This is the first year we won’t be traveling during the holidays and, I have to say, it feels great. Packing the kids and all our holiday cheer into the car for a five hour road trip during the busiest time of year was hardly my idea of fun. However, within the same year that we moved back to California, my brother moved away to Texas for a great job opportunity. It was a bummer saying goodbye to him and my sister-in-law. My mom, once so happy to have me back home, got really upset with the news. Pretty much as soon as they boarded their plane to Texas we started to talk about who was going where for Thanksgiving and Christmas.
Luckily, my brother and his wife decided to make holiday travel a priority this year. My sister-in-law has strong ties with her family, who live not far from us, and she’s making sure her and my brother are home for the holidays where they belong.
The role of big sister has been an important, if not utterly complex, part of my identity. I’ve shared a whole lot of life with this guy and I don’t expect that to change. My love for my brother is, at once, casual and intense; simple and fierce. But watching him learn to bond with my kids as they’ve gotten older has been the most rewarding. He’s not one for babies, but I can tell he’s quite jazzed by the growing curiosity of his niece and nephew. And despite the geographic distance that exists between them, Alina and Sebastian love their Tio – and his crazy antics – with all their hearts.
Being that Daddy D and I have forged the holiday travel trails so many times before, I feel like I know a thing or two. As my brother prepares to come home for the holidays, I might have acted like a know-it-all, sending texts on ways to stay safe. What are big sisters for, anyway? I even sent him this helpful article by Allstate on steps to keep your home safe during winter vacation, which is full of great tips.
He’s pretty private anyway, but we’ve talked about the way we use social media while away from home. Things like checking privacy settings, not tagging locations or simply posting #latergrams are ways we can keep ourselves and our stuff safe while traveling during the holidays.
Here are a few other tips from Allstate this holiday travel season…
- Always leave a light on, ask a neighbor to your mail and set automatic timers on holiday lights and decorations.
- Put your car on lock down: hide purchases and personal belongings in the trunk of your car.
- Check all locks and windows before leaving your home.
- Keep a complete inventory of everything you own. Allstate offers a free and easy-to-use app called Digital Locker that lets users create an inventory of your home’s items.
- Call your District Police Station to place your house on vacation watch so that officers can keep an eye on your house during your absence.
I’m proud of my brother and his wife for so many reasons. And though I miss them like crazy, I’m grateful that they have the ability and desire to travel home for the holidays.
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