{h} o. m. e. for christmas

One of the happiest things about coming home was the much-anticipated O.M.E. reunion. We've laughed, we've cried, and when the blizzard reached epic weather proportions, we set out to reenact our very own version of Shackleton's Antarctic adventure (we even got to be rescued).

This Christmas was magical. The lights, the snow, the friends, the family---but nothing so beautiful as the traditions, new and old. Christmas Eve we shared our HIGHS + LOWS over fondue and candlelight. We rhymed lines for our rice pudding and danced the Snoopy dance in full Nativity costume next door. Siblings piled into one room for the long night, sharing secrets and daring our greatest Would You Rathers. I felt ten years old all over again.

In the morning, we ate orange rolls at the round table. We'd opened such beautiful, thoughtful presents and the kitchen smelled like cinnamon. Someone hopped up to add some music to the scene. And then we were all crying.

Well, I was crying. Then O. Weeping, actually. Regina Spektor's The Call? Absolutely requisite for life. It fills you with childhood, with friendship, with memory and hope. It reminds us of New Zealand, it reminds me of Wales. Everything I feel in my most nostalgic moments are tied up in this simple song; I hear Truth in every line. And there we were, a mess of tears and laughter, a Christmas gift I will never forget. We listened to it again and again, and I still can't shake that feeling of perfect peace, surprised by joy.

That night we met in the middle, boots laced up tight and scarves wrapped up twice. We took our usual route, the loop through these streets that have taken us through every new season these past years; through dramas and traumas and life. 19th East was empty, the long stretch of Yale desolate. The wind blew harder, the snow fell faster, and I've never been so happy---our new Christmas song truer than ever before.

All you can do is try to know
Who your friends are
As you head off to the war

Pick a star on the dark horizon
And follow the light

You'll come back
When it's over
No need to say good bye