How to Feel Like You’re on Vacation All Summer Long
Summer vacation. They’re two of the most wonderful words in the English language, calling to mind the sound of waves crashing on the beach, visions of bright blue skies studded with fleecy clouds, the feeling of sun-warmed shoulders, the taste of ice cream and lemonade.
Summer vacation. We all love it. We all long for it. But what if you just can’t have it? What if work, finances, health issues, and other factors-beyond-your-control conspire against you, and a traditional summer vacation just isn’t doable?
You may not be able to take off for a ten-week interlude in a sandy-floored beach cottage somewhere, but your summer can still be punctuated by the best elements of those halcyon vacation days. All you need to do is depart from your three-season routines enough to make life less humdrum and give it a more vacation-y feel. Here are some simple, practical ways to bring the best of summer home to you when you can’t escape to it. All it takes it a little effort and a little planning.
Add some summer to your décor. Buy an inexpensive sign that says “Beach” at Target or a craft store to put on display. Switch out your everyday throw pillows for some with airy, cotton covers in summery colors. Fill mason jars or glass hurricanes with seashells. Add pops of varying shades of blue and white to your main living spaces with some cotton throws, casual rugs, and airy cotton or lace curtains. Frame family photos that capture summer or vacation memories and put them on display.
Bring summer indoors. Buy fresh, seasonal, inexpensive flowers for your tables (dining table, bedside table, kitchen counter) each week at the market. Great choices include peonies, hydrangeas, sunflowers, and mixed cutting bouquets that make it look like you raided your neighbor’s flower beds. Use pottery jugs, pretty vases, and mason jars to hold them. Wash bedding and hang it outside to dry in the sunshine. Turn off the air conditioning if it’s not too hot out and throw open the windows instead. Let the summer breeze blow through.
Plan summery meals. If you have a grill, put it to frequent use. Buy fresh, local produce at the farmers’ market. Serve up salads of all kinds. Keep pitchers of lemonade and iced tea in the fridge in lieu of soda. Serve fresh fruit for dessert. Keep popsicles in the freezer. Take a weekly trip to the local ice cream shop for a treat in the evening before bed. Don’t forget to eat outside at the picnic table.
Read summery books. Seek out some good, lightweight beach novels (look for Elin Hilderbrand and Nancy Thayer, Jane Green’s The Beach House, and Mary Kay Andrews) to curl up with at night. Go on vacation in your mind.
Play outdoors as much as you can. Take sunrise walks. Drink your morning coffee on the porch. Go for bike rides. Go fishing. Picnic. Have bonfires on cool evenings and make s’mores. Pitch a tent in the backyard and sleep outside on the weekends. Watch the sunset. Catch fireflies. Play flashlight tag with your kids.
Summer, friends, is more than a season. It’s a feeling, a feast for the senses. With just a bit of forethought, you can enter vacation mode without ever packing your bags.
