First Holiday as a SnowBird

[Suzi]

WOW this is turning out to be more difficult than I expected. Closing up the village home for a couple of weeks initially I thought was fine. Put up a few decorations and "play at the idea it was Christmas". A few Christmas parties that were wonderful....OK now to fly home.......what a mess of weather. Feet of snow to get to the house that is just plain freezing. Place needed a real good cleaning so start that.....and find all the heavy clothes because, damn its cold here. Nothing to eat here either. Refrig and cupboards are empty
Now the craziness on the streets and in the malls is palpable. I full realize it is Christmas here. Not the "gee its cute" in TV shopping centers. Here it is the hard-core "i saw those lights on sale before you" kind of lovely fun. I have to start back to work with all the pent-up desires for people who HAVE TO BEEN SEEN before Christmas.
It is so cold and dry,,, I am beginning to feel like a prune already. Bottles of lotion......and sneezing and bloody noses. Wake up during the night....look around.....where am I? Morning comes....no sunshine....just more dark. Light doesn't arrive until 9 am but generally arrives with snowflakes instead of sunbeams.
The lists of things to get together before the kids and grandkids arrive is monumental. Out to the grocers but drive slow on the ice and snow-laden roads. Don't forget anything or you'll be driving in again. Kids only like carrots.....huh....how many ways to make carrots so everyone is happy. Haven't started wrapping yet......too tired to do at night. I'm shooting for morning and a fresh day but remember I have to work and its not light until 9 am.
Think I'll forgo Christmas cards in favor of New Years. That I can handle, I think, from Florida.
I'm really missing my new Florida friends. Don't get me wrong, I love my family and friends here at home but the holiday frenzy is going to kill me. I've gotten used to the Florida pace of activities and the lack of the things I "hafta Do".
After the New Year, I'm going to have to review the decision to be snowflakes, as we are called. It may require more energy than I thought I
had.
Any advice from those who have been here?

[2BNTV]

Take comfort, in that you have home in TV, and can come down occasionally. I don't miss the winter, as this will be my first Xmas in Florida. The biting cold days, and snow, are a thing of the past, for me. I used to get a dry skin conditon, in the winter, with a cut usually opening on my right thumb.

Used lotion on my hands today and ready to go out, and enjoy the days ahead. Will be close to 80, in the next couple of days.

A friend of mine called a couple of weeks before Thanksgiving, to inform me they had their first snowfall of the year, and I said, it was cold in TV last night, as it went down to the 60"s. He replied, "your killing me". :D

Hang in there. it will get better. :smiley:

BTW - I hate snow.

[graciegirl]

WOW this is turning out to be more difficult than I expected. Closing up the village home for a couple of weeks initially I thought was fine. Put up a few decorations and "play at the idea it was Christmas". A few Christmas parties that were wonderful....OK now to fly home.......what a mess of weather. Feet of snow to get to the house that is just plain freezing. Place needed a real good cleaning so start that.....and find all the heavy clothes because, damn its cold here. Nothing to eat here either. Refrig and cupboards are empty
Now the craziness on the streets and in the malls is palpable. I full realize it is Christmas here. Not the "gee its cute" in TV shopping centers. Here it is the hard-core "i saw those lights on sale before you" kind of lovely fun. I have to start back to work with all the pent-up desires for people who HAVE TO BEEN SEEN before Christmas.
It is so cold and dry,,, I am beginning to feel like a prune already. Bottles of lotion......and sneezing and bloody noses. Wake up during the night....look around.....where am I? Morning comes....no sunshine....just more dark. Light doesn't arrive until 9 am but generally arrives with snowflakes instead of sunbeams.
The lists of things to get together before the kids and grandkids arrive is monumental. Out to the grocers but drive slow on the ice and snow-laden roads. Don't forget anything or you'll be driving in again. Kids only like carrots.....huh....how many ways to make carrots so everyone is happy. Haven't started wrapping yet......too tired to do at night. I'm shooting for morning and a fresh day but remember I have to work and its not light until 9 am.
Think I'll forgo Christmas cards in favor of New Years. That I can handle, I think, from Florida.
I'm really missing my new Florida friends. Don't get me wrong, I love my family and friends here at home but the holiday frenzy is going to kill me. I've gotten used to the Florida pace of activities and the lack of the things I "hafta Do".
After the New Year, I'm going to have to review the decision to be snowflakes, as we are called. It may require more energy than I thought I
had.
Any advice from those who have been here?




Hurry home, Help Santa while you are there, and hurry home!

[gomoho]

Time to cut the cord???

[tainsley]

Five days out of TV is just enough for us! We joke with the kids that we must return to "The Bubble" before more wrinkles set in!

[Happinow]

I love your journal of sort that you wrote. You took me back to where I came from...Upstate NY. Truly, I can't imagine coming down here and then retreating back up there for Christmas. If you are like many others, you bought a home here in TV for many reasons but the weather being at the top. I'm sure the decision to move here permanently comes with some strings attached (family and friends) however, once you take the plunge and do it it feels so good! I remember using bottles of lotion on my all so dry skin, my husbands finger splitting so that he would be in so much pain. He describes the split finger pain as "needles in his fingers" as a result of the cold. The gray skies and dirty roadways and slippery roads are all a thing of the past because we now live in a warm, sunny place. I now get my "snow fix" by watching it on the television.

