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Thursday, October 12, 2006
Get ready! Get set! It’s Homecoming!
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
This weekend — at least in the Snellville/Grayson area — is Homecoming.
You know what that means.
If you are thinking of dining out Saturday night, think again. If you want to pick up flowers, stand in line. If you want to treat yourself to a manicure, pedicure, eyebrow waxing or new hairstyle, you’ll have company – young company — lots of it.
High school homecomings are BIG here, second only to the prom.
Flower shops clear out their coolers to make room for wrist corsages. Limos, parent drivers and teens with newly washed cars take to the roads. Local parks turn into settings for photo shoots.
I’m not sure how many of the folks going to homecoming have actually “come home” to do so. But it is definitely a highlight of the fall.
This year, I have two sons heading to separate homecoming dances. We’ve gotten the suits, the shirts, the ties. We’ve ordered the wrist corsages – six baby roses with iridescent or silver-trimmed ribbon and keepsake bracelets. Dinner plans are in the works.
We do face a challenge in the car department. Of the four autos in our family, only three are in town (our daughter’s is with her at college). Only one of those three – my eldest son’s — is suitable for a fancy event.
That leaves us one car short.
My ride is a 1992 Ford Explorer that once was quite luxurious but is now pushing 285,000 miles and shows it.
I love my car, and the aged and torn leather upholstery is fine for our dog Willow to prance across from window to window, but it should not contact silky emerald green or midnight blue long dresses.
Same story for my husband’s 1995 Dodge, which is closing in on 272,000 miles.
In our family, cars are long-term purchases; we drive them till they drop. That’s great for our budget. But it doesn’t work at homecoming.
Our kids, who are generally polite, have refrained from pointing this out. But we know.
So, I’ll figure something out (since I’ll be driving the son who doesn’t have a license.)
These are small details. Logistics.
I’ve read and heard of parents who go to the extreme in spending and arranging their children’s proms, homecomings or other special outings. I don’t think most parents are that way. They simply want a safe, fun time that can become a good memory for their son or daughter.
Is it worth it? You tell me. How well do you remember your homecoming or prom? Looking back, was it an important occasion in your life?
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