On the road for the holidays....

Recent conversations with other military friends prompted this post. It's intended to provide insight on a travelling family during the holidays...tt's also going to be my checklist for travelling this year...

Do you travel for the holidays? Or maybe you have the home that is always the place everyone else comes to be with each other for the holidays. Either way, you probably know someone that is generally on the road for the holidays. We are a military family, and had the luxury at our last assignment to be at "home" in Louisiana and close to the rest of our family for three years of holidays. We were able to do Christmas Eve at my parent's house, as we traditionally do. It's the one for sure time of the year that my sisters and I, our spouses (unless there is a deployment) and all of our children are at my Mama and Daddy's. We have shrimp stew every year, a tradition that started before I can remember with my Daddy's mama (Grammy) cooking for us each year. Then, my mother took over, and the last couple of years I've taken that task (although I still don't like mine as much as Grammy's or my Mama's. I'll try to remember to blog about the task this year, with pictures.) We open presents, and laugh, and make new memories each year. Those three years we were in Louisiana (and the three we were there for our first assignment) were great. We've also lived in England, Virginia, and now Alabama. We've spent those holidays away from any family, spent them with our military families, and made other memories. This year, being in Alabama, we are close enough to travel home fairly often and see our families. My husband and our kids will be able to spend time with my in-laws, and we'll be able to be with my family this year for Christmas Eve and my parents for Christmas morning. I'm not sure where next year will take us, so we will wait to see what that plan is.
So...getting to the point...I love being at my Mama and Daddy's anytime, but especially for Christmas. No bones about it. But sometimes, I really dread the packing and travelling part. Especially for Christmas. If you have never travelled for the holidays, and never travelled with children for the holidays, you may not understand or appreciate what it takes for a family of four (just using that number because that's what we are) and a dog to get ready to go on the road for Christmas, and to prepare to spend it at multiple homes.
First off, we have to prepare to pack. Now, for us, we may take more than normal, because when we go to Louisiana for the holidays, it is also hunting season. So, because of that, we are taking our guns or my bow and any other hunting paraphenalia, in addition to the other luggage. We may have to take 2 vehicles this year. We have to plan accordingly for packing the gifts, and arrange for Santa to deliver our children's gifts to the appropriate Christmas morning location. This year, we've also made arrangements for our dog, Buster, to stay at the vet instead of taking him with us.
We have to contact the local authorities to do a daily drive by of the house, as well as work out with our neighbors to just keep an eye on the house.  I have to make arrangements for our mail to be put on hold, and make sure any packages that may have been sent to us by UPS or FedEx get picked up off our porch.
The day of travel, we get all loaded up and set out on the trip (this year a meager 7 hour drive), and without fail, get a few miles down the road and realize something was left on, the alarm didn't get set, or someone forgot their phone charger (normally me) and have to turn around to resolve the issue.
We plan our time there beforehand, planning whe we will be able to spend time with and on what days, making sure that we try to see everyone, and apologizing to those that the time just isn't going to allow. I may not have mentioned this before, but I work from home for my mother's business, so while we are there, I will also be working for the days that our office is open. I am so blessed that I can travel and still work. 
Ultimately, we arrive at the destination, get unloaded and are able to relax and enjoy the days we are there for the holiday..until the day before we leave to come home, and then we have to reload the vehicle, this time with the acquired gifts from respective grandparents and other family members and realize we need a Uhaul to return home!
I know that my family has an appreciation of our travel, they've seen us do it plenty. But, this year, if you have someone travelling to see you, that is making the effort to be in your presence during this special time of year because it feels like home to them, take the time to thank them and appreciate the efforts they make to spend that time with you. Find out if there is anything you can do to make that trip easier for them. And, if the option is available, make the offer to do the travelling to them sometimes.