Home for the Holidays

"Oh there's no place like home for the holidays..."
"Cause no matter how far away you roam..."

"If you want to be happy in a million ways,

For the holidays you can't beat home sweet home."

I have been visiting my parental homeland for the last few days and have been able to participate in a variety of yule tide activities. Sugar cookies have been baked and decorated. Purchases have been made at Target, Toys 'R' Us, Barnes & Noble, and "The Mall". Nieces have been treated to shopping trips, gummy runs, doughnut socials, and swimming trips. The presents are wrapped, the Christmas music is blaring, plates of goodies cover every flat surface of the kitchen.

But as much fun as I am having here at this home, I am glad that I was able to spend so much of the holiday season in my ancestral homeland.
One of my favorite parts of the Christmas season round these parts is Santa's shed. Since we don't have a mall for Santa to frequent, a cute little shed is errected outside city hall where kids can come visit Santa. Combine that piece of country quaintness with the decorated feedlots and caroling hay rides, and you've got the makin's for an old school rural holiday.

And speaking of hay, how can you not miss a place where straw is used in road construction?

But my very favorite part of my 6th Cassia County Chirstmas was the very unique, very creative, very festive, very Burley lawn decoration outside this year's festival of trees.

While I may be spending the actual holiday in the bigger city, I think I left part of my heart there on the lawn of the old highschool with that old Chevy.

And no matter how many fancy window displays I walk past, or over-the-top lighting displays I see, no fancy-scmancy holiday decore will ever make me smile more than the crooked tree in that rusty truck.

"Take a bus, take a train,

Go and hop an aeroplane.

Put the wife and kiddies in the family car.

For the pleasure that you bring,

When you make that doorbell ring,

No trip could be too far."

"Oh there's no place like home for the holidays,

Cause no matter how far away you roam,

If you want to be happy in a million ways,

For the holidays, You can"t beat home, sweet home."