December 2014: A Holiday Park Extravaganza: The End

Day 5: Wednesday December 24, 2014

Christmas Eve. Time to go home. I got up fairly early, got ready, and went down to the lobby to eat breakfast. Once I’d finished breakfast, I packed the car and headed for the airport, stopping to refill the gas tank along the way.

I got to the airport shortly before 8:30, and easily returned the rental car. Then I hiked inside and joined the long line at the Southwest counter to check luggage. The line moved very quickly, and pretty soon I was headed for security, stopping for one last giant Christmas tree picture along the way. 

Security was a cluster, but eventually I was on my way to the gate, sad that this trip was already over.

When I arrived at the gate, I encountered the yappiest, highest pitched dog, EVER. There really should be a pitch limit on yappy dogs allowed on flights.

Eventually it was boarding time. My stomach was still messed up from the chicken incident at Sea World, so, for the first time ever, I grabbed a window seat and settled in for the 3 hour flight up to Manchester, knowing it could be a little bumpy.

I’d been watching the weather and had talked to dad that morning while at the gate. Manchester was getting inundated with heavy rain. Since it was unusually warm for Christmas in NH (mid 50s), this was creating a lot of fog. It was also very windy. I had wondered about the likelihood of actually getting into the airport, but dad had clued me into the fact that Manchester is actually rated/has the equipment for military emergencies. Because of this, the airport can handle aircraft in weather that would cause significant flight interruptions in other airports.

Sure enough, it was a bumpy flight, but we made it into Manchester a little after 1. The landing was certainly bumpy, but we made it. As soon as we were taxiing to the gate, the flight crew put Christmas music on over the PA system. I thought that was a pretty nice touch.

Deplaning was easy; everyone was in a very good mood. My luggage appeared on the baggage claim shortly after I got downstairs, and I called Nick, who pulled up to the curb in my car. He helped me load my suitcase in the car and we went for lunch and then headed home.

Despite not feeling well, and not being dressed for the temperatures, it was a good trip, and I’m so glad I finally got to see all of the decorations and shows that I’ve wanted to see for years.