Saturday, July 2, 2011

The Why and Wherefore of Holiday Fever



Holiday fever has struck. We've closed our books for the last time this term. Reports have been written, folders checked. We're ready for the holidays to start. But suddenly I've stopped and thought. What is it about holidays that we like so much?

Our school term is not that painful. Maths is about the only structured work we do. After that, we make it up as we go along. Learning is mostly self-directed. We study whatever interests us, with Mum providing support and resources. Educational movies rank high on our list on things to do, as does Shakespeare in any shape or form. We all enjoy listening to Mum read books aloud. There's never a subject that we don't enjoy. Then why is it that we still long for the holidays?

After much thinking I'm still not sure. Maybe it's the fact that we don't have any work to do. But our work seems more like play than work, so it can't be that. Is it the fact that we can get up later? No, we normally get up early, even in the holidays. Is it the fact that there are no music practices to do? Definitely not! We're in the middle of preparing for exams. We can't afford to stop practising. So why?

Maybe it's that we have plenty of time to do things as a family, as Dad is on holidays too. It could be the fact that there is no structure to our day. Meals often end up being made and eaten when we're hungry. It could be the fact that we can spend whole days doing just one thing if we want to.

It could be any of these reasons. It could be none. It might just be that there is a feeling of freedom from any sort of work, no matter how fun it is. But the fact remains, we're just as excited about holidays as anyone else. And right now I'm planning what I'll do these holidays. Already a stack of books sits by my desk, begging to be read. A half finished story waits on my computer. Blog posts, as yet unwritten, dance around in my head, asking me to put them down on screen. Yes, I have plenty to fill this holidays with.

"Never mind the whys and wherefores," as Gilbert and Sullivan say, I'm just glad it is holidays. Two weeks of possibilities stretch before me. Every day is a new adventure. I'm going to fill each day with fun, spend time with my family, and live each day to the full.


Why do you look forwards to the holidays? What do you like to do when you're on holidays?

9 comments:

  1. Being a busy college student, the holidays actually do mean free time to me (though I still loved them when I was homeschooling)... sleeping in and time to take walks make me smile. :-)

    But another thing I love is the opportunity to revisit things that struck me during the year. This happens a lot in college... I find I have more questions about something we covered, but we have to press on. So the summer gives me time to go back to those things again and give them a second look.

    God bless you!

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  2. When I'm on holiday, I do... nothing! I do read classics when I can find one that looks good... and besides that I generally just work on my stories (which I keep doing throughout the year...).

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  3. Clare, thank you for taking the time to stop and comment. After seeing how hard my brothers have to work at uni, and how hard my Dad did, I understand how nice it must be for you to have nothing to do in a day.

    Revisiting things is always so much fun. We often revisit things in our work, and I love adding to my knowledge.

    JT, I find holidays are good times for writing too. I'm sure I could write more in the term, but I never seem to organise my time well enough.

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  4. Some reasons why I love breaks have already been mentioned -- extra time for writing, blogging, reading, being able to sleep in. And it sounds cliche, but I also love the freedom of it -- being able to choose something completely random and irrelevant, something just for fun, and follow through with it. Half the time I make big plans for how I'll spend my summers, but I usually only get a few of those plans done. For me, that's kind of what summer's about.

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  5. Jenna, I love having my freedom too. I know I always make a lot of plans to do things, then all my plans get turned upside down as we plan news things to do together, or I just get too lazy! Thank you for stopping to comment.

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  6. Hi Imogen.
    Did you know that I have never been on a holiday.
    From Melanie xo xo

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  7. Melanie, I didn't know that. What do you like to do in your holidays?

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  8. I always plan to do lots of really cool things and end up doing about 5% of them :}

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  9. Carrie, I suppose that it's a good job that you plan lots and lots of things. If you only planned to do a few things and then only did 5% of them, you'd never get anything done.

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