there will always be home for the holidays

today after work i am making the drive back to charlotte to celebrate christmas with the fam. its very hard to get into the christmas spirit when you aren't at home.
it is amazing how much things have changed around the holidays at my house. our family has grown, and changed a lot. i have gotten two sister in-laws, both very different, but i enjoy each of there unique personalities. and then there is my nephew who is just the cutest thing ever. in past years we have woken up and opened presents. this year will be the first year that is different. this year we will be going to my big brothers house to watch my nephew open gifts...i still feel like a child because when my mom told me that I was like..."you mean we can't even open our stockings?!" and then after that we come back home, and eat breakfast, and then wait till my other brother and his wife come over (they have to do christmas at her house first) then we can open presents. don't get me wrong...im really not that upset about the changes in christmas. sometime along the way opening presents at 5 am lost its lustre. i also can't wait to see my nephews face because this is the first year he knows who santa is, and believes. all these changes i really don't mind. but as i get older, it gets harder and harder to remember how christmas used to be. i can't remember the last time it was just me and my brothers, my mom, and dad, at christmas. but i am very lucky....because even if its later in the day, my whole family will eventually be together, and that only happens a handful of times a year. so wherever you are for the holiday have a happy one...and i hope you get to spend it with family.