Since the holiday’s are coming up fast, we thought we would touch on this subject. “How do you enjoy the holiday’s in an RV?”
In a previous Blog Post, you need to go read that as well, we share how we deal with by away from our family and how they deal with
it.
Since 2009 when going Full-Time, we’ve missed our share of holidays. So the last couple of years we’ve made a point to be
back in Iowa near our family for Christmas. Fast forward to this year, 2021. Since we wanted to try a new job this year following
our summer gig at Adventureland, we headed north for the Sugar Beet Harvest. We had originally thought that we’d be back in Iowa
by no later than November 1st so we could help our son and his family move into their new home. Well….that timeline did not work
out. But even though the dates were not as planned, the dates allowed us to stay through Thanksgiving even though it still did not
look ‘normal’. Usually we attend Thanksgiving at my sisters but this year she was sick so Ed and I planned our day as if we were
in the south. Ed and I prepared the turkey and all the fixings for us to enjoy. Our kids were sharing their day with the in-laws as it
has been for years. To be honest, Thanksgiving has not been the holiday that I felt we needed to be with family. Now it’s different
when it comes to Christmas. Christmas Eve has always been the day we spent with my grandparents and then my parents continued the
tradition. But once we sold our home, most of our belongings, it has looked different. Not bad different, just different. Instead of
holding the gathering at our ‘sticks n bricks home, we planned to have it at our kids homes. We think it’s great that our kids are
now continuing the tradition.
Now we will share with you how OUR Holiday’s look while living and traveling in a RV. Let’s start with Thanksgiving. Even though
we were at our sons home, moochdocking, the actual day of Thanksgiving Ed and I spent the day together preparing a great feast. Later on
that evening we were able to spend with our son and his family. Then over the weekend we were able to head up to our daughter and her
family’s home to share a meal with them and play with the entire crew of grandchildren. Even though the holiday may not look the same as
it did when living in the ‘sticks n bricks’ home we were able to spend time with our family. That is exactly what the holidays are
supposed to be.
Let’s talk about Christmas this year. Christmas is going to be very different for us. Since we were able to spend 3 additional weeks
in Iowa around the Thanksgiving Holiday, we now need to stay in the south working until we return in the spring. We are thinking May but
we are flexible with our dates. So…. our Christmas will be spent on location at our jobs. Everything in this industry keeps rolling on
regardless of the date or time of the year. So we expect things to do that and we will do our best to FaceTime or video call our kids,
grandkids and all our other family members. Share a meal with ourselves and maybe exchange gifts with each other. Then….once we return
to Iowa in the spring, we will do something special with our family. We are thinking instead of exchanging gifts with our kids &
grandkids, maybe we can share an experience with them. Heck maybe take them to a movie, to the zoo or rent a hotel room with a great
waterpark to play with them. Experiences with your family members will be remembered. Not so much the ‘stuff’.
Once again our holiday’s may ‘look’ different since we went Full-Time but what’s important is spending time with your family. Doesn’t
necessarily mean you have to be at a ‘sticks n bricks’ home or on the actual holiday date to share the holiday’s with your family. Now
if the holiday DATE is important to you, plan your RV travels around it. Heck if your family is living in different locations, split your
time by traveling to each members home. If you plan, you can make anything work.
Happy Holidays!
Dora, Ed, Mason & Missy
It's A Good Life RV 