Holidays in a RV - RV-Dreams Community Forum

Steve and Kate · RV-Dreams Family Member

Holidays in a RV

soos · RV-Dreams Family Member

Even with the little storage space we have in a 5th wheel, we have two bins of Christmas decorations, plus a small tree. We tried to keep light weight decorations and ornaments as much as possible. We've supplemented with things like Christmas placemats and tablerunners, and put decent garland up along the cabinets, with lights. We didn't bring enough decoratons to suit us, so we've bought more over the last few years.

If holiday decorating is important to you, I say bring enough to feel like your home is fully decorated.

Sue

GENECOP · RV-Dreams Family Member

We have flat self adhesive reusable Christmas decals , bulbs, trees, etc that go on the windows and sidewalls of RV....and we carry lights...

bigboomer · RV-Dreams Family Member

Steve and Kate,

Christmas has always been a special time in our household and moving from the s & b just made us rethink how to make it special..here is what we do:

http://s962.photobucket.com/user/mybigboomer/library/First%20RV%20Christmas?sort=2&page=1

Hope this inspires and wishing you a very Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

Les and Sue

Edit by moderator: Activated link. Terry

SnowGypsy · RV-Dreams Family Member

When we were in AZ and AL, not a lot of full-timers and snowbirds seemed to decorate. We did at that time but hoping to change to a bare minimum, our Charlie Brown Christmas tree and probably the "mouse family" - a plastic deco where a mouse family sing. With 3 adults versus 2, space will be at a premium. In AZ, they did a party at the clubhouse and then they went out caroling in the park which was more special then decorations in the RV to us.

WestWardHo · RV-Dreams Family Member

Les and Sue,

Thanks for sharing your decorating photos! Love that you incorporated ornaments into your lighted garlands!

Sherry

Cindy T · RV-Dreams Family Member

I had to give away most of my Xmas décor due to space considerations. But in the RV I have Xmas window clings, we set out a small manger, & some small decorations on the entertainment center around the TV. We put lights outside to make it look festive too.

Loretta · RV-Dreams Family Member

We decorate as much as we can. Our decorations take up little space.

Bill and Linda · RV-Dreams Family Member

We’ve done Thanksgiving, including a full up turkey spread, for our family of 6. But Christmas with the two little kids, including somehow smuggling all the presents, including bikes no less, for the trip to Florida to meet up with my full-timing parents was “interesting - especially in a 21’ Prowler. But we made it work including a tree in my parents 31’ Airstream.

It can be done. Just takes a bit of a desire to make it work. It got easier when we “upgraded” to a 27’ Argosy - all that extra space, wow. It should be a piece of cake now for those in a big 5er.

Just remember why you’re celebrating the season and the rest just falls into place.

Bill

Grams · RV-Dreams Family Member

I did the same thing as you. We started full-timing 12 weeks ago (static for a few more months) but when I started taking down decorations after last Christmas in our S&B, I decided I would only keep one tote of Christmas decorations. I put all items on my dining room table that I loved and figured out what I could MAKE fit into my alloted tote.

This year, I found that I decorated with the items from the tote that held sentimental attachments. I didn't use everything in my tote. And instead of 3 exhausting days of decorating the old S&B, I spent a very enjoyable hour or so decorating my home.

In our large front window sil is a set of hand-carved wooden santas with a string of battery operated snow flake lights, a set of cross-stitched pillows that my mom made are on our bed, a santa candle that belonged to my grandmother is on the bath vanity and a set of Lenox Mr. and Mrs. Clause are on the kitchen counter. Hubby wanted a tree, so I found a 4" fiber optic tree for him that sits on the dining table. I don't like clutter, so less is more enjoyable for me.

Future Fulltimers · RV-Dreams Family Member

Thanks Loretta for the picture of your MH decked out for the holidays. It would be great if we could see how others have decorated their home on wheels for the holidays. (Since we do not have ours yet, so it is easy for me to say!). But I think we all would love to see what others have done.

I go way overboard on our S&B home, probably have enough lights and decorations to fill an RV!

Steve

Lucky Mike · RV-Dreams Family Member

My Beard grows quick and comes in all dusty white........bought me a nice Red bathrobe and one of them fancy nite caps!!!!

now if I can just get Nikki to wear these antlers and this blinking red LED on her nose we are all set!!!!!

RVKevi · RV-Dreams Family Member

We don't do much. I have a small ceramic tree that was given to me almost 35 years ago. It's about 10 inches high. And a small nativity set that I've had even longer.

PIEERE · RV-Dreams Family Member

I'm a Scrooge! All I have is a small tinsel 12" tree and some candy canes. Since i have been on the internet we send cards by email! Oh! Well! The office has a 6' tree and a village scene!

soos · RV-Dreams Family Member

Future Fulltimers wrote:
Thanks Loretta for the picture of your MH decked out for the holidays. It would be great if we could see how others have decorated their home on wheels for the holidays. (Since we do not have ours yet, so it is easy for me to say!). But I think we all would love to see what others have done.
I go way overboard on our S&B home, probably have enough lights and decorations to fill an RV!
Steve

I tried to post pictures of the interior of our 5th wheel, all decked out for Christmas, but my iPad won't post pictures and I freely admit I have gotten lazy and don't want to bother booting up the laptop to post pics.