Enjoy your family this Christmas season and hope to hear that you've decided to make TV your permanent home real soon! Merry Christmas.

[lightworker888]

Hey Suzi, I, too, am a snowflake and we just had our first storm of the season in Ontario. I am glad that I don't "have" to get out by 9 and that shoveling the snow isn't my job. I have minimized my decorating this year, but I still have to wrap all the gifts I brought back from TV. All that being said, I found that if I think and talk about the cold and the dark and the "work" that has to be done, I don't feel as good as when I focus on the fun I have in TV and look forward to my time back there in the spring. I remind myself that there are only 10 more weeks and we will be heading back and there is so much throwing out and cleaning up to do here that I know the time will fly by. I do Tai Chi and line dancing here and am joining a bridge group so I will still keep busy outside the house, but I do start my day checking into TOTV! So keep your thoughts happy and look forward to the next time you are in town. Let's appreciate the variety that is in our life and how flexible we are. That has to help us in our "youthing " process! Have a good holiday.


LW888

[redwitch]

Suzi, at least you'll have a White Christmas. (Hey, I'm trying to find your pluses!) And you'll be back in TV before you know it. Hang in there -- just think how much you'll appreciate TV when you get back here. Hugs until then!!

[Bizdoc]

When I moved down here last year, I included a bright red, new snow shovel. Any time I either feel like the hot weather of summer is too hot or wax nostalgic for Christmas in the snow, I look at that shovel and remember how many days it took to open up our gravel road out to the county road.

I may be an Alaskan, but I've retired from shoveling snow.

[2newyorkers]

We also return to our NY home for the holidays. I always am grateful how blessed we are to have the means and ability to be able to travel between 2 homes. We have been doing this for 4 years. Perhaps you could leave a week earlier to return to Michigan so you have more time to prepare? I always totally clean the home I am leaving so when we return I just have to dust. The shorter days and gray skies can be depressing but then I just make a date with my granddaughter and there is my sunshine. And then we always have the knowledge that we will be returning to TV in a few weeks and will be back to the warmer weather, bluer skies and fun.

[keithwand]

We are from MI and have been in FL for 9 years.
Every year we say lets go back to MI during the winter for a few weeks at Christmas/ New Years.
Then we come to our senses.

[Suzi]

We also return to our NY home for the holidays. I always am grateful how blessed we are to have the means and ability to be able to travel between 2 homes. We have been doing this for 4 years. Perhaps you could leave a week earlier to return to Michigan so you have more time to prepare? I always totally clean the home I am leaving so when we return I just have to dust. The shorter days and gray skies can be depressing but then I just make a date with my granddaughter and there is my sunshine. And then we always have the knowledge that we will be returning to TV in a few weeks and will be back to the warmer weather, bluer skies and fun.

Yes, you are right. I need to focus on the glass being half full. This is so unlike me....but I'm thinking the darkness is having a profound effect on my mood. Secondly, I ALWAYS clean the house before I leave for any length of time but we are still working out the bugs about the move. This year, hubby stayed behind for 3-4 weeks (with out the wife housekeeper, cook, laundress, etc.). So, you set me straight - don't focus on whats left to be done, but rather on what I HAVE already accomplished!. I'm embarrassed to say (wouldn't want the kids to hear this) but I am REALLY looking forward to my return to TV on the 29th.

[OCsun]

Suzi,
Practice makes perfect! We leave the Villages for three months each summer. Both coming and going has its challenges especially after you have just driven 16 hours. Solicit the help of your family and friends so you arrive at a home with the temperature set just right and the kitchen stocked with some fresh food items. It really helps!
The first September we returned to The Villages, our house was hotter than h _ _ _, no cold drinks or snacks and the grocery store was closed, ( after 9:00 ). We were tired and needed a 7/11. Oh that's right there are no 7/11's. :).
I am happy to report we plan a little better now.
Some of us just can't let go of the wonderful traditions we still want to share with our family.
I hope you get lots of love and hugs while you are there. We need people in our lives as much as the ease of living . . . Don't give up either one unless you have to.

I am flying home for Christmas too; just five nights but it will be worth it to feel the extra love of being missed. The Villages will be here when I get back and I will enjoy it then. :)

[DianeM]

The "chores" leading up to the big day are part of the excitement. Go with the flow and enjoy.

[Steve & Deanna]

Bahh humbug !!! Enjoy the true meaning of Christmas. We are still in VT and headed to TV after Christmas. So much to do, so many places to go. Just have to know your limitations. (seems I heard Dirty Harry - Clint Eastwood say that)
Merry Christmas to you and yours and you'll be back in TV before you know it.

[patfla06]

I think no matter where you live it's a busy time of year.
The cold and the darkness just make it seem more exhausting.
It's amazing how spoiled you get from sunny skies.

My Son and his Wife flew in from N.Y. tonight and I kidded him
he could take off his coat and put it away for the week.
They were both so happy to get out of New York City!

