When your family gets sick while traveling for Christmas

So before this sounds too dramatic and cruel, we weren’t horribly sick while traveling for Chrismtas and we weren’t terribly far from home when we were traveling-Vancouver BC, our hometown is only a 3 hour drive from Seattle where we live-but I remember joking with friends over drinks a few nights before Christmas about being sick at Christmas and I said the fateful words:

“Sick at Christmas? Thankfully, it’s never happened to us” and then I knocked on granite when I should have knocked on wood.

Because as fate would have it, right before Christmas we were staying downtown Vancouver in a hotel and had all these wonderful plans to see the Christmas Market, or check out the Trinity Street Light Display, and revisit our favorite Christmas acitivities around downtown Vancouver before we started our family visit extravaganza (I have a TON of family and they all live within minutes of each other!) and then our plans were drastically changed and we ended up hanging out in our room watching Christmas dvd’s and taking turns sleeping and nursing sick kids back to health.

I was pretty devastated that the boys’ 6th Christmas was flawed, but my brother-in-law reminded me that it’s just a day like any other day and that I can see everyone I see at Christmas almost any time during the year and it’s actually impossible to see EVERYONE I want to see on that very day.  We just need to make it a point to celebrate more together and relish in the time we have together when we actually have it.  So that made me feel a lot better and I know I’m going to try and do that more in the New Year; just love and celebrate life in a more intentional way.

But because this was one of our first times being pretty sick while traveling, I can’t recommend hotels that are suites enough when traveling with kids.  When you are healthy it’s a great way to put the kids to bed then watch a movie or have one spouse sneak out and grab dessert and revisit a virtual “life before kids” world again.  But when grownups need rest after a rough night of taking care of little ones that can’t sleep at least you can separate into different rooms and it makes things easier when people need to sleep and kids need to play.  The suite hotel that we stayed at this time was nice but we’ve stayed in many Vancouver hotels and we’ve really loved the suites at the Sunset Inn, the Grand Residences at the Sutton Place Hotel, the Georgian Court Hotel and L’Hermitage and I’ve found pretty good deals on Expedia that are often cancellable without penalty.

Another friend reminded me that moms never get sick. And this time I didn’t.

So I walked through the city a little on my own.  Vancouver is so beautiful at Christmas. And when you’re totally alone, it’s absolutely peaceful.

And we got to slow things down at a time of year that’s usually full of running around from house to house, party to party, celebration to celebration and just enjoy the time I had with my family.  And even though we missed out in some parts, Christmas still came. (Cue Whos singing Fah who foraze….)

My sis and I even got to go to Skoah for a little pampering together.  Our gift to each other was a Christmas facial together because we are trying to do more experiences and less stuff and this seemed like the perfect way to relax during the holidays.  I started going to Skoah ages ago in Vancouver and I love that they are now in Seattle!  Their products are great and they give amazing massages with their facials too.

So now we’re home and resting and putting the decorations all away until next year.  And while this wasn’t the most fabulous Christmas ever, we still had it in our hearts and I’m thankful for our family, friends and we’re hoping for good health and more adventures for 2015.

(PS. never joke about being sick at Christmas, ever.  It’s definitely bad karma.)

Terumi

Terumi Pong is a Seattle-based family travel writer and mom of twin teenage boys.  She loves coffee and pastries, shopping local and looking for greener ways to live.  She is also known as Scout’s mom (Scout is a 5ish pound little black yorkie-poo)