Suggestions for adding even more sparkle to the season when traveling at this special time of year.
By Scott & Van Russell, F505257
December 2023
Planning an RV trip during the holidays? Wondering how to weave in family customs with your other activities? Have no fear! You don’t need to skimp on holiday cheer just because you are on the road. In fact, a traveling holiday can be a great way to mix things up and try something new. Consider these ideas on how to celebrate and make new memories with your RV crew this year.
HOLIDAY TRADITIONS ARE IMPORTANT TO KIDS
As adults, it can be easy to focus on enjoying the trip itself and skip holiday activities altogether. But kids consider them a big deal. They hold onto traditions and, while traveling, many will still want to take part in the activities you usually do at home. Combine them with a few new traditions — but keep it simple enough to enjoy your travels.
DECORATING A SMALL SPACE
There is nothing quite like decorating your living space with some festive holiday cheer. Just because your space on the road may be tiny, it doesn’t mean you can’t deck the halls in your RV! With a little creativity, it can be a fun project. Plus, anything goes. Throw out the idea of formal or matching decor, and just go for it.
Go slim to go big. Most RVs have limited floor space, but you may have ample vertical space to work with. For the biggest impact, consider a pencil Christmas tree. We can fit a 7-foot-tall pencil tree in our fifth-wheel; while it takes up only 2 feet or so of floor area, its height adds a big wow factor to our RV.
When we decorate the tree, we crimp the ornament hooks tightly onto the branches to keep them from falling off. We use only nonbreakable ornaments, just in case. On travel days, we wrap the tree in a large bed sheet and lay it on its side on top of our bed. At the next destination, we carefully stand it up in position and unwrap it. Shockingly, very few ornaments have ever fallen off over the years of doing it this way. I have also seen other RVers place cling wrap around their tree on travel days.
Don’t have the floor space inside your RV for even a skinny tree? Opt for a tabletop model, or perhaps a couple of them if you have room on your dinette table or dresser. Limited on flat RV surfaces for trees? Think about utilizing RV wall space. You can always hang a felt tree, or create a garland tree that hangs on the wall, from a slideout frame, or on a mirror.
If you don’t have the space for an indoor Christmas tree but would love to have a big one, why not get an outdoor tree? Grabbing a used artificial tree at a thrift store can be a great way to set one up next to your RV without spending much money. Just be sure to secure it to a picnic table or another sturdy structure to keep it from blowing away. Again, use plastic, nonbreakable ornaments and securely attach all tree decor.
Another fun way to add holiday cheer to your RV is with battery-operated string lights. They are easy to hang just about anywhere and give your living space a warm glow. You can also decorate with removable holiday-themed wall decals, or apply window clings to glass surfaces. And don’t forget about adding some cozy holiday-themed throw pillows and blankets to your seating area.
COMMUNITY ACTIVITIES
One simple way to create new family traditions is to find local activities and events. We love holiday travel, because it’s the perfect opportunity to celebrate the same way the locals do in the areas we visit. It can be exciting to experience a community’s character while enjoying a family learning opportunity.
For example, during our first holiday season in our RV, we spent time in the Florida Keys. We checked community calendars and discovered that an oceanside restaurant was hosting a “breakfast with Santa” event. Not only did we get to eat with the big man himself, but he arrived via a United States Coast Guard boat! The anticipation of watching the boat with Santa dock at the restaurant and the excitement as he got out to greet the children was a one-of-a-kind experience our family will never forget.
Many Florida waterfront communities celebrate the holidays with boat parades. Locals decorate private vessels with incredible light displays and float by while blasting Christmas music. We never would have experienced such holiday events in our Midwestern home.
During our travels out West, the Grand Canyon Railway, which normally transports passengers to Grand Canyon National Park for day trips, transforms into a festive “Polar Express” train ride. The trip is full of music, dancing, hot cocoa, and, of course, Santa. Santa boards the train for the journey and meets with each child once the train arrives at the North Pole. He hands each youngster their own special bell, just like in the movie. What a memorable holiday experience this trip was!
As we did in the Keys, the best way to find fun local holiday activities is to check community calendars in the location you are visiting. Also, ask around the campground and talk with folks you meet from the area. We always get the best recommendations from residents during our travels. Local Facebook groups are another source of information about great events going on in the area.
Look for holiday happenings at zoos, botanical gardens, amusement parks, train tours, community centers, libraries, and churches. Churches sometimes offer a live walk-through nativity or present plays. Botanical gardens frequently have incredible light displays. Some zoos come to life at night with special holiday parties. Also, look for information on great neighborhood light displays that you can drive through.
HOLIDAY CAMPGROUND FUN
Sometimes you don’t have to look any further than where you are parked to find holiday fun! Check for an activity calendar at the RV campground where you are staying. These facilities often host planned activities, especially around holidays.
Commonly offered campground events include golf cart parades, visits with Santa, crafts, dances, games, or white elephant gift exchanges. Many places we have stayed at have held campsite decorating contests. We always enjoy seeing decorated golf carts and individual sites. RVers are so creative; it’s amazing to see how some go all out!
CREATE A HOLIDAY COUNTDOWN
Few things generate more excitement than counting down the days to a holiday, especially when each one is filled with fun or surprises. Our family goes a bit overboard with advent calendars and countdowns. While we have purchased premade advent calendars over the years, such as those from Lego or Playmobil, the biggest hits have been our homemade countdowns.
We keep a chalkboard in our RV to maintain a running total of the number of days until Christmas, and each day, one of us draws a fun scene out of the daily number. We also have a small tree that our daughter decorates by unwrapping a mini ornament each day leading up to Christmas. The same set of ornaments is used every year, but she loves the excitement of unwrapping one per day and seeing which one it is.
Another fun countdown that we have used since our girl was small is to unwrap a holiday book each day leading up to Christmas that we read together as a family. We reuse books from previous years but usually start the countdown with one new story per season. You can make this activity free by borrowing books from the library.
A newer family tradition we started in our RV is to light a candle and sing a Christmas carol together each day. We also have done this outside over a campfire. It’s magical to sing together by candlelight or firelight. Another version of this idea is to sing carols while walking around the campground at night to look at other campers’ lights and decorations.
Need something a bit easier? Consider watching a Christmas movie each night, making a simple craft, or creating a sensory tote with dollar store items. Even a coloring sheet a day can be fun and effortless. Anything out of the ordinary can become a memorable family tradition.
Celebrating the holidays in your RV can be a rewarding experience. With a little planning and creativity, you can create a festive atmosphere in your RV wherever you roam. Don’t miss out on the opportunity to celebrate the holiday in a fresh, new way with the locals. Make this holiday on the road with your family memorable!