A Perfect Vacation, or Staycation

Why hasn't anyone thought of this before?  It's quite possibly the most wonderful weekend getaway idea imaginable--at least for an idler gal like me.  Leave it to India Knight to bring me news of the The Reading Weekend, which is held regularly throughout the year in the U.K. and occasionally abroad.

I would love to go, but honestly, for those of us without the available cash or proximity to Sussex, the idea behind it can be recreated at home as a staycation, right?  Well, you won't be waited on hand and foot, unless your at-home experience includes a butler and cook, but as long as you can cook a bit or even order in, you'll be okay.  Your home may not be a famed Georgian farmhouse an hour from London, but if it's warm (at this time of year), comfy, and reflective of your personality and aesthetics, it'll definitely do.  So get ready to round up your family (perhaps, after some gentle persuasion and promise of hot chocolate and cupcakes),  and get going on the preparations:

make sure the house is reasonably clean--so you won't feel the need to go around cleaning up junk while you're on your Reading Staycation

collect the Dining Necessities: hot chocolate, tea, chai mix; other drinks for the adults, if they wish; ingredients for a delicious and easy breakfast; some frozen fun hors d'oevres-y things or something homemade that you'd frozen and forgotten about; and ingredients for another wonderful and cozy dinner

gather some warm blankets--maybe like this one from Pendleton

or one like this from Anthropologie

• a Scrabble board, for cut-throat games next to the fireplace or woodstove, mug in hand
• bath salts and candles for any Bathtub Readers (how could you not be one, really?)
• a few literary movies or TV shows, for a bit of a break from reading and Scrabbling--I'll suggest these:

• Oh, and let's not forget the books--head to Brocante Home to check out some great vintage domestic fiction titles from Alison's 2010 read-along, or pick up something from your own shelves that you've been meaning to read for the longest time (and I'm thinking magazines are perfectly okay to throw in)--just don't forget to select a nice read-aloud for the whole family to enjoy.

It goes without saying that cell phones, internet, outside errand-running, and non-literary TV should be restricted or kept to a bare minimum--otherwise, your Staycation could be in danger of turning into an ordinary weekend.  Outdoor rambles are encouraged, though--as long as they quickly lead back to a warm couch.

Now go read, eat, relax, and make memories!