California Christmas?

Christmas travel can be expensive and stressful. But it can also be an amazing get away from tradition.

Typically, we have spent our Christmases doing the same thing... bouncing from house to house, doing the divorced family Christmas thing. Sharing time, splitting up days and trying to make sure everyone gets equal, or at least a satisfactory amount of time with the grandkids. It can be very hard. Hard on everyone. Bouncing the kids from place to place, trying to squeeze fun into a tight time frame.  Everyone is watching the clock, and celebrating on a schedule just so you can make your next scheduled appointment.

Then there's the gifts. Too many gifts. Too much pressure. Too much stuff you really don't need. All you really need is the company of your loved ones. That's truly all you really crave. Cookies are nice, but they don't replace the hugs and giggles with Grandpa or Uncle Earl or whomever you adore. Those visits can be any time. Any time of year at all. Equally wonderful on the 12th of the month, 24th or 29th.

So last year we tried things a little differently. We made sure to get our special visits in. Just on different days and in a different fashion. We had a gift ban with all friends and relatives. It was actually very liberating. Families that we typically exchange gifts with all agreed NO GIFTS, just casual evening visits in the "holiday season." It was like an invisible burden was lifted. We all shared the same sentiment.

We decorated the house very minimally. We saved our gift money etc and put it towards a family vacation. We happened to snag a bargain. (Are you surprised? LOL) We had 8 days in Maui. It was a gift to ourselves. We opted for surfing lessons on the 27th of Dec. and watched the sunset on the beach the same night. Instead of turkey, we had tacos. Instead of candy canes, we had macadamia nuts. And on New Year's eve, we went to a Luau. It was amazing. What an experience!

Did anyone miss Christmas? Nope. Did anyone miss the stress? Nope. But it's also not something you can do every year. It's a treat.

It can even work on a budget. West Jet looks like they still have some decent priced flights to California. Bypass LAX and use the SNA (Anaheim airport). And unless you are into crowds, I probably wouldn't make it my first or only visit to Disneyland. But what about Christmas in San Diego? Or Palm Springs?  California is a new destination for West Jet. There are still some bargains out there, more so than Florida at this time of the year.

West Jet package prices for a week at Christmas 2011 start around $1000 per person. However, airfare & hotel booked separately leads to increased opportunity to save money and tailor your hotel choice. Maybe the family wants to glide down a lazy river at a resort, rather than toboggan down a snow hill this Christmas? You never know unless you try it.

Christmas travel gets 4 thumbs up from my crew.