It won’t be long now! Old Saint Nick has his sled all polished and ready to go, Rudolph and the rest of the herd are getting anxious and putting their game faces on, and kids young and old across the world are eagerly waiting for Christmas morning to see what Santa brought them.
I love this time of the year in RV parks. RVers are the friendliest people in the world, and during the holidays they are even more so! Everybody we see says Merry Christmas, and a lot of RVs and RV sites are decorated with lights and other holiday adornment.
Fulltime RVers and snowbirds have lots of choices when it comes to celebrating Christmas. Some are with family up in the cold country, waiting for the holidays to get behind them before they head south toward warmer weather, while others are fortunate to have kids and grandkids who have the good sense to already live in the Sunbelt, making life much easier for everybody concerned.
For those of us who are a long way from our kinfolk this Christmas, spending time with our extended RV family is always fun. Many will be sharing a potluck dinner at their RV park. Others will go out to dinner someplace, either on their own or as a group.
We know many RVers who celebrate the holidays by giving their time to help others. A number of them will be serving meals to the homeless and others in need at churches and other places around the country where the less fortunate can get a good meal and, hopefully, some holiday cheer. I got an e-mail yesterday from Mitch and Marti Geoff, who are in a small town in Mexico where they go every year for Christmas, delivering donated clothing and toys to an orphanage that their church has adopted. When it comes to the spirit of giving, the RV community is a fine example.
Last Christmas Terry and I were at the Peace River Thousand Trails, and really wanted to come back up to the Orlando Thousand Trails preserve. So when I found out that they had openings, we made a spur of the moment decision and left Christmas morning, driving 65 miles back to the Orlando campground, which is actually in Clermont. Once we were settled in, we hooked up with our friends Dave and Jean Damon and went to dinner at, where else, a Chinese buffet. I was talking to Dave yesterday, and I suspect we’ll do the same thing this time around too. Hey, you have your Christmas traditions. and I have mine! :)
So what are you doing for Christmas? Thought For The Day – No one ever says "It’s only a game" when their team is winning.
Nick Russell
World-Famous, New York Times Best Selling Author, and All-Around Nice Guy!
Chinese restaurant ? Sounds like ” A Christmas Story” to me.
I am one of those who will spend some phone time with my cold weather zone offspring family and join my RV park “family” in a park wide carry-in pig out. Then probably watch some obligatory football game or other.
I may be a grinch, but I have never understood the need to volunteer to serve food to the homeless. Why can’t the homeless work the serving line themselves?
Anyway, we have 10 relatives driving from Wisconsin to Des Moines for Christmas. The good news is they have motel reservations.
JC
@ Jerry, I’m going to take your comment at face value (and not assume some underlying cynicism) and respond with the thought that perhaps the point of having the more fortunate serve the homeless on this day is to give them a little sense of dignity and privilege even if only for a brief moment.