Are the Holidays Emotional

[johngov.]

I was just wondering how some long term cruisers feel around Christmas time and other "family" holidays. Do you find yourselves in a beautiful faraway place but with a tinge of a want to be around extended family, or does the experience just fill you up to the point where you don''t think about such things? Thanks for your thoughts and Merry Christmas to All!
John Gov.

[sailnaway]

We flew home to Colorado for the Holliday.
I missed my bost the whole time she is a part of me after all. I called her on the phone but no anwser. Next year I will have a voice recorder that says Hi you have reached the Sailing Vessel Krugerrand( sexy female Voice)my master is not aboard right now but leave a message and I will tell him you called.

[rskaug]

John,
My wife and I are long term cycle touring and experienced our first Thanksgiving and Christmas away from family this year. It has been a little hard for us but in some ways it makes the holidays a little easier for our families. They all have so much to do and places/parties during the holidays that it becomes a statistical impossibility for everybody to be with everybody in their lives.

We made sure to get around for a good visit with everyone before we left in September and will fly home in June for my son''s graduation and will visit with everyone again then. I''ve told everyone that I would like to share more in their activities and lives when we are at home and that has really helped. I was able to spend one on one time before we left that is really better for the relationships than the usual holiday gatherings.

We have tried to have our own small celebrations while we are on the road but truthfully those fall a little flat. I think in the future we will simply focus on the spiritual meaning of the day. I think one inevitably loses some things by being away but there is so much added that we certainly don''t think we will be changing our plans. We expect to be on our bicycles until the fall of this year and then will take up our cruising life.

But there are no grandchildren yet. We''ll see if that changes the outlook.

Dick