After 16 years in FLA I have forgotten the cold, gloomy weather
of N.Y.

[Ohiogirl]

This is our 4th winter in TV. Almost became full-timers a couple of years ago, but bought a small condo in a pretty, walkable suburb of Columbus almost 2 years ago. We spend about 4 mos. here in the summer, and come back for 2-4 weeks late Nov./early December, in part because of a charity to which my husband belongs - they have several fundraisers this time of year.

We also reconnect with friends and see family, although right now 2 of our kids live in NC - which is perfect for stopping over coming and going. I think that is making the difference for us.

This year, we've had much more snow and ice than normal for here - did not enjoy the "walkability part" of where we live. Neither of us enjoyed walking the dog 4 times a day and dealing with icy patches and snow everywhere. Yesterday it warmed up, snow mostly melted, but supposed to have torrential rain tomorrow. We do NOT come back in Dec. because of the weather, although it is nice to look out and see a pretty snowfall (once). Very different than having to drive to and from work in bad conditions.

We may not always come back in December, but we really enjoy the summers here. For us, transitioning to a condo was the key - no worries about leaving it to the elements, plus it is very secure, and relative to a house, inexpensive to own. We still like to travel, but only 2-3 times a year, and love having our own "nests" in both places. I would not be a good renter, need to make a place my own.

So - if you are up north and having a hard time making that decision, remember that it doesn't always have to be Here or There. There are alternative solutions for some. Just helped clean out my stepfather's home after he passed away - 40 years of stuff and a deteriorating house to deal with. If a house is getting to be too much for you, or too big, or whatever, maybe you want to consider a solution similar to ours. We may not keep our condo forever, but for now it's working for us. We think easier than owning (and worrying about) 2 places. Much easier to leave our villa in Florida for the summer (ease of finding reasonable caretakers, maintenance, etc) than it would be to leave a house up north all winter. Plus, we are Florida residents, which helps tax-wise.

Just something to consider. Have met several retirees both in TV and here in Ohio who do something similar.

[CFrance]

Just remember, things go wrong in condos too! Last year was our turning point for becoming frogs. Over the winter the fridge in the condo broke, the roof leaked, ruining a bathroom ceiling, the water heater burst, a double-pane window failed. All of these things were financially on us. The year before, the furnace broke two days before we took off for TV. Had it been a couple of days later, it could have been disastrous.

It's tough leaving a domicile empty for so long, especially over the winter. There are no home watch people in Muskegon, MI, and our son lives over an hour away and is swamped at work. We had a friend who stopped in once a week, except when she was gone for six weeks. That place was a constant worry to me over the winter.

[Ohiogirl]

Yes, not totally worry-free, but our building has inside entrances, only 3 windows (1 is a french door), a new fridge, new water heater, new hvac system, and there is another condo above ours (which, yes, could leak into ours - but they and their insurance would be responsible to fix any damage to ours. And yes, the new stuff could fail also, but the odds are with us. Just saying it's a lot less of a worry than a single-family house.

There is also an onsite part-time maintenance person (who is one of the owners) who can oversee that type of repair (damage from the condo above ours) if we are not here. I have a brother-in-law who will check ours monthly, but could (and might) also pay the on-site caretaker to do that. He already has the right from the condo assoc. to enter to see if we are causing or or on the receiving end of any damages. We turn the water off, and the heat down as it is when we leave.

Condos have their disadvantages too, don't get me wrong, just saying there is another alternative than owning and maintaining 2 single-family homes.

The other set of people the snowbird thing tends to work well for seems to be people with lake or mountain houses, which are already vacation-type properties that people are used to leaving, with caretakers often readily available.

[CFrance]

Yes, not totally worry-free, but our building has inside entrances, only 3 windows (1 is a french door), a new fridge, new water heater, new hvac system, and there is another condo above ours (which, yes, could leak into ours - but they and their insurance would be responsible to fix any damage to ours. And yes, the new stuff could fail also, but the odds are with us. Just saying it's a lot less of a worry than a single-family house.

There is also an onsite part-time maintenance person (who is one of the owners) who can oversee that type of repair (damage from the condo above ours) if we are not here. I have a brother-in-law who will check ours monthly, but could (and might) also pay the on-site caretaker to do that. He already has the right from the condo assoc. to enter to see if we are causing or or on the receiving end of any damages. We turn the water off, and the heat down as it is when we leave.


Condos have their disadvantages too, don't get me wrong, just saying there is another alternative than owning and maintaining 2 single-family homes.

The other set of people the snowbird thing tends to work well for seems to be people with lake or mountain houses, which are already vacation-type properties that people are used to leaving, with caretakers often readily available.

You are right in that it depends on your situation. Our fridge was new, HVAC not but serviced yearly. Water heater was moderate age, ten years. The roof... Let's just say it wasn't checked as often as it should have been for the age of the building by the condo boards.

But I agree I would rather leave a condo alone than a single family home. Ours was four units to a building, all with ingegral garages and separate outside entries. Loved it but not the worry. Although of course my husband slept like a baby...