Winter Vacations — Away or At Home
We don’t really mean to be weird on purpose, but we do sometimes do things a bit backward from the way other people do them. One of those backward things we do is to take vacations at odd times of the year. When we took our children on their big trip to Washington, D.C., we didn’t go while the cherry blossoms were blooming. We went in cold November.
One nice thing about that was that many of the famous politicians serving at the time weren’t on vacation either, so we got to see lots and lots of them.
I know this swan in New Harmony, Indiana, would have been beautiful in the summertime, but I thought he was especially beautiful surrounded by the ice on this pond.
There are trade-offs, of course, when you travel in the winter. It’s true that some attractions are closed, but it’s also true that prices can be much cheaper. For example, cabins at many Tennessee state parks are half-price Sunday through Thursday from December through February. Snuggling up in a cozy cabin for twice as many nights as you might be able to afford in the summertime is nice. Since you homeschool, you don’t have to fit into a school schedule; and, therefore, you don’t have to wait until the weekend — if your husband can take some time off, that is.
It wasn’t winter when we were in South Dakota back in October, but it was definitely past the tourist season. Many summer activities at the Ingalls’ Homestead were over for the season, but we didn’t have to wait in line to do anything either.
Even if neither your schedule nor your budget has room for a trip away from home this winter, you can still take a winter vacation. Here are some ideas:
Pick a destination and prepare for your trip.
Have a family meeting to decide where you want to “go.” Have every family member pack only their jammies in a suitcase. Use a special bag for each person; any kind of bag will do. Work together to pack a make-believe fast food “kid’s meal” for each person. Use brown lunch bags or small boxes, if you have them, as containers. Let your children decorate the containers to look like they came from a favorite fast food restaurant or from a restaurant from their own imaginations. Wrap sandwiches in parchment or waxed paper to mimic a wrapped fast food sandwich. Put sides and desserts in sandwich bags. Place a sandwich, a side, and a dessert — maybe even a toy, too, if it’s easy — in each decorated container. Leave the “kid’s meals” on a counter or in the refrigerator in the kitchen, depending on what’s inside.
Pile in the car.Â
Line up chairs in rows to mimic the configuration of seats inside your vehicle. Put your luggage behind the seats. Climb in your spots (the location where each person regularly sits).
Pass the time while you travel.
While sitting in your spots, sing songs to pass the time as you “travel down the road.” Play car games, too.
Stop for gas.
Pile out and go to the bathroom while one person “pumps” the gas.
Travel some more.
Pass some more time singing and playing games.
Stop for lunch or dinner.Â
Have one or two family members take orders for drinks and hand out the “kid’s meals.” Eat around the kitchen or dining room table or on a blanket in the family room.
Travel some more and then stop for fun.
Play in a state park “playground” (otherwise known as your yard) or watch a documentary or a movie about some wonderful place.
Spend the night in a “hotel.”
Stand behind the “guest check-in” (otherwise known as a table in your house) and assign each family member to their room for the night — any room will do, as long as it is a different room from the one where that family member usually sleeps. As we used to say when our kid’s were little, “Time to brush and flush!” Sleep soundly!
Enjoy a hotel breakfast.
After everyone gets a good night’s sleep in his or her “hotel room,” treat them all to a complimentary hotel breakfast. You can keep it simple and go continental with pastries, fruit, toast, and juice, or go all out and make waffles.
Hope you enjoyed your at-home vacation!
At home or on a journey, I hope you enjoy being with your family during this beautiful winter made by the hand of God.
You have established all the boundaries of the earth;
You have made summer and winter.
Psalm 74:17