Christmas with friends

I am headed home for the holidays. My flight takes off tomorrow, and I am really looking forward to seeing my family and Washington friends, and spending Christmas back home.

But at the same time, it feels odd to be leaving my current home halfway through the season. My wonderful friends and roomies hosted an early Christmas dinner for me and another friend. It was really wonderful and took a bit of the sting out of leaving tomorrow.

At one point during dinner, we shared some favorite Christmas stories. One of my favorite Christmas memories was when I first moved out on my own. A buddy and I shared an apartment and also worked together at McDonald's. We were making about $4 an hour and living off of Top Ramen and cheeseburgers from work. Affording Christmas was not in the cards.

Mike and I were closing the restaurant together two days before Christmas. When we got back to the apartment, there was a decorated tree in our living room. Our girlfriends had sweet-talked a guy at one of the tree lots into giving them the tree for a couple of bucks. They snuck the tree in and decorated it with homemade things and ornaments swiped from their own family trees. It was such a thoughtful thing to do and great surprise for us both.

For most of us, Christmas is all about family, and I am one of the luckiest in that respect. I have an amazing immediate and extended family, and there will be some 40 people gathered under one roof Christmas evening. But spending the Christmas season with friends is pretty special too, and I am clearly blessed in that respect as well.

Thank you dear friends and Merry Christmas.