We have celebrated Christmas basically the same way for the last 10 years. So what is it like to give up the snow and family filled Christmas for a holiday season in the sun?
Decorations in Warm Climates and Mobile Spaces
We have really enjoyed seeing all the different Christmas decorations that come with different temperatures and geography. Notable favorites have been the giant tree with life-preserver decorations on the Santa Barbara pier and Christmas lights wrapped around the trunks of palm trees. We also stood out in the pouring rain to watch a small-town parade of decorated tractors. That kinda felt like a little piece of home. Our own decorations have been scaled down significantly. Not many normal-sized decorations fit on a tiny tree. In addition, everything we put up needed to be secured or packed away on travel days.
Holiday Shopping as a Spectator Sport
Even with moving to a more minimalist lifestyle over the past couple of years, we still bought and wrapped a significant amount of gifts during the holiday season. This year we decided lots of gifts didn’t make much sense. We were away from family and the trailer doesn’t leave much room for additions. Cards were written and mailed back home. We decided to keep our tradition of exchanging pajamas on Christmas Eve and Wookie gets a pig to unwrap. Let me tell you, it has been a hard thing to try and keep the pig a secret. Wookie knows something is up. It has been incredibly strange to not be Christmas shopping all month. We are relieved to not be participating, but then miss it at the same time.
Celebrating with Family Far and Near
Christmas Eve and Christmas Day in Alberta was spent out in the country. Lots of extended family and love and laughter and snow. We all hung out around the Christmas tree, ate lots of treats, watched movies, and played outside. This year won’t be the same without them. It will be different, but we can still have some fun. We are looking forward to Star Wars, donuts, and Denny’s on Christmas Eve. Then Christmas Day will be all about as many face time phone calls as the internet service will allow. We plan to enjoy a hike amongst the palm trees and maybe even find some snow. We may not have everyone here with us, but we have each other, and that is something to celebrate.
