Do you travel for Christmas?
It’s been years since my crew has been away from home on Christmas. We have a lot of family we’re close to, which used to mean a lot of obligations over the holidays. As much as we loved everyone, it was exhausting. My husband and I decided early on that we wanted to keep Christmas Eve and the early morning of Christmas Day limited to us and the kids, and since then it’s become a sacred tradition we all look forward to. In a season that’s often as filled with anxiety as it is with wonder, that slice of time we carve out and safeguard gives my crew of introverts some breathing room between bouts of being “on” for our extended loved ones.
However, we do regularly travel around the holidays to see family in the Midwest, and there’s something special about celebrating the holidays with loved ones away from home. Whether traveling ” back home” or, as in my case, to family who moved away, family traditions feel different when you don’t live with your family of origin anymore. Sweeter somehow, even when the relationships might be complicated or strained. And then there’s exploring the local traditions of the place you’re visiting, indulging in local culture and flavors…
It’s no wonder why holiday travel is a common element in many Christmas romance books.
But then there’s an actual destination Christmas—essentially a vacation or road trip to a locale that isn’t and never has been home. Ski trips, sunny beaches, a private getaway…
I’ve never done a destination Christmas, and with a close knit family and three daughters, I honestly can’t imagine making this a reality. It certainly is fun to dream about, though! I’d love to whisk my crew off to Disney one year. It sounds fun (though I know it will probably never happen LOL).
Maybe that’s why I enjoy the concept of destination Christmases in fiction so much. It gives life to impractical dreams alongside the joy of reading romance and new love. I can revel in exploring complicated family dynamics and need for second chances in someone else’s life on the pages. There are new holiday traditions to vicariously experience, new places to discover and local flavors that inspire my imagination.
How about you? Do you enjoy traveling for the holidays? Do you go “home”? Visit family? Or have you ever taken a destination holiday to somewhere new and exciting?
If virtually experiencing a destination Christmas is more your thing, here’s a short list of suggestions I’m happy to share with you to fill your December TBR and get you into the holiday spirit!
- Merry Ex-Mas (returning home) and A Cross-Country Christmas (roadtrip home) by Courtney Walsh
- Nowhere for Christmas by IR author Heather Gray (roadtrip destination)
- IR author Amy Anguish’s Mistletoe Make-Believe within the Candy Cane Wishes and Saltwater Dreams collection
- The Sleigh Bells Chalet by Jennifer Griffith (vacation for hero)
- Muskoka Christmas by IR author Caroline Miller (destination for heroine)
- Several of our IR authors (among others) have characters traveling to Freedom Ridge for the holidays in the Heroes of Freedom Ridge series
- And of course, Destination Christmas from IR authors Sarah Monzon and myself as well as Chautona Havig and Cathe Swanson, with 4 stories of destination Christmases.
I’m sure there are TONS more, but of course I never want to inundate you with too many. LOL! If you’ve read any contemporary Christian or inspirational holiday travel/road trip/destination Christmas stories recently that left an impression, I’d LOVE to hear your suggestions in the comments. And be sure to answer my questions above. I so enjoy chatting with you all every month!
Until next time,
We do not travel for Christmas. I have always been home. In the past, we would be with my in-laws and friends on Christmas Eve. Christmas Day was always with my Mom in the home I grew up in. With Mom in Hospice care now with pneumonia, I am not sure what this Christmas season will hold for us. One thing I am sure about, the Lord will be with us through it all. He came as a baby to love us. Thank you so much for sharing. God bless you.
You’re so right—it’s really all about Him. Praying for your mom still, I’m know it’s been rough for you not being able to see her as much and her health uncertain. Blessings and warm thoughts your way, Debra!
fun list of books
Thanks!
We stay home for the holidays and My oldest children and their families come to visit! Have a Blessed Day!
How lovely that they come to you!
We stay home for Christmas and holidays but this year for Thanksgiving we went to south Dakota and the drive with my sibblings was long especially for the two year old and almost 4 year old we had to stop many times.
Oof, traveling with little ones is always tricky!
Last year, friends flew me to Texas so I could spend Christmas with them! It was so much fun!!! We were hoping I’d see snow, but they didn’t get their first snow til after I came home, and this year, they’ve already had their first snow!! Some day, this Florida girl is going to finally see snow!! lol!! I love Christmas stories! I’ve read quite a few of the Freedom Ridge books, and loved them all!! Valerie Bodden has few Christmas ones in her series, too, though don’t ask me the names right now!
Lol! I know exactly what you mean. I grew up in the Las Vegas, NV area and until I was about six, I thought snow only happened in the arctic or the movies. We got two inches that year, but only on the edge of town. Still, it was magical. 😆 I think the next snow I saw was about four inches when I was eleven. I’ve only ever seen one white Christmas, even living in NM near the mountains at high elevation!
Thank you for the book suggestions.
My children are little (the youngest is 18 months) so we try to stay home for Christmas day as traveling is chaos with all the stuff we have to bring! We do try to visit family in the time around Christmas. It’s so nice to be free to visit this year after the restrictions over the past couple of years.
I do like the idea of travelling somewhere for Christmas, maybe one day I will do this but until then I can read about it!
Goodness, yes!! That’s why we began staying closer to home. Littles require so much STUFF, and adding presents to take/bring home…it’s a bit overwhelming. But all too soon those littles will be grown and doing holidays their own way, which I pray will come with a different sort of sweetness.
I guess I have done the destination Christmas so to speak. 3 times I went to Melbourne for Christmas because the boxing day test started on Boxing day or the day after Christmas. So I would go a couple days earlier and have Christmas in a hotel room.
I meet a friend for the first time the first trip and we met near where I was staying and had afternoon tea (Cake and coffee or in my case an iced chocolate) Then the next time we went for lunch together. (a couple days before Christmas) and the last time I went to their place out of the city and had a roast lunch with pavlova for desert which was like a Christmas meal 2 days early. Then they took me back to the hotel and we went looking at lights.
Christmas day I went to a church service then for lunch went to the Zoo which was open (but none of the vendors selling food, drink etc were open) and enjoyed to place and had taken a sandwich etc to eat there. Then near where I stayed they had a choir that sang at a particular time so I went to listen and they also had a Christmas display that did a short show every half hour for about 5 mins.
I enjoyed the times there as if I am home I am normally alone and a couple of the times mum was in the nursing home (she didn’t really care about Christmas the older she got)
the other time the family came to visit mum and to be honest it was nice to be away. Mum found it too much work and would be constantly wishing it was all over where as I love this time of year so was nice to be away.
It is interesting you can be with family for Christmas but at times it becomes so stressful. Now I am alone while its nice to go somewhere it is actually more peaceful now that I am alone (I hope that makes sense) I can play the music and watch the Christmas movies and decorate without knowing someone else things its just too much to be bothered with.
I can see where there is a certain freedom in celebrating solo. How lovely to be able to meet friends have enjoy a break from the usual, though. Thank you for stopping to comment, Jenny!
I am not saying I wouldn’t like to be involved in a family get together. That happened with a friend a few years back a childhood friend and her bother and 12 of the 13 kids from 2 – 22. and spouses. That was wonderful to be included and would love to do that again at some stage with people but I can also celebrate on my own.