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Today is the anniversary of the bombing of Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, in 1941. immediately after that attack, many young men were pulled away from their families to fight for our and others’ freedoms. I am sure that most of them missed being away from home and family, especially at Christmas time.

I have to admit, when I was a kid, I didn’t care for this song at all – I think it’s only as we grow up and leave home that we are able to appreciate the bittersweet sentiment of this song.  It wasn’t until I was older that I learned the story of this song – and that has made it one of my favorites as an adult:

In 1943, this song joined “White Christmas” to become one of America’s most popular Christmas songs. The recording by Bing Crosby shot to the top ten of the record charts that year and became a holiday musical tradition in the United States. The idea of being home for Christmas originated in World War II when soldiers at first thought that the war would be quick and they would return by Christmas time. This inevitably did not happen, hence the line “if only in my dreams”.

When doing research into this song, I ran across this, and had to include it (get out your hankies….):
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In this day and age, it is hard for us to imagine what it must have been like for those brave men to be away from home, with no easy way to communicate with their loved ones. I’m sure many copies of this record had the same well-worn “scratch” sound from being played on a record player over and over again through the years:
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There are so many beautiful versions of this song that have been made over the years; one of my favorites from a few years (okay, decades – man, I’m getting old!) back is this one done by The Carpenters:
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And I REALLY love this more recent offering by the a cappella group Straight No Chaser:
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Special blessings to those who will be far away from home this Christmas, and to the families and friends who will be missing them terribly. A grateful nation appreciates your sacrifice on our behalf, and holds you close in our hearts and minds. Our prayer is that you are reunited with your loved ones very soon –
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