Tips for Planning a Socially Distanced Christmas

Meagan ButlerOctober 2, 2020

Tips for Planning a Socially Distanced Christmas

Put on your Christmas jammies, break out the eggnog, and celebrate the most wonderful time of the year the best way we all know how — by social distancing. Remember, Santa is watching you, and this year, he’s crabby. Don’t give Santa a reason to add your name to the naughty list for breaking social distancing guidelines this Christmas; use your RV to have a holly-jolly, socially distanced Christmas.

Christmas Tree Cutting

Are you someone who bypasses Thanksgiving and starts decorating your house for Christmas as soon as the last trick-or-treater knocks on your door? Excessive holiday cheer isn’t a bad thing, especially in 2020. We could all use a bit more joy this year, and finding a way to get into the Christmas spirit while keeping a safe distance from large groups of people is as simple as firing up the chain saw. Well, almost.

Instead of putting up the artificial tree and scenting your home with pine-smelling candles, start a new tradition by cutting down your own Christmas tree. If you have to drive to the mountains to get closer to the tree-cutting area, make a weekend out of your adventure, and set up an RV home base at a state or national park. After choosing your tree, come back to your camper for a festive crackling campfire and hot cocoa. If you don’t have an RV, trailer, or camper, it’s easy to rent one. Some rentals even include setup and takedown, so all you need to do is bring your warm-weather gear, a saw, and your tree-cutting permit. Several states host Christmas tree cutting events. If you live in Colorado, Idaho, New Mexico, Utah, or Wyoming, contact the Bureau of Land Management for more information.

Camping for Christmas

Perhaps your idea of a white Christmas involves white sand and no snow. People who live in hotter climates year-round wait for the temperatures to cool off to start their camping season, and for some families, Christmas is the perfect time to head to the campground. If you live in the southern portion of the United States, have a Christmas campout at Death Valley National Park, Everglades National Park, or Saguaro National Park, and avoid the need to travel far or engage with large groups of people. Maintaining social distance in an RV is easy because you get to control your environment, and self-contained rigs allow you to do everything you need to do in one space. 

If national parks aren’t your thing, but you want to have a camping Christmas, take your RV to any open state park, and set up a socially distanced Christmas at the campground. Some state parks may even host modified Christmas celebrations, so there will be no shortage of Christmas cheer. You don’t need to live near Holly Recreation Area or Mistletoe State Park to feel the holiday spirit; your local state park might have a Christmas-themed celebration worth checking out.

Using an RV for a Spare Room

Are you sticking close to home this Christmas, but you’ve got family coming for a visit? The ideal socially distanced Christmas combines holiday celebrations with fewer face-to-face interactions with family members who might fall into the high-risk category for catching COVID-19. Instead of asking your out-of-town guests to stay at a hotel, deck the halls of your RV with red and green, and prepare your guests for the coziest Christmas accommodation: a holiday-themed spare room parked in your driveway. Don’t let images of Cousin Eddie taint your guest’s driveway camping expectations, either. Assure them that your driveway accommodations will feel like a Christmas cottage and not look like the infamous bathrobe wearing, sewer emptying scene from Christmas Vacation. 

 

What if you’ve got an RV on your Christmas list this year, but you’ve got to wait to see if Santa brings you the Airstream you’ve always wanted? Treat your guests with a home-away-from-home sleeping space by renting a camper or RV from Outdoorsy. Whatever RV route you decide on, your guests will have the peace of mind knowing that they’ve made a safe and comfortable choice to socially distance this Christmas. 

Meagan Butler is a freelance creative content writer and editor and an advocate for solo female RVing. Meg is based out of the Denver area and travels in her Airstream Basecamp with her two Cavalier King Charles Spaniels, Teddy and Pippa. When she's not adventuring, she's spending time with her husband and writing for her RV blog, Her Fine Mess.


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