KUALA LUMPUR: THE December school holidays are upon us once again! Like most families, holidays are about spending quality family time together and what better way than a change of scenery and routine than packing the whole family into a plane and flying off to an exotic (and sometimes touristy) destination.
But let’s face it — these days that’s not always feasible.
With rising living costs, some dual-income families are struggling to juggle family responsibilities.
To give the family good fun, packing up and flying off may not always be the best way to spend the holidays.
So what can you do? You can turn your home into the perfect holiday destination, especially if you have purchased your property in today’s new developing townships.
Children today are growing up in a digital fishbowl. Technology has made it easy for them not to leave home to participate in activities — from social networking to online role-playing games.
Twenty years ago, when the web hadn’t taken over our lives with Facebook and Diablo, children spent the holidays outdoors. While the older children were cycling and running around the neighbourhood field playing football, the younger ones were playing batu Seremban or congkak.
Turn your home garden into a mini-exotic vacation spot like Bali by taking the family to the nearest nursery and re-decorating your garden.
Then, cultivate some Malaysian culture by purchasing a congkak from the local toy store and set up a little family spot in your newly revamped garden.
Make a pitcher of lemonade and bake some cookies. While playing, tell your kids fun stories about your childhood when you and your friends used to meet every evening in each other’s homes to play games.
For the adults, there is nothing like unwinding during the school holidays, especially since the commute to school and back will cease for the next four weeks. Try a day on the golf course with your spouse.
A couple I met recently said when her husband first suggested buying a home in a residential property that comes with a golf course, she thought it was an unnecessary expense as it was an old man’s game.
“Who wants to spend the day walking and sweating under the sun while trying to get a little white ball into 18 holes in the ground?” she said.
“I was wrong. For a few hours every weekend, my husband and I left the stress of our work behind and we golf provided us the opportunity to ‘date’ again. Eventually, golf mornings became less about golf but more about quality time. I give him credit for such foresight.”
Pick one weekend and have a cookout with your family, friends and neighbours. For our Malaysian weather, there is nothing quite as fun as a BBQ in your new old-Malaya garden. Organise a potluck.
We are fortunate that developing townships are a focussing on the family, and facing homes is a central garden which has an air of welcome to anyone who walks by. Invite your neighbours to drop by so that you can get to know each other better. The adults get to talk about the community while the children get to make new friends.
There is nothing better for fostering strong community ties than food, family, friends and fun.
Strong community ties help to make your neighbourhood safer, more secure and the kind of place you want to live in for many years.
It also nurtures these qualities in our children.
Taking time out isn’t always about wanting to go away from home.
It’s about going “away from the regular everyday life” and being creative about family fun time. It’s about giving yourself and your family the much needed time to bond and rejuvenate.
From re-decorating your home to bringing back some old-school culture, fun family activities, to days under the sun surrounded by lush greenery, fresh air and safe family surroundings, take yourself and your family back to your childhood when holidays were about the best things in life — family, friends and fun — all spent in the comfort and warmth of your very own home, especially if you’re one of those smart enough to invest wisely in a developed and self-sustaining townships.
This article is brought to you by Kota Seriemas — a township conceptualised as a resort retreat, designed and dedicated to The Art of Living Well.