THE BENEFITS OF SPENDING YOUR
HOLIDAYS
IN THE
When most people think about celebrating holidays like Thanksgiving, they think of your “Hallmark family” dinners in a home with the entire family. Images of a roasted turkey or duck being pulled out of the oven in the kitchen as the family runs around setting the table, getting seated, and preparing for the meal. Often a blessing or traditional thanks may be offered before the main dish is served, and the meal will go on leisurely until everyone gradually makes their way from the table to a family room with a movie, game, or other activity in which everyone can participate. For others, a gathering of friends with a potluck selection of infused dishes and a night on the town before Black Friday shopping may be the most enjoyable way to spend the holidays. For the last 21 years, I’ve celebrated Thanksgiving in a similar manner, with one distinctive difference: I’ve celebrated the holiday while camping with my family. We serve all of your traditional sides, roast a turkey, sit by the fire over drinks and desserts, and even have had the chance to catch a few of the Bowl games depending on the year and what services the campgrounds offered. By all counts, it is your traditional family Thanksgiving dinner, except it is set in the woods of Michigan, the mountains of North Carolina, or the front range of Colorado. Every year, as we prepare for the holidays and time spent with family near and far, the topic of holiday traditions arises, and I proudly share this story. It seems so simple to me, yet so
OUTDOORS BY BEN OWENS
foreign to so many people, and each time I tell the story, I’m reminded of the importance of making memories with those closest to you. Whether it is a family dinner or a gathering of close friends and peers, traditions like these allow us to enjoy unique, memorable moments that we don’t always have time to appreciate in our daily lives. In 1998, my family decided to upgrade from the old reliable family tent to a camper. Now, it wasn’t fancy and didn’t have many bells and whistles compared to similar RV’s today, but it was a big upgrade, and we felt confident enough to take years of your standard holiday tradition and know-how and throw them out the window, deciding instead to attempt the entire event from a camper in the middle of a campground in the beginning of winter in Michigan. And we had a blast. We collected firewood, hiked through the trails, sang trail songs to notify hunters that we were in the area, and explored much of Sleeping Bear Dunes National Park over our holidays in Michigan. Over the years, we moved from Michigan to North Carolina, North Carolina to Arizona, and then I headed off to school in Missouri before moving to Chicago, eventually settling in Colorado. In spite of all the moves and miles, no matter what state my sister, my parents, or I found ourselves in, we always had Thanksgiving to look forward to as our time together. And that tradition continues to this day, as we plan our 22nd year camping for the Thanksgiving holidays.
MEMORABLE HOLIDAY TRADITIONS POSITIVELY IMPACT OUR LIVES
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