A Good Sam survey of 10,000 RV owners revealed that most planned to to travel during the holiday season, with this trend to holiday travel:
- 33% at Thanksgiving
- 30% at Christmas & Chanukah
- 28% at New Year's
The survey indicated that most head for warmer climes, such as a sunny beach (58%) while another 49% visit friends (as reported on BusinessWire, Dec. 2, 2008).
But even while they're on the go, survey respondents keep up some traditions of Christmas decorating.
Christmas Decorating for Rvs
About a third of the survey respondents indicated that they decorate their rig in one way or another.
- A traditional tree that can be seen from the outside is common (34%)
- A wreath hung from the grill is a novel idea (16%)
- Decorating the dashboard provides traveling décor for those on the go (36%)
Since RVs have the space neither to store nor to display boxes of decorations, many RVers enjoy creating original hand-made decorations from found or gathered materials.
Outdoor Christmas Lighting Ideas for the RV
Lights on or around the rig are common
- Lights outside the rig is the most popular decorating idea (43%)
- Decorating the entire campsite is fun for 38% of those surveyed.
Many lighting ideas are based on strings of readily available low-cost, energy efficient LED lights
- Around the windshield,
- Along the roof line
- Strung along a fence bordering the campsite
Solar-powered LED garden lights are also a popular campsite decorating item, and the multi-colored LED lights that change colors are particularly attractive at Christmas.
Desert Décor for Christmas
Long-time RVers Bob and Lynn Diffley are quoted in RV Destinations (posted Dec. 25, 2008) describing one Christmas they spent on the high desert in Valley of Fire State Park. This is a good example of adapting local materials.
- “For our holiday tree, we captured an errant tumbleweed en route through our campsite, propping it up with a cairn of rocks on our RV’s dash.
- “We designed decorations to go on this mini 'tree' by cutting circles out of colored art paper on which we reproduced the Native American petroglyphs found in the park. We hung them on the branches with tiny red and green ribbons.
- “With our wrapped presents under our tree and a circle of colored lights around our windshield our creation was quite festive.
- “Santa surprised us on Christmas morning by leaving a light dusting of fresh snow on the red rocks and cacti in our desert campsite.”
Christmas Decorations for Small Spaces
The average RV is a miracle of small-space planning, but few have room for a full-sized traditional tree. Colleen Sykora, writer and editor of RV Life and Travel, offered a variety of tips in Decorating the RV for the Christmas Holidays (fabuloustravel.com, posted August 6th, 2007).
- Decorate for the Senses – Sykora recommends using consumable items that look, smell, and taste like Christmas. Gingerbread, which “not only smells like Christmas but tastes like it too”; or Candy Canes which add color, and which once unwrapped add scent and flavor (or use them to stir a cup of Christmas tea). Scented candles also give color, light, and cheer (take care that they don't overpower the small space in an RV).
- Think Small – where a house has wall space for Christmas wreaths or pictures, an RV doesn't. Sykora suggests using tree ornaments as wall hangings. “In the tiniest of spaces, I hang a similar ornament. In...larger areas, I make a grouping of several [similar] ornaments.” Sykora also acquired a 10-inch tall Christmas tree (complete with lights) that can fit almost anywhere.
- Keep Traditions, but Adapt – Some family traditions are worth keeping, especially for RVers who are far from family. For Sykora, it's Christmas stockings. “I can't remember a Christmas when we didn't hang stockings.” If a Class A has a fireplace, hanging stockings is no problem. Other RVers may hang them by the stove. “Last year,” reminisces Sykora, “we pinned them to the curtains.”
- Free is Fine – like the Diffleys with their tumbleweed tree, Sykora advises gathering what's available. “A basket of evergreen branches (trimmings picked up at a tree lot) and pinecones (picked from our yard) tied with a red ribbon looks festive on the counter.” The basket may have came from a flea market.
One aspect of Christmas that every RVer can carry around easily: Music. Sykora sees this as essential to the mood. "We fill our home with seasonal music - carols, fun childhood favorites, and new renditions by country artists."
RV travel offers freedom and flexibility, a chance to roam and ramble wherever the road may lead. But at Christmas, the decorations - the sights and sounds and scents of Christmas - are memories of home.
Thomas Alan Gray - Tom has been writing for over 30 years; curiosity leads him to dig into a wide variety of topics.
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