5 Ways to Celebrate the Holidays on the Road

Driving During the Holidays?

While most Americans will be enjoying a few days or an extended vacation during the December holidays, truck drivers and transportation workers don't typically have the same luxury. Long-haul and last mile delivery drivers work long hours from before till after the holiday season, ensuring that goods and groceries get delivered and stocked in time, often missing time and celebrations with their own loved ones.

If you'll be on the road this holiday season, it's okay to be disappointed, and there are other ways you can keep your journey merry and bright.

1. Create Your Own Celebrations

Regardless of which December holiday you observe, whether it be Christmas, Hannukah, Festivus (any Seinfeld fans out there?) or other holidays, the beauty of celebrating on the road is that you can create your own festivities. Not in the mood to celebrate any of those things? December's got a lot of other fun holidays you can take advantage of instead, like:

• National Cupcake Day – December 15^th.
• National Ugly Sweater Day – December 17^th
• National Crossword Puzzle Day – December 21^st
• Festivus – December 23^rd
• Still Need to Do Day – December 29^th

Whether you're in the mood to celebrate cupcakes, wear an ugly sweater, do some crosswords in your downtime, watch the Seinfeld Festivus episodes, take note of the things you still need to do before 2021 is over or all of the above, there are fun and quirky holidays every day this month.

2. Take Advantage of Technology

We now live during a time when we can stay connected no matter where we are through FaceTime and video call apps. If your family is getting together for the holidays while you're on the road, taking a break to give them a call while you're off duty can make a big difference in feeling like you're still part of the festivities.

Even if you can't video chat with them in real-time, video messaging apps like Marco Polo make it possible to record messages and send them to your family to let them know how much they mean to you. If you're driving somewhere scenic or in a city with cool Christmas trees or decorations, your family will want to see what you're seeing during your travels!

3. Take or Make Your Own Holiday Meal

One of the hardest things to be away from on the road is the holiday meal. If you can't be at the table in person this year, there are still multiple ways for you to eat a hot, home-cooked meal on the road:

• Take it with you. Make all your holiday favorites before you leave and warm it up on the road so you can have a little piece of home with you.
• Make it! With the right power inverter and cooking appliances, you can make a delicious holiday meal for yourself on the road.
• Video call the fam during dinner. Just because you can't physically be at the table doesn't mean you have to completely miss out on the family dinner. If your schedule allows, have a video call with them when they sit down to the family meal and fill both your belly and your spirit before you continue your haul.

4. Schedule What You Can

Truckers don't always get a whole lot of leeway in their schedules, but if you absolutely have to be on the road for Christmas Eve and Christmas Day, it may be possible to plan your holidays around that. Gift-giving and having a family meal either right before or just after you get back can help keep you in the spirit of the season without feeling like you're missing out. And there are plenty of tree-lightings, holiday parades, and hot chocolate and movie nights you can spend with family and friends throughout the month of December to get your fill of festive fun before you have to go on the road.

5. Make the Trip Festive

Just because you're in a truck during the holidays doesn't mean you can't deck the halls. A quick trip to a home goods store will get you the electric lights, small trees, wreaths, garland, and everything else you need to turn your big rig into something more festive. Sure, it's impossible to recreate the scene of your living room on Christmas morning, but some in-cab décor can help you make the best of whatever your schedule looks like over the holidays.

Keeping in mind that you could get pulled over and cited for excessive exterior decorations, keep it in check on the outside of your truck, but the inside is all yours to make it as holly, jolly, and bright as you want.

No matter what time of year it is, our powerful e-commerce website is here for you 24/7/365 to get you the parts you need – wherever this holiday season takes you. Contact us today to get set up or create your own account now !