20. No place like home for the holidays.

It's true, you know?

Starting tonight, it's the four of us in my immediate family, together again in the only place I've ever celebrated Christmas: our home in the illustrious "Gateway to Death Valley."

I know not everyone gets the opportunity to go "home" for the holidays, and my heart goes out to those who, for whatever reason, aren't able to make it back home to be with their families during this time of year. And so, in light of that realization, I'm all the more grateful to have had the opportunity to come back home every year, especially these last five in which I've lived and worked in the so-called "real world." It's something I admittedly take for granted, getting to come home and be with my family every 25th of December.

It's nice to be back. Even though I know full well that I'll be bored to tears come the 26th.

(This year's return is made all the sweeter, too, knowing that a year ago, my family was rather unsure as to where we would be spending Christmas '08.)