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For those who are new to RV living, Christmas camping in an RV might not feel like the best way to spend the holidays. Some are likely worried about spending the season away from family. Others might be worried about getting through cold weather in a rig that probably has far too little insulation. Still other RVers might be worried about decorations, where to put gifts, or how to make Christmas camping feel special.
We have good news! You can totally have an amazing holiday season while living in your RV. No, things won’t be the same as they were in a sticks-and-bricks house, but they can be wonderful and festive nonetheless. In fact, once you get things figured out, you might even find you prefer Christmas camping.
Not sure how to begin planning Christmas camping in your motorhome or trailer? Here are our top tips for making it absolutely amazing.
Consider the Weather
We mentioned above that cold weather can be a concern when living in an RV. This is very true and it’s the reason most people put their RVs away for the winter. Of course, when your RV is your home, this isn’t an option. This means you have to get creative when it comes to riding out the winter weather.
Seeing as you don’t want to be freezing your buns off while trying to enjoy the holidays, we highly recommend taking the weather into consideration when deciding where you will be for your Christmas camping adventure. While it is possible to stay in a cold-weather location, you will want to take steps to ensure your rig stays cozy and warm. This might include adding more insulation and covering the windows.
Another option? Head south for the winter and spend your holidays in the warmth and sunshine. This is the route many full time families take, and one we highly recommend. SoCal, Arizona, southern Texas, and Florida are all good picks when it comes to choosing a place to spend the winter in an RV.
Go Christmas Camping with Friends
Nobody wants to be all alone on Christmas. Sure, you’ll have your little family unit with you wherever you roam, but if you can’t be with extended family, we recommend making plans to be with traveling friends instead. After all, when it comes to events like Christmas parties, more people tends to equal more fun, and your kids are sure to appreciate having playmates close by.
Not sure where to find other full time families to spend the holidays with? We highly recommend heading to a Thousand Trails park in Florida, south Texas, or SoCal. An enormous number of traveling families spend their winters in these locations, meaning you’re bound to find some folks who would be happy to share their Christmas with some new friends.
For more help finding friends on the road, be sure to snag a Fulltime Families membership. This will give you access to location-specific social media groups that assist with making connections. It’ll also make it possible for you to join rallies, hangouts, and other events that provide opportunities for meeting new people.
Make Traditions a Priority
One of the things that make Christmas camping so special? Traditions. If you have some awesome traditions from years past, do what you can to bring those along into your RV. If that isn’t possible, make a point of starting new traditions.
Obviously, these can be the usual things like decorating the Christmas tree together with Christmas music playing or opening the doors of an advent calendar each night leading up to the big day. That said, they can also be less common traditions like heading to Waffle House for breakfast in your Christmas PJs on Christmas Day, or going caroling from one RV to the next in your RV park.
Whatever traditions you have, make an effort to keep them from one year to the next. You’ll love the incredible memories you make upholding your Christmas traditions through the years.
Decorate the Rig
Speaking of decorating the Christmas tree, make sure to decorate your RV too! Your RV Christmas decorations might look a little bit different than the decorations you used in your stick-and-bricks house, but they’ll be just as fun to put up and look at throughout the season.
If you don’t have room for a full-size Christmas tree, find an alternative such as a tabletop tree, a pencil tree, or even a felt tree that hangs on the wall. Make decorating your RV tree an event just as you would any other tree. Other RV Christmas decoration ideas include garlands and/or lights hanging in the rig, decorative holiday throw pillows or rugs, and outdoor RV Christmas decorations to make your site look festive and fun.
Don’t have room to carry Christmas decorations? Consider buying inexpensive or used decor and then donating the items when you’re done. There’s also the option of chopping your own Christmas tree in a national forest. This is a wonderful, memorable way to acquire a tree that can be burned in a campfire when the season comes to a close.
Keep Gifts to a Minimum
Living in an RV can feel really cramped, especially when you’re living in a motorhome or trailer with kids. For this reason, we highly recommend keeping physical Christmas gifts to a minimum while full timing. Consider cutting back to just two or three items per person and make sure the gifts you choose are useful and practical for RV life.
There are a number of practical physical gifts included in this gift guide that would be perfect for your little RVing family. For kids, we especially love open-ended toys such as LEGO as well as outdoor toys that can be used in the campground to connect with other kids. For adults, useful but fun items such as hammocks, fire pits, and camping chairs are all great ideas.
If you don’t feel like a couple of items each is enough, you can make Christmas a little more exciting by including experience gifts as well. There are a huge number of amazing experience gift ideas out there, and finding one that your loved ones will adore should be a cinch. Here are some of our favorite experience gifts for RVing families.
These are just a few of our top tips for Christmas camping. If you need even more ways to make your RV Christmas an incredible one, check out these 18 tips for celebrating Christmas in your RV. No matter how you choose to celebrate, we hope you have a wonderful holiday season as you enjoy amazing RVing adventures with your family and make new friends along the way!
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