"Driving home for Christmas, I can't wait to see their faces..." For so many of us, the time has come. Whether you're traveling by plane, train or automobile, between today and tomorrow thousands of us will make the pilgrimage back to the mother land. It doesn't matter if you live half a mile away or half a world away, it's a special time for all of us. Until, that is, you actually begin the journey. WHAT FRESH HELL IS THIS? ___________________________ Crowdsourced smells Sure you’re a big shot up in Dublin, but nothing brings you back to earth like public transport at Christmas. Especially when you get stuck beside that guy on the bus. Emotion overload You’ve booked the flight, you spend hours on the plane, as exhaustion kicks in thoughts of family are the only flicker of hope that keeps you going. And what happens when the sliding doors open into the arrivals hall? Some wagon from TV3 sticks a microphone under your nose as you embrace your loved one. OF COURSE you cry… assault is illegal. Singalong songs The bit where ‘Driving Home For Christmas’ comes on when you’re driving home for Christmas. Wonderful isn’t it? In a jam The bit where he sings ‘Top to toe in tail lights”. Oh yeah. The traffic jam. Suddenly driving home for Christmas isn’t all it’s cracked up to be. There's always one thing... The further you have to travel, the further you have to go back when you realise you forgot your Godson’s present. The warm welcome You finally make it home, the returning hero, the prodigal daughter. And you know what family really means when someone hands you a dishcloth.