traveling » and another thought

I love Christmas. I love that my kids have time off from school and my husband time off from work (notice how I don’t indicate my time off). I love having the excuse to have a drink and eat rich foods. I love hanging around doing nothing but eating and drinking and watching Christmas movies. I love that the season makes everyone, well most people, a little nicer. I love Christmas for all these reasons.

But I don’t think I need to have Christmas at home to experience all of this. This year I wish we weren’t having a standard Christmas with turkey and gift giving. And that has nothing to do with being so unprepared, well, maybe just a little. This year I wish the family was celebrating Christmas in Disney World.

Was that a gasp I heard? Are you shaking your head in dismay? Really the idea of having Christmas in Disney World isn’t as crazy sounding as you might thing. It’s not just a good idea, b ut a great idea and here are five reasons why:

No gift exchange. I haven’t really been in the gift giving/receiving/buying mood this year. I mean I don’t really need anything; the whole family doesn’t really NEED anything. Celebrating in Disney World would mean no gift exchange. I guess you could say the trip itself would be the gift. And really that’s all we would need, some time together as a family.

No chores. As the guest I wouldn’t have to clean the house in preparation for visitors or make the beds before watching tv or do the laundry to ensure I had clean towels. At Disney World they have someone who does all that for me. Plus I wouldn’t have to cook Christmas dinner. I’m sure in Disney World I could find  a restaurant serving Christmas dinner. Or I could choose to have something else, like Polynesian or German. And I wouldn’t have to wash the dishes after.

No long faces. Forget the unhelpful sales clerks and the grumpy last minute shoppers and the cranky, over tired kids. Instead take a trip to the Happiest Place on Earth! And it’s not just a slogan, most of the staff we’ve met are very pleasant and happy. They’re paid to be happy! A Christmas surrounded by happy, smiling faces (the staff and my family’s) is my kind of Christmas.

No visitors. That means no in-laws, no neighbours, no friends. Don’t get me wrong, I love these people, most of the time, but having them over usually means more work and more stress. Entertaining people, making sure they’re happy, avoiding arguments, can be a lot of work. And let’s not for get the preparation before people come over and the clean-up afterward. We wouldn’t know anyone at Disney World so there would be no worries about drop-in visitors.

No winter clothing. I always thought it’s just not Christmas without snow. But most years we don’t get snow for Christmas anyway. All we end up with is a cold, gray day and boots and puffy jackets and mittens and hats. And no one likes to wear them. A holiday gift would be no winter wear.

Yes, I can see it now, a big Christmas Party with fireworks, maybe a dip in the pool, some rides, eating out and lots of time with just the family. That sounds like my ideal Christmas. Hopefully I can convince my husband the same thing before next Christmas comes.