Once I get "un" lazy I might be able to post.

Sue

DebbieM · RV-Dreams Family Member

I love the pictures and ideas too. While I'd love to see more holiday pictures, I'd REALLY love to see just pictures in general to see how folks make their home "their own". Decorations, family pictures, new curtains, rugs etc. I'm really looking forward to the walk throughs at the rally.

--Debbie

Loretta · RV-Dreams Family Member

The walk-thrus at the rally are great. I was so impressed but the different floor plans and the ideas that others had. We were in the process of redoing ours so we didn't have ours open. Now, it is finished for the most part. We are hoping to make another rally next year.

NWescapee · RV-Dreams Family Member

We chose not to bring any of our decorations with us due to not having enough room, maybe someday when we're both retired and we don't need the space / cargo capacity for work related items we'll be able to have a more festive look. We do have some our our most favorite keepsakes in storage, for the past 20+ years I've collected ornaments whenever we went on vacation so we have some special treasures we were not ready to get rid of but couldn't bring along, so they are in storage until we figure out how to have holiday decorations on a larger scale.

This year we bought a tree shaped Rosemary plant (seems wonderful!!) from Home Depot and then some small LED lights, ribbon and miniature ornaments from Michaels. We'll enjoy the tree through Christmas and then, well, I've started collecting recipes that have fresh rosemary as a seasoning. So we'll get to savor our little tree!!

Terry and Jo · RV-Dreams Family Member

Jo and I seldom ever decorate for Christmas and usually have only had a tree when we planned on planting a live Pine tree on our property after using it for a Christmas tree. While my mother was a avid decorator for holidays, I do still like to see the ideas of others.

The photos below are NOT of our trailer, but of another couple with a DRV Suites with the same floor plan. It has the peninsula kitchen counter and desk like ours. In their case, they deleted the fireplace from the normal place and had file drawers installed instead. Then, they took a smaller fireplace and had it inserted in the "corner" of the peninsula counter. That gave them a fireplace with the counter top serving as a mantle for their decorations and a place to hang stockings.

Terry

Terry and Jo · RV-Dreams Family Member

DebbieM wrote:
I love the pictures and ideas too. While I'd love to see more holiday pictures, I'd REALLY love to see just pictures in general to see how folks make their home "their own". Decorations, family pictures, new curtains, rugs etc. I'm really looking forward to the walk throughs at the rally.

--Debbie

Debbie,

I cannot take any credit for decorating, but Jo does a fairly good job at it. She has hung small paintings around our Mobile Suites. Look at the link below, which will take you to a folder on our Photobucket account that has pictures of our trailer. The first couple of pages are of just the trailer before decorating. If I remember right, I think the pictures with paintings in them start showing up on about page 3 of this folder.

Terry and Jo's New Home

Terry

NWescapee · RV-Dreams Family Member

OK, here's a question for those of you decorating, are you stationary during the entire month of December? We've already moved from Phoenix to Tucson due to Dale's art show schedule, will move to a state park for a week and then heading to Quartzsite as soon as my vacation time from work starts. I'm trying to figure out how you decorate and then move, but maybe you aren't moving much.

Just curious, I really didn't feel we could do a lot of decorating when we were moving 3 times in the month of December. I'd love to hear any tips on how you manage more extensive decorating if you are on the move.

01zeosix · RV-Dreams Family Member

Here's a tip that worked for me. I've used "Quakehold" Museum Putty for a number of items in my Suite. Lamps, bric-a-brac, even an Epson All-N-One printer. Works great for what I need. Cheap enough to try, anyway. I used to pack away all that stuff before moving. Now my table lamps, bric-a-brac, and the printer stay put.

Museum Putty

Hope this helps some.

Hdrider · RV-Dreams Family Member

We didn't decorate when we had the s&b's so not decorating in the RV is no big deal to us. In fact we decorated more this year than ever because we have a 2" tall Santa that is solar powered and dances in the front windshield LOL!!
I guess being in the greedy field of retail for so many years dampened my Christmas spirit. Diane isn't a Christmas person either so it works great for us. NO CHRISTMAS STRESS for us I guess.

jrzygrl64 · RV-Dreams Family Member

Thanks everyone for the pics! I was wondering how we would handle the holidays next year in our 5th wheel with no place to put a tree! (not the usual 6' one anyways) and I LOVE the garland with the ornaments idea! I am so going to copy-cat that one! Like someone else said, we have collected ornaments from a lot of places we have been over the years, and I love remembering each trip as I unpack them every year! Plus, of course, ones the kids made when they were small! I can almost picture it already, a section for each "theme". Or, maybe just mix them up! And, I love the lights on the awning idea also!

Very festive everyone!