Over the years,have you put a lot of effort into celebrating the holidays in a traditional manner, but you are ready to take a break from all the work and pressure?
How do you manage the season at a resort or hotel withooout feeling out of place or depressed. Any suggestions?
Thanks, Skelley

Huh?

You don't! If spending holidays at a hotel would in all probability make me feel "out of place" and "depressed", I wouldn't do it. Put less effort into the festivities; decide which aspects of celebration are most meaningful to you, and stick to those.

But don't assume that your relatives/friends have the same priorities for celebrating holidays that you do. Could it be that your relatives/friends genuinely would be pleased to see you get away during this time? Maybe there is no need to feel conflicted!

Good luck, Molly {aka Dear Abby LOL!}

You have to be more specific. Are you the one who is expected to always cook the turkey? What holiday are you talking about? How old are the "kids" and what do they contribute? How many vacation days are you allowed or are you 100% retired? How many marriages and families are in the mix?
Or you could call Dr. Laura and ask why guilt is an issue!!

Break your tradition and experience the holiday tradition of another country and culture! Get a villa or condo where you'll have more flexibility to cook traditional meals of the country you're visiting. Or if you don't want to do any cooking, simply experience another culture during the holiday season ie: parades, festivals etc. There is nothing wrong in desiring to escape the holiday pressure. Getting away from commercialism and back to basics is really refreshing, IMHO anyway!

Lisa in Manuel Antonio

Personally (female, single, 50) I *LOVE* to go out of the country over Christmas. I've gone both alone and with a small group of friends to Puerto Vallarta. It is very festive there at Christmas with all the decorations and local activities around town. I don't feel out of place because I stay in a small family-owned hotel in Old Town (not a resort), I go to mass at the cathedral and watch or participate in local parades and processions. You'll see Christmas cookies at the supermercado, lifesize nativity scenes on the zocolo, decorated fake trees in all the shops, local families shopping for their own gifts and wrappings. I buy Mexican Christmas cards to send my friends (yes they will arrive late).

Skelley, Because you have the word "depressed" in your post and stress your own celebrations in a "traditional manner" my thought is this idea might not be for you. If traveling over the holidays isn't right for you, why push it? If you really want to give it a try, maybe my comments above will help. To me I get a thrill out of someone saying "Feliz Navidad" to me, and I realize it *is* Christmas day while I'm sunning myself by the pool, tropical drink in hand.

Dear Suze
I really like your suggestion. Will certainly keep PV in mind for the future.
Never having been there, my husband and I are more or less committed to Playa del Carmen this Christmas. We love to swim and snorkel in a warm ocean. Perhaps others who have visited PDC over Christmas could tell me how they managed to participate in the local traditions there.
Our only other trip over Christmas was a cruise where any reference to Christmas was pretty pathetic. They did a major celebration for New Year's, but I guess the cruise line surmised that people traveling over Christmas are not interested in observing it...so they just kept it very muted. And it was depressing!
Staying in a small hotel, did you find a restaurant that served a special dinner for Christmas?
Thanks for your input, Skelley.

I haven't been to PDC, only PV, but I've heard the two towns have some similarities. So hopefully you'll find something like what I've experienced. The HUGE difference in being in a "real" local town instead of on a cruiseship is: in town all the Mexican people are celebrating Christmas in their normal traditional family way. Whole different ballgame. Just find the cathedral, main town square, tourist office, go all-around on foot and keep your eyes open for festive opportunities.

Yes, I've had wonderful holiday meals, found by befriending waiters, asking at the hotel front desk, talking to other tourists. The one I'm remembering best was on a garden patio, a Thanksgiving day turkey dinner Mexican-style (my waiter assured me it was authentic to a regular holiday meal, except for the cranberry sauce which they'd bought special for the American visitors!). I realize this was not Christmas, but you get the idea.

So my best advice is to get out of the resort and emmerce yourself in town to avoid the cruiseship disappointing atmosphere (which I believe could happen at an highend, tourist resort too).