When it came time to plan this year's winter break, I thought about showing my kids "The Wizard of Oz," then rewinding the climactic "There's no place like home" scene just so they got the point. Sure, a trip to Technicolor Oz and the glittering Emerald City would be a dream. But kids, wouldn't you rather hang out in the root cellar with Dad and me, maybe with some new art supplies and plans for local adventure? The thing is, although we needed a break from routine -- some time together as a family, to relax and enjoy one another -- I wasn't eager to stretch our budget only to end up with a few frantic days of travel. So we brought our vacation attitude home. And it was wonderful.Surely we're not home alone. For many of us -- with the economy so uncertain and vacation days few and far between -- this just isn't a big-trip kind of time. But going nowhere fast (or slow) turned out to be the exact vacation our family was craving. With less money stress, no pressure to overfill days, and designated quality time, we were simply free to enjoy our home, town, and favorite activities. The key was to put a holiday spin on it, because a stay-at-home vacation is really a state of mind. Just ask Birdy, my 5-year-old daughter, who, while turning Cheerios and powdered sugar into tiny doughnuts at our kitchen table, exclaimed, "This is the awesomest staycation ever!" Yes, she's a famously cheap date, but she was right. We were doing stuff we might have done anyway, but because we'd decided we were on vacation, it was awesome.
I am something of a spinmaster, it's true, and I tried to keep the vacation seamless, even when everyday life intruded. When I went for groceries, I called it "treat shopping" and let Birdy and her 9-year-old brother, Ben, pick out special ice cream. When I needed envelopes from the stationery store, the kids bought candy with their souvenir money. We even called errands in town "window shopping." Plus my husband, Michael, and I sought out the kids' input, having each of them plan an entire day (with a few ground rules: one restaurant meal per day, family only, and limited screen time for both kids and parents). Creating an itinerary upped the anticipation factor -- a big part of any vacation, near or far.
Finally, we indulged conspicuously. Because we were saving on the big-ticket items (travel and lodging), we were free to do lots of microscopic splurging. As you know, it's often the little things (souvenirs and treats) your kids remember from even the most exotic vacation.
We spent a long weekend enjoying local outings, special meals, games, and activities, and one night in a motel, but the following tips -- family-tested by us and other happy homebodies -- work whether you've got one day or a whole week with kids rattling around the house. Just treat the ordinary as if it's extraordinary, and it becomes so -- even if you are still in Kansas.
