Throwback Thursday # 26 – Vacations/Holidays

I’m back again to host Throwback Thursday Blog Hop. I hope today’s topic is relatable to all. I am aware that what we call vacations in the US, are often called holidays elsewhere. I hope to read about what others did for their breaks.  Maggie will be back to host again next week. If you want to join in, it’s easy:

• Write your own post sharing your memories and leave a pingback to this post in the comments.
• You can use the photo above in your post to make it easier to find.
• Tag it with #TBTMemory or #IRememberWhen.
• If you do not wish to write your own post, feel free to tell your story in the comments below.

My choice for this week’s prompt is: Vacations or Holidays on the other side of the pond.

Did you and your family have regular vacations/holidays?

Were they like most people I knew, tied to school holidays?

Were vacations a big deal or just time to get away?

Did the whole family always travel together or did the kids go away for their own time?

Can you think back to a wonderful vacation memory that you treasure? Were their any fiasco vacation memories you wish never happened? Were there some that you can laugh about now, but at the time were horrible?

Were your vacations times to go, go, go, or were they time to relax and refresh?

Feel free to add pictures if you’d like to.

My Post Follows:
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We never had what you would call vacations when I was a kid. There was no money for getting away. I never thought much about it, because my friends were in the same boat as I was. Our school vacations would mean a long trip to see my paternal grandparents. I was thrilled to visit them.

When my mom would drop us off, I knew I would enjoy my visit. Visiting with my grandparents was a vacation from stress at home. We never went anywhere or did anything other than just be a family. I loved it. My younger brother and I would spend hours finding hiding places at their house. It was fun to just be a kid without the drama. If there was a Dodger game on, we were allowed to watch, but no talking about anything but the game. I understood the game and enjoyed sitting with my grandpa. He used to tell us that he moved from New York to California because the Dodgers moved here.

I enjoyed helping my grandma prepping the table for lunch and dinner. I enjoyed learning about the correct dishes for each meal. (She kept a Kosher kitchen.) I had such respect for their living their beliefs. My grandma was a kind and gentle woman. When/if she and grandpa would have a disagreement, they never involved us. My grandpa was Mr. Old Country. He typically wore a suit and tie every day. On the rare occasion he was in a button-down shirt without a tie, I was shocked. My grandpa had the ability to make each of us feel like we were his favorite.

Short school holidays meant an occasional Sunday drive and pizza at a restaurant. Sunday was typically the only day my mom wasn’t working. When I was in middle school, I had a friend that went on real family vacations. They would travel to far away places. It was fascinating to me to know that people really did that. In high school, I learned that some extended family members had their kids go away to summer camps. I never understood that. I couldn’t imagine being away from your parents. They seemed to enjoy it though.

When I had my kids, I wanted more for them. (Just like most parents do.) We would visit an amusement park once a year in the summer as our big get away. One year we would go to Disneyland, another year Knott’s Berry Farm, Bush Gardens, Sea World, and the Wild Animal Park.  We had numerous trips to the beach every summer, of course. I would pack lunches and Kool-Aid to keep costs down. I would search out inexpensive places to take my kids. We had many fun adventures. They would probably be considered dull by today’s standards.  

 

As my kids got older, we would do more adventurous trips. I think camping at Lake Tahoe was one of my all-time favorites. My kids enjoyed the tent camping, but not the freezing nights. During the day they were in bathing suits, and at night we all wore thermals and sweats inside our mummy bags.

We had one terrible tent camping adventure. We were traveling up the Pacific Coastline staying at numerous beaches. A few of the campsites were full and we had to continue driving. Tween girls, fighting in the backseat was no fun. We stayed at what seemed like a beautiful campground north of San Louis Obispo. At sunset, the entire campground was inundated with hoards of mosquitos. We were trapped in our tent. When we need to use the facilities, we ran for our lives. We packed up the next morning and lost the three-day reservation money. I don’t laugh about it yet. Maybe in another 40 years.

All our camping vacations were rest and relaxation for the kids and my ex. On the other hand, for me it was work, work, work. I had to cook, wash the dishes in a pot of hot water, keep the tent clean, pack and unpack all the time, etc. I still enjoyed it very much. I have terrific memories of our vacations.

 

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