Back in 1959, crooner Perry Como greeted us with the holiday song, "There’s No Place like Home for the Holidays." It became a highly anticipated tradition over the years to hear him sing these words:

“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!”

And if you have ever been away from home during the upcoming holidays you know how true those words are. Certainly we have families who have relocated to other parts of the country or, for that matter, other parts of the world who may not be homeward bound. But if you have ever greeted a family member or relative at the airport or seen their familiar faces pulling into your driveway, you know that overwhelming feeling that washes over all your senses.

It’s a time for breaking bread and turkey wishbones with children and grandchildren, rekindling old friendships, and of course a time for college students to bring three months of soiled laundry home. Why not start a new tradition or continue on an old one, and have each person recite something he or she is most thankful for before everyone vies for the turkey drumsticks? All in all it is a most joyous time.

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