It’s the holidays. In my house, that means one thing.
Cleaning. Lots of cleaning.
Actually, this year I’m not hosting much of anything so the cleaning hasn’t been as intense and horrifying as it might be. But still, the daughter home from college deserves fresh sheets, the Christmas tree is shedding needles like a razor-happy pubescent lad, and the oh-so-seasonal cold rain has the hibernating lawn turned into a muddy mess, which the dogs track onto the tile floor like proudly finger-painting toddlers.
My son came downstairs the other day. “I love that smell,” he said.
Was he talking about cookies baking, about the piney scent of holiday greenery?
No. He was talking about the scent of Murphy’s Oil Soap from the freshly- washed floor.
His comment took me by surprise. But the more I thought about it, the more I realized that this was a scent of home he’d known since birth. I started thinking of what other things my kids might associate with home.
The sight of the living room coffee table laden with splayed-open books and towers of magazines. The sound of their dad’s power saw screaming in the workroom at all hours of the day and night. The taste of their favorite dinner of all time - Oriental flavor Oodles of Noodles. The feel of the fresh-from-the-dryer, toasty-clean laundry I pile on top of them as they sit on the family room couch, staring mindlessly at the television, oblivious to my toil.
And the scent of Murphy’s Oil Soap.
What evokes a sense of home for you?
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My sense ofsell is mostly on strike this time of year. Home to me is an -year-old grandson buzzing about the house tring to explain to be the intricassies of pokemon and some new star wars toy the significance of which has yet to catch me (I own all 6 Star wars movies - but have only seen the first three released (which are the last three of the series as it turns out.)
Home is also wondering wherethehell the mail got to, which of the cats is hiding under the bed, which of my kids is in my parking place, and is the weather really crummy enough that I won’t start a motorcycle today.
Home is getting too late for real people to be awake, watching the bull riders with my musician wife, wondering howthehell we two unlikely folks ever got hooked on the sport - and once again ofering the laptop to wifey who doesn’t want to learn about email today but maybe next week sometime.
I gues it is a strange place - but after just short of 40 years together, and more then 35 years in this house it’s real familiar and almot comfortable.
by Bob Rudolph
on December 27th, 2007 at 1:30 am
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Candles (lights off), the lights of a Christmas tree, some sort of yummy smell (like cookies baking. Comfy chairs. And lots of framed personal pictures. Lots of em.
by Laura
on December 27th, 2007 at 9:07 am
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Framed photos are definitely part of our home too, Laura. I have wonderful ones around from when the children were small. Thinking about it makes me realize I need more of the kids as they are now.
Piles of mail and playing musical cars in the driveway is a part of our home too, Bob! I doubt either of those will ever go away!
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“What evokes a sense of home for you?”
A steadily increasing tension in my neck and shoulders.
by JDRhoades
on December 27th, 2007 at 4:55 pm
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Tee hee, JD. Add a few not-to-be-named personages to my household and I know exactly how you feel. 
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