If you think about it, many classic Christmas songs (and movies) are centered on the important role of the home in Christmas and other holidays. Consider lyrics from the perennial favorite “I’ll Be Home For Christmas” (is it just me, or can you automatically hear Bing Crosby crooning?), which was created to honor overseas World War II who ached to be home for Christmas:
“I’ll be home for Christmas
You can plan on me
Please have snow and mistletoe
And presents on the tree
Christmas Eve will find me
Where the love light gleams
I’ll be home for Christmas If only in my dreams”
Another Christmas standard, “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas,” which was originally recorded by Judy Garland for the musical movie Meet Me in St. Louis, tells the story of four coming-of-age daughters struggling to let go of their current home while preparing to move to a new home, in New York.
And everyone has heard the peppy tune “(There’s No Place Like) Home for the Holidays,” whose lyrics assure us:
“Oh, there’s no place like home for the holidays
‘Cause no matter how far away you roam
If you wanna to be happy in a million ways
For the holidays you can’t beat home sweet home!”
I could go on, but you get the idea.
“Home” is more than building. Home is where the heart is.
And wise people throughout history have recognized that home is always a special place, not just on Christmas or other holidays.
Frank Baum, author of the Wizard of Oz famously wrote, “There’s no place like home.”
The poet Maya Angelou said, “The ache for home lives in all of us.”
The writer Laura Ingalls Wilder, of Little House on the Prairie fame, wrote, “Home is the nicest word there is.”
And Mother Teresa said, “Love begins at home.”
“Home” is home whether you rent or own. And “home” certainly so much greater a concept than a mere structure, like a house or condominium. But there is a special dignity, confidence, peace and assurance that comes with owning your own home, especially when it’s one that you absolutely love.
A Realtor®, I’ll paraphrase Mother Teresa and say that my philosophy is that “home begins at love.”
Reach out to me if you’d like help finding a home that you love, a place that feels like the greatest Christmas gift ever, a special place that makes you feel like every day is a holiday.
And Merry Christmas / Season’s Greetings to all!
Brent Metzger is a Realtor® with Roche Realty Group in Meredith. He may be reached at (603) 229-8322 or brent@rocherealty.com. Visit www.RocheRealty.com to learn more about the Lakes Region real estate market.
