This Thanksgiving and Christmas are the last two holidays I will be spending in my home that I have lived in for over 17 years. The place where my sister, cousin and I would put on shows in my pool. My house filled with birthday parties, sports practices on the front yard, trying to be cool like my older brother and sister and where countless more memories and moments took place. My entire childhood and young adult life have been spent there. My parents went to the same high school so both sides of my family live within 20 minutes of my house. By brother and his wife live an hour away with their 4-month-old baby girl and my cousin and his wife who also live around an hour away have a 4-week-old baby. Most holidays were spent at my house because it was the one that could most comfortably fit any family member who was available.
But now all of this is changing. My mom accepted a new job in Arizona and has been living there while my dad is finalizing the sale of our childhood home and then moving out to live with her as soon as the sale is finalized. I cannot believe I will no longer be able to drive 3 hours home to Holland during my final semester at Penn State. On top of that my older sister just moved to Denver and is living there with her boyfriend.
As a very family-oriented person this really saddens me and stresses me out. After I graduate my little sister will have one more year at West Chester University, my niece and brother will be in Havertown, my other sister will be in Denver, and my parents will be in Arizona. What will happen to holidays and family events in the future? How often will I get to see all my siblings together (even though they love to roast me and gang up on me I love them unconditionally)? What will happen if I move somewhere else for a job and will not be near any of them? How can I live my life being farther than a few hours’ drive away? Obviously now I complain about the three-hour drive because I can be a stuck-up college student sometimes, but I cannot even fathom being any farther from my family and being able to get through my days.
My family is my rock. They have done everything they can possibly do to support me and help me to accomplish my goals. Although we fight and have our disagreements, they are the funniest, most amazing, wild, hilarious, kind people I know, and I could not function or be where I am today without them. It makes me incredibly sad that this holiday season will be the last one in my childhood home, but sadder that this is that last time for a while that we will all be together under the same roof in the same state.
Hi Samantha,
This post really makes me sad because I think it’s something that a lot of people our age go through. My family hasn’t moved away, but my parents have been discussing selling our home (the home I grew up in), and it’s a really weird feeling. Not only do I have a lot of memories there, but I have nearly ALL my memories there…it feels like a piece of my identity that I’m losing forever, which is a really heavy reminder that there’s no going back to those “simpler times” of being a little kid.
I can only imagine how strange it must be for you, especially since your entire family is moving to new places and your ability to retreat back into your childhood is seemingly dissipating forever (not to be overly-dramatic, of course). I think it’s just important to remember that a house is a house and that a home has more to do with the people there. Maybe things are going to change, but I’m sure that your family will find a way to continue to be together.