20 Things That Make A House A Home
“Home Sweet Home” is a saying that all of us have heard at some point but have you ever heard someone use the expression House sweet house? I’m confident you have not, and there is a strong reason for this. A home is a place of safety, security, and acceptance. A place where a person’s most personal belongings are kept. A home tells a story and expresses a sense of belonging. A story full of memories that are unique to only you and your loved ones who occupy this space with you. A home is a sanctuary, a place of great comfort, and is inviting. Home is a refuge from the world.
To each of us, home takes on its own special meaning. To me, home is that house smell that is only our smell. Home is the smell of my scented candles because I adore candles and keep them burning year-round.
For me and mine, home is peaceful, clean, and organized because I can’t function in anything but that. But for others, a messy home is a cozy and loving reminder that their loved ones are comfortable and present. No matter your preference, home should be comfortable for you and your loved ones. Your home may not look like others; it is uniquely your sanctuary, so never feel bad about how you live your life inside of your home. Messy, neat, cluttered, or organized; if you are happy, then that’s all that matters. Do you always!
My home is full of photos and memorabilia from my children’s childhood. Home is where my family and I are truly ourselves. Home is where we can walk around with uncombed hair, ratty comfy clothes, ashy knees, or with no makeup on at all. Home is where we can be wholly ourselves. No one, other than the others that occupy this sanctuary with us will ever see us as raw and uncut as we are when we are simply HOME
Perhaps to some, home is coffee cups left on the table and beds left unmade on Saturday mornings. Maybe like me, home is where you wear your coziest clothing with only comfort and never fashion in mind. Home may be a cute dog like my little Smorezy with their favorite chew toy on their doggy bed by the fireplace. Home may have kids’ fingerprints on the windows and pet chew toys under the couch. A home is perhaps a place where pets sneak up on the couch. Home is where there is a junk drawer that needs organizing. Finally, because I think I’m getting carried away and should probably end my long list of what home is; home is where there is laundry piling up and where you celebrate that there are messy piles everywhere because those messy piles mean you have loved ones among you. In short, home is a little corner of God’s green earth to call your own. Home to me just has all my stuff, yall-It’s my place.
So that brings me to the word house. What other than brick and mortar is a house compared to a Home? Well, A house is just four walls and a roof, but a home is made up of everything else inside. A house may be decorated from floor to ceiling with the finest furnishings money can buy. But that will never make it a home. A house has no feeling or emotional ties. A house is an emotional feeling you get every time you walk inside the door.
I took a poll and asked random individuals the question, “What makes a house a home?” Here are the poll results in no specific order; however, the number one and number two answers were consistent among all those polled.
20 THINGS THAT MAKE A HOUSE A HOME
1. The people – and other creatures – you share it with
2. The memories you make
3. Never having to wear real clothes
4. The constant mess
5. The dings, scratches, and flaws
6. The smells of good food cooking
or our favorite smells
7. All the noise or lack thereof
8. Sleeping in your bed
9. Family photos
10. Your spot on the sofa
11. The memories made in the Home
12. A fridge full of food
13. A bookshelf filled with your books
14. Your children, their toys in the house
15. Having friends and family over or your kids’ friends playing
16. Fresh towels
17. Flowers in vases
18. Candles
19. A fireplace
20. The family heirlooms and keepsakes
