How To Include out of town family members in your holiday celebrations

As the holidays quickly approach, families from all over the country are beginning to set up their holiday celebration schedules. However, for many families, driving to mom and dad’s house might be a little too out of their way. This is often seen within families who may have grown up and spread out across different states.

Others, such as a Marine mom, might have little to no say on a schedule. Nevertheless, if you’re determined to include out of state family members in your holiday celebrations, the following information is for you.

Look At Past Holidays

One of the best methods to implement into your holiday scheduling is to simply look at the past. Stopping to think about actions that you took that worked and didn’t work can be a helpful tool in crafting the best approach to including your family members. This method is best seen within retailers who look at past inventory and marketing strategies to see what worked and what didn’t. Think about some of the concerns and obstacles they had to jump to get to you. Utilizing their frustrations can help you develop a plan to not only convince them to come back and join the celebration but also feel little to no pain doing so.

Meet Them Halfway (Literally)

This might not be the ideal route to take for most, but if the only alternative is to spend the holidays sperate, then this might be your answer. If family members are spread out between long-distances such as New York and LA, then meeting in the middle might be your best bet. This can significantly reduce the amount of money each family has to spend as holiday travels are seen as one of the most expensive times to fly. Instead of being cooped up in a boring hotel, why not pitch in and obtain a beautiful rented cabin for the week. This will not only get your family together but can truly make it memorable.

Be Flexible

Although the list of tips posted above is certainly good recommendations, it should be noted that you must always be flexible. This means working with your out-of-town family members to move the celebration a week ahead or back. This might require you to make some changes within your own life and schedule, but if this is truly your goal, then it must be done. So, when writing down your expectations, don’t forget to add some “what if’s” into the equation. 

By Emma Sturgis