Christmas Home Tour

One of my most prized possessions is a Perry Como Christmas album. Yes, an actual vinyl album.

It belonged to my mom when she was a girl and, in my humble opinion, Christmas doesn’t officially begin until I hear the first strands of ‘No Place Like Home for the Holidays’. In fact, I literally can’t sing that song any other way than how Perry Como sings it and have found all other interpretations to be severely lacking.

When records gave way to CD’s, I made it my mission to find a copy of the Perry Como Christmas album for myself and for my mom too. That CD is now about as worn out as the vinyl album.

But, since time and technology continue to march on, I’ve recently discovered the joy of customizing playlists on Amazon Prime music and I decided that this year I would compile all of my favorite Christmas songs into one place.

Of course, the very first album I wanted to add was Perry Como’s and after a quick search I found it and added it to my playlist.

A few days later, we went to cut down our Christmas tree and that evening, as I began opening bins of ornaments, I brought my portable speaker into the living room and started my Christmas playlist.

But, I quickly realized that something was wrong. There were songs I had never heard before. Even Perry Como was singing words that were totally unfamiliar to me.

And if I hadn’t been up my eyeballs in lights and ornaments I probably would have stopped to figure out what Amazon Prime music had done with MY Perry Como Christmas album. Because, this one had some extra songs on it. Songs that didn’t even sound very Christmas-y!

But, instead, I kept it playing. And as I carefully unwrapped decades worth of ornaments, each one bringing back a different memory, I heard these words crooned to me and…well…they took my breath away.

And I wanted to share them with you today as I give you a little Christmas tour.

 

“You can tell when you open the door. You can tell if there’s love in a home.”

 

 

“Every table and chair seems to smile, do come in, come and stay for a while.”

 

 

“You almost feel you’ve been there once before.”

 

 

“By the shine and glow of the room!”

 

 

“And the clock seems to chime…”

 

 

“…Come again, anytime.”

 

 

“You’ll be welcome, wherever you roam.” 

 

 

“You can tell when there’s love in a home.”

 

My eyes welled with tears as I let the words wash over me. There I sat surrounded by all of the trimmings for my tree and I was just stunned that such a simple, little song could so perfectly capture everything that I want my home to embody.

I don’t want people just to see the furniture or the decorations or the art on the walls.

I want all who walk through our door to see past all of that. I want people to be able to tell that there is love in this home.

It’s not perfect. Most definitely not! But, there is so much love here.

Love for those who sleep under this roof. Love for our neighbors and our community.

And, most of all, love for our Savior, Jesus Christ, who we celebrate and honor at Christmas.

Because it was out of God’s deep love for us that He sent His Son to this earth so that you and I could be reconciled to Him and know the most perfect love in existence.

My hope and prayer for you this Christmas is that your hearts will be overflowing with love and that it would pour out into your homes and then spill out your door into your neighborhoods and among friends and even strangers.

Let’s be people who live up to the words of that song that wasn’t supposed to be on my playlist but that I needed to hear so very much.

Merry Christmas dear friends!

P.S. ‘Love in a Home’ was originally featured in the Broadway play ‘Lil’ Abner’.