Many Kelly Walsh students take family vacations over the extended break from school. These trips replace receiving extravagant gifts or spending time sledding, ice skating, or hitting the Hogadon slopes.
The opportunity to escape the winter conditions and snow is something that many families prefer over a traditional Wyoming white Christmas. Some families even balance remaining in winter conditions while seeing new sights. Not to mention, these families get experiences and countless memories.
There are many places people travel over the holiday, but many are going somewhere warm and sunny. According to EF, a company that puts together trips for all kinds of different groups, a Christmas vacation to one of these places can help the body reset and give a boost of Vitamin D and serotonin; these can change both mood and physical health. Many students agree that the vacation comes at a perfect time in the school year.
Last year, Lillian Hudson, a junior, traveled to the Dominican Republic with her family. This was a highly anticipated trip because they received the vacation as a gift the previous year. Although Hudson said she was, “a little sad to miss the Christmas activities over the holiday,” she looks back at the trip fondly.
“It was so warm and the culture is very different. Even though it isn’t the same, it’s something I would do over and over again,” said Hudson.
This was the first time Hudson went on vacation over Christmas; this year she will be staying home for the holiday. However, several other students will be traveling with their families for the first time, escaping the cold in exchange for memories and experiences.
Junior Mylie Morrison will be traveling to Hawaii this break, more specifically, the island of Maui. Exchanging tangible gifts has become a major part of the Christmas holiday in some families, but according to The Guardian, sometimes physical gifts lose significance over time, but shared experiences often remain memorable.
“I am happy with only going on vacation instead of getting gifts because I’m getting to explore different parts of Hawaii, which is definitely a gift!” said Morrison.
She will come back with some physical gifts, notably a fresh tan, souvenirs, and maybe some leftover pieces of sand. For some, these vacations are typical. Christmas travel for them has long replaced a Wyoming Christmas and presents under the tree.
This year, however, the vacation won’t mean the sacrifice of a white Christmas for senior Sarah Klosterman. She is visiting Scotland, a country with lively Christmas traditions known for the “first-footer” and festive food like “black buns.”
“I miss my friends over break, but I have gotten to see some really cool places and be with my family while doing so,” Klosterman said.
The holidays are a special time for family, and a vacation together highlights this even more. Instead of focusing on material items, these “experiences are super impactful in comparison to gifts,” said Klosterman, she continues “the memories we make and places I see will be with me forever, where physical gifts are only temporary.”
For many students, these trips are more than just a break from school; they give students memories, laughs, and experiences. Years from now, they may not remember the gifts they unwrapped, but they will remember the feeling of a vacation with the people they love most. Sometimes, the most meaningful part of a holiday isn’t the exchange of items, but instead what is experienced together.
