It's so familiar, landing in Chicago.
I know this place so well. But, no bitter cold and no snow at Christmas time makes it seem a little off.
None the less, the family was packed in the house, sharing Christmas cheer! And the kids all got helmets for Christmas.
The thing I like about the midwest is tradition and family and friends. The roots of all of these elements go down deep. No matter where we are in life, we know each other and will forever keep a tight bond.
As I get older, I am still pretty darn liberal and a lover of the West Coast but I see those midwestern values are more apart of me than I suspected.
And, holdup, I forgot to mention the best part of the midwest, Christmas lights. No ones got it down like the midwest. We drove by this one house that was covered in lights. You parked your car and tuned into 101.5 FM and would watch the lights dance to the tacky seasonal techno music.
My techy brother explained how intense this labor of love is. The owner has to program every single light with every single beat in the song, there are no programs that automatically match up lights and music. And then every light strand has to be plugged into it's own socket in order to operate independently of the other lights. It's crazy and tacky and cliche and midwestern and remarkable and brilliant all at the same time.
The trip was too short. So many, I didn't get to see. So many pictures I didn't get to take. But, I saw my best friends, my family and drank a nice bottle of Bordeaux from the year I was born. So, all in all, it was a success!