Winter Break in LA—Just Like College!
Winter Break has officially begun in Los Angeles! Yes, living in LA is totally like college. Minus the dry-erase message boards on our doors. I really need to bring that back...Heyyy Erica, just stopped by. For a good time call 310-555-1487!
As I have mentioned many times before, so many people who live in LA are not actually from LA. We're all transplants. This means that everyone goes home for Christmas. Just like in college, there is a good 2-3 week period where everyone fleas Los Angeles for their hometowns, many with laundry in tow for Mom. For those of us who choose to stay in LA, it's like a ghost town. Imagine hanging out in the dorms over Winter Break: lonely and kinda weird.
The film industry takes a really lengthy 3 week hiatus (sometimes 2 weeks). Because the film industry is such a huge part of LA, that means many people leave around December 20th and come back around January 2nd. It's the same every year. The weekends leading up to December 20th are always filled with holiday parties, and then people start to slowly trickle out of town. A drunken blur until it's time to go home. Just. Like. College. j/k...we're classy adults now. At least we don't have finals.
My first year or two in LA, I would travel home to Philadelphia during this hiatus. I remember texting my LA friends while I was home—like I had this connection to our fun, secret world back in Los Angeles that my friends and family in Philly weren't a part of. You spend time with family, see some friends from high school, and then it's off to Spring semester!
Now that I have been in LA for awhile, I choose to stay in LA during this time. I don't celebrate Christmas (although I loooove Christmas movies and songs...), and I really hate the cold weather, so traveling home is less appealing in December. The plane tickets are also crazy expensive, so you need to book well in advance. Instead, I take advantage of the quiet city and almost non-existent traffic (I know...!) and watch as many screeners (DVDs for Awards season that I get through my union) as I can. Sometimes I even take a little vacation. Last year I went to Laguna Beach for a few days and it was amazing! (See pictures to the right)
I know it's weird, but that's Winter Break in LA. Now if only we could implement some sort of Spring Break...
What are you doing this holiday season? I'd love to hear about your plans! Who else is on Winter Break?!