the people of Israel and with the people of Judah." Jeremiah 31:31

  • "Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign: The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and[c] will call him Immanuel."Isaiah 7:14

  • "For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Of the greatness of his government and peace there will be no end. He will reign on David’s throne and over his kingdom, establishing and upholding it with justice and righteousness from that time on and forever. The zeal of the Lord Almighty will accomplish this." Isaiah 9:6-7

  • "See, I will send the prophet Elijah to you before that great and dreadful day of the Lord comes. He will turn the hearts of the parents to their children, and the hearts of the children to their parents, or else I will come and strike the land with total destruction.” Malachi 4:5-6

  • “And I will pour out on the house of David and the inhabitants of Jerusalem a spirit of grace and supplication. They will look on me, the one they have pierced, and they will mourn for him as one mourns for an only child and grieve bitterly for him as one grieves for a firstborn son." Zechariah 12:10

  •  “In my vision at night, I looked, and there before me was one like a son of man, coming with the clouds of heaven. He approached the Ancient of Days and was led into his presence. He was given authority, glory, and sovereign power; all nations and peoples of every language worshiped him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion that will not pass away, and his kingdom will never be destroyed." Daniel 7:13-14

  • "I will send my messenger, who will prepare the way before me. Then suddenly the Lord you are seeking will come to his temple; the messenger of the covenant, whom you desire, will come,” says the Lord Almighty." Malachi 3:1


When we come home for Christmas, what are you coming home to? Are you coming home for a time with your family? Are you coming home to a perfectly decorated home with lights, food, and presents under the tree? What or who drives you to come home for Christmas? I had to learn, in a unique way, what and who we should be coming home to. Christmas is about coming home to the relationship with the Triune God. Coming home is recognizing that God the Father sent his son into a dark world to bring light, hope, and peace. Coming home is about understanding that material things are of this world, but we are not of this world. Coming home for Christmas means realizing that Christmas should remain in our hearts all year long because Easter would not have happened without recognizing the birth. Without Easter, we would not be saved by grace through the sacrifice of the Messiah. Christmas means remembering to cherish the loved ones we have around us because they are gifts from God. It means not taking opportunities to love one another for granted, serving our neighbors, and focusing on peace when the world wants us to turn to violence. Many folks, especially our men and women in the military, cannot be home with their families for the holidays. Sending them prayers and well wishes and doing something in their honor is a great way to "bring them home" uniquely this year.


Coming home for Christmas isn't a destination; it is a journey that never ends until the God I serve calls me TRULY home to the heavenly realm. May your Holidays be merry and bright. May the peace of God be with you and your family, and may you and your family be blessed.




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