What Are the Best Ways to Enjoy a Holiday Vacation?

Holiday vacations are meant to be filled with fun and relaxation, but sometimes they can feel downright stressful! You can prevent this from happening by making sure you approach your vacation the right away. There should be a good mixture of relaxation and fun activities on your trip.

You can enjoy Christmas-themed music, dancing, acrobatics, stuns, magic, ventriloquism, and more if you plan right!

 

Here are the best tips for ensuring that your family can fully appreciate your upcoming holiday vacation!

Before You Leave: Limit Electronic Use

One of the most important things you can do for your holiday vacation is limiting how often you use electronics.

This doesn’t mean that you should avoid them altogether, but instead, use them as little as possible. Things like looking up showtimes, good places to eat, and taking photos are all great times for using electronic devices.

However, they should never be used as a distraction! There’s no need to check social media, watch Netflix, or talk to friends back home when you’re supposed to be spending time with the family.

Your kids might rebel against this, but spending too much time on electronics will take away from the appeal of a vacation. What’s the point of buying plane tickets and traveling across the country if you’re just going to focus on what you already have back home?

Get into the Christmas Spirit

The next thing you should aim for is getting the whole family into the Christmas spirit!

There are several ways you can make this happen:

• Play classic holiday music and jingles.
• Dress up in ugly sweaters.
• Drink plenty of hot cocoa.
• Keep an eye out for Christmas lights.
• Do some light holiday shopping.
• Watch Christmas movies when you’re settled in for the night.
• Wear Santa hats!

There is a great reason why the mantra “fake it till you make it” exists. Enacting on the outside how you want to feel inside is the quickest way to get your mind into the spirit of Christmas. If you’re taking a holiday vacation, the goal is to make it feel like an authentic festive experience!

Properly Plan for Themed Entertainment

Since you won’t be watching Netflix and busying your mind with the usual temptations you have at home, this is a great opportunity to catch some themed entertainment!

The simple act of not doing the same things and seeing the same sights that you do every day will naturally help you reduce stress. Taking a break can help you appreciate things that you may take for granted.

While you’re on vacation, take the time to catch some Christmas-themed shows! Something like The Nutcracker is surely a classic, but you can also find entertainment from smaller and local productions.

Here are a few great shows you can catch on vacation:

• Singing and dancing to festive music.
• Playful nativity scenes showcasing the birth of Baby Jesus.
• Plays involving the North Pole and Santa’s helper elves.
• Performances involving other classic Christmas characters like Frosty the Snowman, the Grinch, and the Sugar Plum Fairy.
• Reenactments of Christmas movies like The Polar Express, Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer, and even Home Alone!

The live entertainment you can catch will depend on where you vacation to, but there’s a huge difference between seeing something on a screen and seeing a live performance of it. It’s a surefire way to keep your kids captivated!

Try New Festive Foods

One of the best parts of any vacation is the delicious food you’ll be eating!

When you eat food at home, it usually isn’t very exciting. You get used to eating the same foods daily and it can make them lose appeal.

When you’re on vacation, it’s a completely different story! You’ll get the treat of getting to eat out at new restaurants frequently.

Not only will you be eating out, but the food you eat will taste better! This is because the novelty of trying new foods will trick your brain into preferring it, at least while you’re on vacation!

Think back to the last time you went on vacation. Did you eat the same food you eat at home, or did you try to get adventurous and eat something now? Chances are, you tried something different and you probably loved it!

Eating in an unfamiliar environment can lead you to make different choices. You may be unconsciously compelled to try foods that locals eat because it seems like the right thing to do.

This is a great opportunity for your family to try out some completely new festive foods!

You’re probably accustomed to the American classic Christmas dinner consisting of mashed potatoes, gravy, stuffing, ham, and similar Thanksgiving-Esque fixings.

Consider trying something seafood-based, like linguine, lobster mac-and-cheese, jambalaya, or even seared fish. You might be shocked at how exquisite it tastes!

Reserve Time for Relaxing

While new food and live entertainment is a great way to enjoy your holiday vacation, you shouldn’t neglect the most basic benefit of going on vacation in the first place; relaxing.

The whole point of a family vacation is to unwind, de-stress, and take a break from daily life. Between packing, catching flights, and traveling, there’s a lot of natural stress included with going on vacation.

It’s important to remember this and to dedicate some time to relax! You don’t need to fill every single hour of your vacation with activities. Doing that can add unnecessary stress to your vacation.

You should do your best to get into the Christmas spirit and plan festive activities, but make sure they are things that your family will enjoy! What good is going on vacation if everyone just ends up hating each other before the end of the trip?

Take some time each day to unwind. Consider having at least one whole day dedicated to being lazy and not having any obligations. You’ll be surprised at just how much fun that day might be.

Closing Thoughts

Holiday vacations are one of the most fun things that your family might do all year! Taking a break from the usual rise-and-grind of daily life can provide some perspective and help everyone enjoy life just a little more.

 

On your trip, do your best to limit electronic use to help the family get immersed in the vacation itself. Add some Christmas-themed clothing, music, and activities to help set the right mood.

 

Take the opportunity to try some new foods and see live entertainment! Do things you wouldn’t normally do at home and there’s a good chance you can find appreciation for something new.

 

Don’t forget to create a good balance between fun activities, eating out, and relaxing! The whole goal of your vacation is to have an amazing time and relaxing is a critical part of making that happen.