Getting here the day before Thanksgiving and on the brink of the holiday season was strange. I won't say sad, because I was too overwhelmed with other emotions for sadness. Mostly, I was excited for the ride.
Before even arriving in the U.K., we had two invitations to Thanksgiving meals. New country, two invitations for Thanksgiving. In a country that doesn't even celebrate Thanksgiving. Following the relief of arriving safely with the dogs and in the midst of exhaustion, we were using screenshots of maps on our phones (otherwise about as useful as bricks) to navigate our reliable rental Accord to the house of some friends of a friend for Thanksgiving. On the left side of the road, of course. We ended the evening visiting a fellow U of M alum and friend from ROTC. Oh, you're in England too? Fancy seeing you here!
The thing with the military is....there is a "little America" wherever you go. There is always someone you know. And as time goes on, you know more people everywhere.
The first year I was away from home in Michigan, I had Thanksgiving with Dave and my friend Kevin who drove from Michigan to see us Georgia. In 2008, I spent it with the Woodmans in Georgia. Dave was in pilot training. In 2009, I was deploying 3 days later and we spent it with the Bartomeos in Kansas. In 2010, Dave was deployed and I spent it with the Krausses in Kansas. In 2011, Dave and I took a trip to California and spent the holiday with the Rubys in San Francisco. Last year, we spent it with our awesome neighbors Steve and Julie and their family. Friends have always surrounded us with love during the holidays.
We've been able to get home to Michigan and to Chicago to spend Christmas with family a few times, but revolving the longer family trips around holidays hasn't always worked with deployments and TDYs = what everyone experiences in the military.
But I've been thinking a lot lately about what 'home for the holidays' really means to me after living this lifestyle for several years. Because while I'm in a new (I won't say completely foreign) country, I feel oddly more at home than even I would have expected.
Home is spending holidays with friends in the same situation, across the ocean from loved ones. It's just like in the states, but everyone is even further away and less likely to be flying back home, and even more concerned about people not spending the holidays alone.
Home is being surrounded by people you just met who went through moving here during the holidays in years prior, and know what you're going through...staying in temporary lodging on base and living out of suitcases for 4-5 weeks. Not that it's "so terrible," but that it just isn't exactly comfortable. With 2 dogs. More people than I would have expected have gone through the exciting process of moving here with dogs! :) I shouldn't be surprised.
Home is in the BX when you make the sad mistake of finding yourself in the middle of some midnight madness shopping with hundreds of other Americans. Honestly this is something I would never dream of partaking in back in the States, but maybe I just enjoyed the familiarity of my surroundings for a couple hours.
Home is picking a tag from the Angel Tree on base and fulfilling a 7 year old boy's holiday wish. I'll be completely honest- I haven't participated in an Angel Tree since we did it at church growing up. I wish I could see that little boy open up his lego set (that Dave had a blast picking out) and Yahtzee game on Christmas morning, but imagining is enough.
Home is baking cookies for the Airmen in the dorms with an oven I have no idea how to operate. With a wine bottle as a rolling pin (this isn't my first rodeo). And circle biscuit cutters for cookie cutters because the Christmas cookie cutters were sold out two weeks ago. But because it is fun and those 18 and 19 year old Airmen are across the pond from their families too. I'll be honest, prior to this year, I never participated in the cookie drive on base...ever. The ladies collecting them were SO excited and appreciative when we dropped them off that I stopped stressing that maybe they were too done and I messed them up in the foreign oven I didn't know how to use. I really did make them with love and drenched them with sugary yummy frosting and sprinkles so if that isn't enough...I hope they aren't homesick for their mom's cookies back home :)
Giving during the holidays feels good. Giving anonymously or to those you don't know feels even better, I think. I don't know why. I took comfort in participating in these Christmas traditions, regretting not doing it more in the past.
Home is sending out Christmas cards even though they probably won't arrive until New Year's. Maybe Valentine's Day. I really enjoy doing that every year so it was comforting to be able to sit down and write them as usual. With Christmas music playing, of course.
Home is being with Dave and the pups. Anywhere, including this little TLF (military acronym translation-temporary lodging facility). Because while I would love to be with more of my family, they are enough.
And not only are they enough, but we are in the middle of an amazing opportunity. I so truly appreciate the Christmas cards we have received from friends and family back home, along with messages sending love. It would be sad if everyone forgot about us :) But I also truly feel so lucky for what we have and where we are.
On Saturday night, we attended Dave's Squadron Christmas Party at Clare College at The University of Cambridge. I looked it up later and Clare College was founded in 1326! It is the University's second oldest college. The U.S. is just a little baby compared to this place :) Large pictures of Cambridge scholars hung on the dining room walls as craziness ensused at the party. During his closing comments, Dave's Commander talked about one scholar in particular, General Cornwallis, one of the leading British Generals in the American Revolutionary War. In 1781 he surrendered to American and French forces at the Siege of Yorktown. Today, the British host American forces in their country as our Allies & friends, and allow us to hold our holiday parties in rooms where their leaders studied. It is...amazing!
We hope all of our loved ones have a wonderful holiday surrounded by friends, family & love!
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| Merry Christmas! |
