When I was young, my life was by no means terrible. Sure I had my ups and downs, but who didn’t? Though every now and again, when things felt like they were at their lowest, even home didn’t feel like home. Those four walls in my room? They became my worst enemies. My parents would pick up on this and decide it was time to take me on a trip to The Palace.

   Now don’t get me wrong. My house wasn’t bad. My room was even nice. But sometimes I just needed a change of scenery, and The Palace was that change. Just by walking through the doors you could see through the handcrafted woodwork of the banisters that this place was special. Though from a day gone by, you could practically smell the fresh sawdust as if the master carpenter had just installed them. The generations of work that went into that building showed through. Every piece of patchwork could tell a different story.

   The food was something else too. Each day I was there the meals that were prepared entered me into a world of trying something new. Something interesting. The head chef even let me in on some of her greatest secrets, allowing me to help anyway I could. I was never forced to help, but always happy too. Anything that came out of that kitchen was stunning, and having my name put on some of those plates was nothing short of an accomplishment.

   Sometimes I went to The Palace when I was sick, or just not feeling like myself. When that was the case I wasn’t expected to do anything but relax. The masters of the house always took care of my every need without question. There wasn’t a day gone by that I would visit that I didn’t feel like royalty.

   That’s what The Palace was to me. A home away from home. It could never replace my actual home, but my actual home could never replace it either. Between the generations of work and love that went into building that Palace, and the residents continuing to show that love through the effort they put in to keeping it all together. No matter how hard things were, they were always there with open arms.

   The love that was put into The Palace had built a family. One that has gone on to this day to create four full generations, three of them who were lucky enough to feel the love that The Palace provided. It had built a family that I am more than proud to be a part of.

Nanny and Grandad Munroe, thank you for letting me into your Palace.

Merry Christmas.