Oh, There's No Place Like Home for the Holidays

The "home" I am currently referring to is my parents' house in Independence, MO. Zach and I are fortunate enough this year to have the resources to visit both our families during the holidays. We have been looking forward to this for months! No job responsibilities and no tuba, just lots of time to relax and frankly, to get spoiled. (If our parents are half as good at spoiling Austin as they are at spoiling us, he will be one lucky child!)

I am really glad that my parents still live in the house I grew up in because so many of my holiday memories center around this house. Here are some of my favorite things about Christmas in the Jones house:

• making Grandma Irene's cinnamon rolls on Christmas Eve
• admiring all of my mom's beautiful decorations...she really inspires me to try to make my home as beautiful as it can be for my family
• listening to Christmas music both serious and not-so-serious...my mom just reminded me of the first time we ever listened to a "Cow Christmas" tape...pretty hilarious. We'll pull it out in a few days for old times' sake
• listening to my sister or my dad (no one else could do it justice) read aloud "The Christmas Tree in Brooklyn" by Betty Smith. This short story is probably supposed to be poignant and touching but is so funny (at least to us) that we can hardly get through it.
• doing crossword puzzles or having long conversations with my dad...he is so intelligent and I love how many different subjects on which we can converse
• enjoying our traditional Christmas brunch and then relaxing for all of Christmas afternoon