Home for the Holidays

Have you ever made plans to try and get home for Christmas from another state? If you have you know how difficult it can sometimes be, between the weather and the traffic, heading home for the holiday can be a down right battle. The time between Thanksgiving and Christmas is the busiest travel time of the year overall. Between the weather and airlines over booking holiday travel can be quite an ordeal. When the weather gets bad airport closures affect everyone all over the country, flights get canceled and delayed, people miss connections it can ruin ones holiday spirit, but still we go.

According to Orbitz.com 2 of the most traveled to Christmas destinations happen to be right here in warm, sunny Florida. Miami is #10 and Orlando is #2 but the fact that Orlando is #2 can’t surprise many people; it’s one of the most traveled to destinations in the world any time of the year. The Disney parks and Universal Studios are common destinations but have you ever considered Christmas at Sea World? It’s a great place to learn about the oceans that surround our state on three sides and they have great holiday themed shows and a Christmas Luau. I’ve been to it, it’s great.



So why do we do it? Why do we risk getting stuck in some stuffy, smelly airport with tired, rude, strangers potentially eating bad institutional food out of styrofoam risking missing a delicious meal off our Grandmother’s china prepared by people who love us? Well that’s just it isn’t it – being with family. In 1954 Perry Como recorded that timeless classic (There's No Place Like) Home for the Holidays and apparently that’s how most people feel about it, get home to the ones you love at all costs.

It seems that some of the most popular, best loved movies about the holidays involve someone trying to get home. Two of the best are Planes, Trains and Automobiles starring John Candy and Steve Martin and who can forget poor little Kevin McAllister who gets left Home Alone while his family heads to France for Christmas, worse yet thieves try to break in and he has to defend his home. There were 4 movies in this series, it was pretty popular.

Another great thing about getting and being home for the holidays is all the local festivities and the hometown happenings where you meet up with old friends and people you haven’t seen since the last time you were home. One of my family’s traditions is to go around the neighborhoods looking at all the decorations and lights. Everybody puts up Christmas lights in Florida, there’s no reason not to, we don’t have bad weather and it doesn’t really get all that cold so things don’t blow down or fall over covered with snow. Our decorations keep longer; I think that’s why so many people put in the time and effort to do it.

Wherever you find yourself this holiday be it with family and friends or quietly at home I wish you all a very Merry Christmas and Happy Holiday season.