December 21

There’s no place like home for Christmas!

We were packed and ready to go. With two young boys this was no small feat, but we were excited to go to Minnesota for Christmas. In all our lives, Dan and I had only missed one Christmas in our homeland. 

All of our Christmas decorations were put back into storage. We’d decorated right after Thanksgiving and didn’t want to return to our little condo after the new year to the “chore” of putting everything away. 

Dan was on his way to take our young dog, Raven, to the doggy hotel when he heard an announcement on the radio that all flights were cancelled. It was snowing in Juneau, but the bigger problem was a blizzard in Seattle. He detoured to the airport and stood in line at the Alaska counter. Called me on his flip phone to let me know they couldn’t rebook us until the day before Christmas. That would’ve been almost five days into our visit. 

So, we cancelled the trip. Seems like a no brainer now. Back then, the idea of not going “home” for Christmas? It was a much bigger deal. 

Well, there we were. A family without a plan. “Juneau Christmas” had been put back into storage and we weren’t digging it all back out. So, that year we improvised. The next day we drove out the road, cut down a small Sitka spruce (which started a new tradition of “if your tree doesn’t make you bleed, it ain’t Christmas), and with some help, our young boys made decorations. 

Which brings me to my favorite ornament. Our star tree topper. Made from cardboard and a toilet paper roll and glittery paint. We use it to this day. And since that Christmas 2008, we haven’t made it to Minnesota for Christmas. We visit annually when we can… but during the summer or fall when chances of flight cancellations are at a minimum. 

We surely miss Minnesota this time of year, but love Christmas with the four of us and the friends-who’ve-become-family in Alaska. 

Our toilet-paper-roll-tree-topper reminds me every year of that decision to stay home for Christmas instead of going home for Christmas.