The lyrics to a popular Christmas song proclaim “Oh, there’s no place like home for the holidays.” For many people that rings true, as do the sayings “All hearts come home for Christmas” and “Home is where the heart is.” But what happens when home is someplace different?

One year ago, my husband and I made the life-changing decision to sell our home and pull up our roots in Chanhassen. Many things came into play in the decision process, and together we knew it was the right time to move on.

By far the toughest part would be telling our three young adult children that we would be celebrating our last Christmas in the only place they had ever called home. Trust me, it was not easy.

Instead of Christmas being jolly and bright, it was filled with “lasts.” The last time we would enjoy Christmas dinner in our dining room. The last time we would play dominos in the kitchen after opening presents by the fireplace. The last time we’d wake up to have cinnamon rolls Christmas morning and find stockings stuffed with dorky trinkets like Chapstick and toothbrushes in their regular hiding spots.

We experienced our final New Years Eve by breaking the Thanksgiving wishbone and having Chinese take-out from Leeann Chin.

So many traditions would never quite be the same. It was bittersweet, to say the least, knowing we had so much to look forward to and at the same time knowing we had broken our children’s hearts.

We have said many goodbyes to our old house. I would write and have coffee on my beautiful porch and look out at our gardens for the last time. We would share long hugs in the driveway as the kids went back to college and life away from what they fondly referred to for 22 years as “our Chanhassen.”

We would drive away followed by two moving trucks and bid a farewell to the street we knew every bump and dip on. And we would start anew.

Now I sit in a new writing spot with my coffee. I have all the old decorations from our last Christmas up (and some new things as well) and am anxiously awaiting the arrival of our three kids as they make their ways from college towns here and out of state.

And as I anticipate the new memories we will make and traditions we will keep, I will admire the new sign my husband and I purchased for our porch. It simply says “All hearts come home for Christmas” … no matter where home might be.