One of my favorite traditions was our Christmas movie. It’s important to keep as many of those traditions going, even if you’re the only one doing them. I have a ton of traditions, like getting a new ornament for my son every year and opening just one present the night before the big day. I’m pretty sure I drove my husband nuts with the “holiday rules,” as they came to be called (lovingly, I think! I hope!). Our house was always filled with his co-workers, especially during the holidays. Something that I learned during my time in Japan: friends are family too! My husband and I may have been far away from our relatives, but we were never far from family. Dory may not be with her parents, but she’s found a family in Nemo and Marlin.
One of the things I loved about Finding Dory was how the movie really drove home the message of friendship. 5 Ways to Make Any Place Feel Like Home for the Holidays Surround yourself with good friends I’m sharing them with you today, along with some of my favorite inspiration from the world’s greatest regal blue tang, so you can bring that wonderful feeling of being “home for the holidays” to your season, no matter where you are. I learned quite a few things during my time in a far off corner of the ocean, just like Dory learns many lessons about “going home” in Disney/Pixar’s Finding Dory. If you’re someone like me who absolutely loves the holidays, though, keeping a positive attitude can go a long way to making any place feel like home for the holidays. Whether you’re 7,000 miles away on the other side of the world or just a few towns away and stuck in a blizzard, missing out on going home for the holidays can make it hard to embrace the joy of the season. Coming home for the holidays just wasn’t an option. There were two years, though, that I lived clear on the other side of the world, in Japan. Even when I lived a state away, I still made it back. She only made it during the Christmas season because it was so time-consuming (she hand-rolled thousands of tiny dough balls and meatballs!), so if you couldn’t make it, you missed out for that year.įor most of my life, I’ve lived pretty close to my family, so I never had to miss out. She went all out making cookies, pies and my favorite food of all time, her famous dough ball soup. My favorite memory is that of watching my grandmother go on a baking spree that lasted weeks and filled the kitchen with the most amazing aromas. The weeks from Thanksgiving to New Years were filled with such incredible joy. When I was growing up, the holidays were a pretty huge deal. First, though, I have some exciting news for all my fellow Dory fans out there! You can get a FREE* Digital Graphic Novel when you buy Disney/Pixar’s Finding Dory, now available on Blu-ray™, Digital HD & Disney Movies Anywhere! Get details of the offer here. Today, I’m going to share with you a few things you can do to make any place feel like home for the holidays. As someone who spent two years clear across the world, I know how hard it is to miss out on all your treasured traditions. All opinions are my own.īeing far from home during the holidays is never easy.