Summer Vacations The Most Memorable Part Of Our Childhood

The times have changed and so have we. Summers are now about surviving only with an AC, ranting about the heat on social media and wishing we could go back in time to the days when our schools had mandatory summer vacations. Whether you accept it or not, the summers were less problematic when we were kids – probably the heat never bothered us as much because we had so much to do. And summer vacations meant two months of endless chilling plus holiday homework. Now, we look back and crave for those uncomplicated times.

We bring you 15 things that will take you back to the best days of your childhood.

1. We would desperately wait for school to get over and holidays to begin.

We waited for summer vacations all year long. There was no pressure of deadlines or taking leave. Instead, summer vacations were the time to do nothing.

2. ‘Happy Holidays’ came to us naturally.

It was something that happened every year and was a norm. In fact, at times we even wrote ‘happy holidays’ on the blackboard. Now, we seem to have forgotten the way we greet people around us. Our egos have got to us.

3. Summer vacations were about sleeping in late without worrying about catching a school bus.

The worst part of going to school was getting up early. But during summer vacations we were free and on our own. There was no pressure of completing homework for the next day, polishing shoes or reaching in time for the morning assembly.

4. We were forced to take a nap in the afternoon, even though all we wanted to do was play.

Now an afternoon nap is a faraway dream.

5. We played like there was no tomorrow.

The only thing we cared about was going out and playing with our friends. Those were technology-free days when we’d walk to our friend’s place and ring the door bell. From badminton, and chor-police to even UNO cards, there was no dearth of games we played. We were energetic and getting a tan was the least of our worries.

6. Mandatory visits to Nana-Nani’s house were all about food.

Grandparents were more than happy to have us over and pamper us with glorious food.

7. Travelling with mom and dad to the hills was something we looked forward to.

Mom and Dad made it a point to plan a trip during the summer vacations. Sadly, now we’ve grown up and are stuck in our corporate jobs, and we crave to travel with our parents.

8. Summer vacations meant reunions with cousins.

Come summer vacations, and meeting cousins was compulsory. We didn’t really mind that. From night stays to giving blank calls to our secret crushes, we did everything with our cousins. And, now, all our cousins are living in different parts of the world and years go by without meeting them.

9. Extra hours of TV were the best part of these holidays.

Thankfully, mom didn’t scold us for watching TV or complain about not studying hard for the exams. Thus, it was all about Cartoon Network and random movies.

10. We read comics and books by our favourite authors, not our school textbooks.

That was the biggest relief. And we did so much reading back then. However, it’s difficult to make time for reading now. Honestly, our reading lists are getting longer and longer by the day.

11. Even being at home all day wasn’t boring because video games kept us entertained.

12. We waited for the ice-cream vendor to do his rounds in the neighbourhood, so we could buy orange/cola bar and mango duets.

Orange bar and mango duets were everyday things and they were only for Rs. 5. Little joys were so easy to find in those days.

13. Summer vacations gave us the chance to reinvent ourselves because art and swimming classes actually helped.

Summer vacations weren’t really unproductive. Parents often got us enrolled for extracurricular activities, be it sports or art and craft. Come to think of it, that’s where we grasped some of our creative skills.

14. We had no phones, and that really was the best part.

There was playing and more playing. There was cycling in the morning, art class in the afternoon, dance class in the evening and playing in the evening again. Night was all about watching TV. We had time on our hands to do everything. We spent time with family and friends both. Really wish we could back in time.

15. The back-to-school jitters were the very definition of excitement.

Have you felt like that off-late? The only worry we had was what school would be like after two months and the thought bothered us more than ever as we neared the end of the holidays. The first day of school after vacations came with a bittersweet thought. We were excited to meet our classmates, but sad about going back to the homework, unit tests and angry teachers.