The holidays are here and that means it’s time to start thinking about how to celebrate at your destination. If you’ll be in your RV, you might find yourself wondering how an RV Christmas should go. Lucky for you, I’ve spent plenty of holiday seasons in an RV, and I have lots of great tips and tricks for RV holiday cooking adventures and beyond.
Let’s dive in!
Setting the Holiday Mood in a Small RV Space
(Image: @WonderWhereverWeWander)
First things first, let’s talk about decorations. You obviously don’t have a ton of space to work with in an RV, which limits what you can carry around between holiday seasons, as well as the type of tree you can have. Still, there are ways to decorate your RV to make it a festive atmosphere and cozy space.
Find an RV-Friendly Tree
We actually make room for a full-size tree in our current rig. That said, there are many different ways you can go about putting up a Christmas tree in an RV.
Find an option that works for you and roll with it!
Make Your Own Decorations
Lugging a bunch of decorations all over the country so we can use them for a few weeks each year doesn’t make a lot of sense. We’ve found that it usually makes more sense to create our own decorations out of what we have on hand.
Get creative and see what kinds of decorations you can come up with!
Grab Some Lights
A string of lights can totally change the look and feel of a space. If you feel like your RV needs a little something extra, try hanging a string of lights across the slide-out. You’ll appreciate that these lights are easy to hang, easy to store, and very lightweight!
My Favorite Easy RV Holiday Recipes
(Image: @Wonder WhereverWeWander)
Next, I’d like to share some of my favorite easy holiday recipes with you. No, these don’t include a turkey, because honestly turkey isn’t my favorite, but the pot roast makes an excellent substitute and the sides and dessert are wonderful companions.
Cooking These RV Holiday Meals is a cinch.
Amazing Instant Pot Roast
My family makes roast in our Instant Pot a few times a year, and it is almost always what we choose for our Christmas dinner. It is absolutely delicious and my husband has perfected the recipe and even wrote it down to share with everyone, so you can make it for yourself.
Incredible One-Pot Mac and Cheese
Guys, this is some of the best mac and cheese I have ever had and it is so, so easy to make. It only uses one pot so prep and cleaning up is a breeze. And it only uses three ingredients, so you won’t have to worry about making everything fit in your pantry.
Yummy Air Fryer Roast Brussels Sprouts (or Broccoli)
Toss the Brussels sprouts in olive oil, garlic powder, salt, and pepper. Cook in the air fryer for 15 minutes at 400 degrees (°F), turning partway through.
Super Simple Pumpkin Pie
Making pumpkin pie always brings back fond memories of cooking seasonal treats with my grandma during the holidays. This particular pumpkin pie recipe is super easy, so it’s perfect for RV Christmas celebrations. Just make sure to use a pizza stone in your oven to spread the heat more evenly.
DIY Whipped Cream
Place some heavy cream, one teaspoon of vanilla extract, and a tablespoon of powdered sugar in a jar. Shake the jar for several minutes until the cream becomes light and airy. Serve with pumpkin pie.
Tips for Cooking a Holiday Meal in an RV
Not sure how to juggle the holiday cooking in your tiny RV kitchen? There are ways to make it easier. Here are some tricks I have learned over the years.
1. Pull Out All Appliances
It’s easiest to make a lot of foods at one time when you have enough ways to cook all of those foods simultaneously. That’s why I recommend pulling out all of the kitchen appliances—Instant Pot Pressure Cooker, air fryer, grill, stove, and oven—and putting them to work. Try to find recipes that will allow you to use many different appliances simultaneously to get the job done as efficiently as possible.
2. Use All Outlets on the Pedestal
If you have a 30-amp rig, you might find that using an air fryer, Instant Pot, and microwave at the same time simply won’t work. In this case, consider plugging one appliance into the 20-amp outlet on your power pedestal.
3. Set Up Extra Surfaces
One of the biggest issues we had in our motorhome was that there just wasn’t enough counter space. We got around this problem by setting out TV trays in the kitchen area. Consider doing this or setting up a folding table somewhere to give yourself some extra work space.
4. Run a Vent Fan
Cooking all of that food on your stovetop and in the oven is going to release a lot of moisture into the air in your RV. Unfortunately when it’s chilly outside, this is going to lead to some pretty serious condensation. Get ahead of this issue by running a vent fan or two while cooking your holiday meal. If you happen to have a dehumidifier, all the better.
5. Take Some Cooking Outside
Feel like the RV kitchen is too cramped? You could always take some of the cooking outside to the campfire and outdoor grill. We grilled steaks outdoors for Christmas one year and they were absolutely delicious. Why not try doing the same?
4. Cook in Advance
Even using all of these tips, it can be difficult to cook an entire Thanksgiving meal in an RV kitchen in a single day. You can solve this problem by cooking some foods ahead of time. Things like baked goods, salads, and deviled eggs keep well for a day or two, so tackle those kinds of things before the actual holiday.
Four Ideas for Holiday Entertainment at the Campground
Of course, you don’t want the holiday meal to be the only exciting thing about your RV Christmas. Why not add one or two of the activities below to make the day extra special and get into the holiday spirit?
1. Caroling Around the Campground
One of my favorite RV Christmas memories is when we went caroling around the RV park with friends. We’ve also sung our fair share of carols around a cozy campfire. If you enjoy singing, this is a Christmas activity that I highly recommend.
2. Christmas Movie Night
Movie nights are a favorite in my family, and in the weeks leading up to Christmas, we have a good number of Christmas movie nights. Choose a favorite Christmas movie, make some mugs of hot cocoa, and settle in for a relaxing holiday celebration in your RV living room—or out on your campsite, if the weather is good enough and you have a projector.
3. Family Game Night
Another thing we love to do for Christmas? My husband and I always give our kids a game on Christmas Eve, and we make a family game night out of it before they head off to bed. It’s a great way to kick off the holiday and make some fun memories together.
4. Cookie Decorating
I always love decorating cookies and gingerbread houses during the holiday season. You can do this from the comfort of your RV on Christmas Day or anytime in the weeks leading up to Christmas. To make things easier on yourself, buy one of the pre-made cookie or gingerbread house kits from the grocery store.
Go Enjoy Local Holiday Season Celebrations, Too!
One of the benefits of RV travel during the holiday season is the ability to get out and enjoy the local celebrations, parades, and holiday lights.
As an example, we are spending this Christmas in the town of Chickasha, Oklahoma, which hosts an incredible light spectacular that we will of course go see. We’ve also spent Christmas seasons in Orlando, Florida, where we visited all of the Disney resorts to enjoy festive decorations and lively entertainment.
One of my favorite spots that we have spent Christmas in, surprisingly enough, was Yuma, AZ. This town goes all out and some of the houses put up amazing light displays! The people on one particular neighborhood street had even worked together to recreate The Night Before Christmas, where each house presented a specific chapter from the book!
Personal Reflections: Why Holiday RVing is Special
I love celebrating the holidays in my RV. The cozy feel of the tiny home is extra wonderful during the holiday season, and we can move our RV wherever we like, meaning we can celebrate in a different interesting location each year. Best of all, because we are working with so little space, we tend to focus more on memory-making than on gift-giving.
