Many of us long for home.  Sometimes that is a longing simply to have a home.  Other times it is a longing to be home or to visit our childhood home.  The longing is probably the strongest when we are called away and are powerless to return.  Thus, is the case with soldiers, particularly during wartime.

World War II

World War II took many men away from their families for extended periods of time.  The men didn’t really have a choice although most considered it their patriotic duty.  One day a letter would come in the mail that said that they had been drafted and off they would go.  The men who served state-side might occasionally get leave to come home.  However, the men serving overseas did not have this opportunity.

Many spent Christmas in a foreign land not knowing when the enemy might strike.

The Song

In 1943 Bing Crosby recorded the song I’ll Be Home for Christmas (If Only in My Dreams).  The song was written in honor of all the men serving that couldn’t go home for Christmas.  The lyrics are of a soldier telling his family that he will be home for Christmas.  But, the soldier goes on to say that he will be there  . . . if only in his dreams.

People in America fell in love with the song.  It peaked at number 3 on the charts and became a gold record.  American soldiers, as well as their families, loved the song.  However, the British looked upon it differently and the BBC banned the song from being broadcast for fear it would lower morale.

Watch & listen to the official music video for I’ll Be Home for Christmas.

Ruthe’s Reaction

The song played on radios across the country and overseas, including at the McCracken household.  Ruthe (McCracken) McCarty, Joseph Andrew and Nellie (Peelle) McCracken’s daughter, was the only one that mentioned thoughts about the song.  And, she did not like it.  It wasn’t that she thought it was a bad song. But, she felt that it was incredibly sad.  She remembered the times that her brothers couldn’t come home for Christmas because they were serving in the military.  Worse yet, it reminded her that after her brother Howard shipped overseas, he never came home again.

For her entire life, Ruthe avoided the song whenever she could.  Matter of fact, she avoided all Christmas songs from the World War II era.  She disliked school reunions (she graduated high school during the war) for the same reason; they reminded her of the war years and the losses that occurred.

So, although she loved coming home, this reminder of the longing for home broke her heart.

#Photo: The featured image is of Ruthe likely in the 1940s.

#Prompt: Home Sweet Home

#52ancestors52weeks