Being "home" for Christmas

Growing up we always had Christmas trees at this time of year - REAL ones. I can't even remember a year that we didn't have a tree, or that we had an artificial one (so if we did, I was either very young or I was so scarred by it that I've blocked it from my memory!) So this year's finally being in a house of our own meant no more rental restrictions and silly artificial tree for us! Which was good, because that poor little Charlie Brown tree wouldn't have lasted much longer.

We did the whole Griswold thing - pack the kids up, venture out in the cold, pick and cut down our own tree (although we remembered the saw), and clean the sap off of our fingers the rest of the night. It was fantastic!
And I must say, between the smell of fresh pine and the glow of the room with no lights other than the Christmas tree (not to mention the little boy playing with ornaments and dancing to White Christmas's overture in his PJ's by the early morning tree light), my living room finally feels like home to me. Despite the onset of winter's cold, it finally feels warm inside.
Thank you Christmases past for creating an image of home in my senses; and welcome Christmas present for the sense of home!