The Stress-Free, No-Travel Holiday

Credit: Sam Howzit

Almost every year in December, my hubby and I head home to the Midwest to see family. When we added our daughter, we maintained the tradition. Last year at Christmas, my daughter was a fairly new walker and getting into everything. By the time we got through security at the airport with her and the stroller and the bags, we were sweating. I don’t think we stopped sweating until we landed in Kansas City.

We spent our entire week around Christmas driving from friend to family member, from family member to friend. We had every day jam-packed with people we never get to see. And while it was an absolute blast, it was also very busy. And a little stressful.

But when we added kid No. 2? Well, we decided that travel with an infant plus a 2-year-old wasn’t sounding so fun. Flights would be pricey, our daughter wouldn’t want to sit still. Driving for two days each way? Shockingly, that didn’t sound appealing either. So we decided to stay home and do an immediate-family Christmas. It’s sad to not get to see extended family and friends, but we don’t go too long without seeing them, so it’s not the end of the world to spend Christmas away.

There are so many upsides, too. No crazy travel. No interrupted sleep with kids who don’t do well sleeping in different places. No hour-and-a-half drive we always do on the holiday itself to get from one gathering to the next. Instead, it’ll be just us on Christmas morning, starting our own traditions. I’ll be making a couple of the splurges I always enjoy around the holidays. But mostly, I’ll just be enjoying family and a little bit of downtime. As much “downtime” as one can get with two kids, anyway.

Have you started your own family traditions now that you have a family? —Erin