First up, the term staycation isn’t a new one. But somehow people (and I suspect holiday companies desperate to make some sales) have started using it in a different (and incorrect) way. A staycation is when you stay at home for your “vacation”. (Stayliday doesn’t have quite the same ring to it so I’ll go with the Americanism. Although holi-stay could work?). It does not mean a holiday in the same country that you live in. It just doesn’t. Someone who lives in Maine isn’t having a staycation if they go to Florida for 2 weeks. People from London aren’t have staycations if they go to Cornwall or Wales or anywhere else in that UK. That’s still a holiday!!! We just got back from a holiday (yes, holiday) mainly in Skye and a bit of Edinburgh. That was not a staycation. It’s a holiday. If you camp in your garden then it’s a staycation. Or have a day trip from your home.
Secondly, I keep seeing these nonsense posts on facebook. I can’t work out what the point it (usually these chain posts are linked to data mining and things like that). It goes something like this. “2020. Australia had record bush fires. We had a worldwide pandemic. We had to queue to get in shops. Schools were shut. Blah blah“. More awful stuff. Then “I am going to add this to my timeline so that each year it pops up in my memories so I won’t forget“. Now, say what you will, but I don’t think I am ever likely to forget this year. Are you? In all honesty, do you think that in a few years time you will be sat scrolling through your phone and the memory will pop up, and you will say “oh look, I’ve just been reminded about Covid-19. I’d forgotten all about it”? No. That won’t happen. No-one is going to forget this year in a hurry. Or ever. And what is the point? I can’t see the original post- it seems that people copy and paste it into their own timelines. So can the original poster see who shares it? Or who copies it? Do they earn cash for getting the post shared? Anyway, a lot of stuff on facebook annoys me but I refrain from commenting because if you don’t have anything nice to say…… But I feel I can rant here freely!
Please tell me you are with me on the staycation term?
Do you think you will need help remembering this year?
I am COMPLETELY with you on both counts, having had the exact same thoughts. I have had holidays in the UK and holidays abroad. A holiday (vacation – one of the few American words I actually think might be better than ours) involves going on a leisure trip where I stay away from my home for at least a night. A staycation is a period of being on holiday from work but staying in my own home and maybe going on some day trips or doing fun things I wouldn’t normally have the time/inclination to do. It is not having a holiday in the country where you live, as many seem to now be using it.
As for the 2020 posts, I will NEVER forget this year. Yes, I bought branded 2020 merch when I was at DLP, but that was as a (slightly ironic) memento rather than any notion that I could possibly forget everything this year has brought.
Glad it isn’t just me on both counts!