Outsourcing Christmas
If your family is willing to leave town but resistant to giving up all the holiday trimmings, almost all resorts have holiday program and decoration. A few resorts even help guests recreate their own holiday traditions on the property.
The Picosa Ranch, 30 minutes south of San Antonio, is not for the faint of heart or budget but has a program where you can mail your personal family decorations, tree ornaments and/or family holiday china and Picosa’s staff will decorate the Main House so that a little bit of home follows you. Even your gifts can be mailed for the staff to wrap or just arranged under the Christmas tree before your family arrives. If that seems like too much prep work you can simply enjoy Picosa’s own holiday decorations and of course they’ll take care of Santa’s cookie obsession as well.
Christmas Consensus
Whether you opt for a white snow or the white sand Christmas, Braun says don’t try to create a duplicate of what you would do at home. Instead create new rituals and traditions indigenous to your destination. So for example if you visit a beach destination decorate a small palm tree with corals.
And rather than dragging a Santa-sized bag along with all your holiday gifts share coupons that entitle the recipient to the gifts that are awaiting them at home or an event to be shared at some point in the future.
“No matter how you decide to spend your time this season the most important message to communicate to everyone in the family is you are creating memories and spending time together,” says Braun.
Whether your December days are filled with chilly fresh snow angels or warm toasty sand castles, my daughters and I wish you and your family the happiest and most joyful of holiday seasons!
Will you be traveling this Christmas? Tell us about your white sand or white snow adventures.
For more information on holiday and family travel, check out:
- Peter’s CBS Early Show Report on Holiday Travel and the TSA
- the 2011 Holiday Travel Forecast
- Kerri Zane’s most recent Window or Aisle Seat column on Celebrating a 21st Birthday as a Family
- our Family Travel category
By Kerri Zane for PeterGreenberg.com. For more advice on health, beauty and travel, visit Kerri Zane on the Web at KerriZane.com.
