I was going to start by saying how much I hate packing but does anyone actually like packing? We spend the holidays in Park City with my in-laws.  Packing for a ski vacation is particularly hard because there’s so much gear and bulky sweaters and jackets. But we also have a full calendar of events while we’ll be in Park City – holiday parties, Christmas dinner, dinner parties, movies and apres ski meet ups.
This year, I’m vowing to get ahead of it all and plan what I’m packing in advance. I know different people have different approaches to packing, but I like to pack in outfits. That way, I know I have everything I need for everywhere I have to go, I have cute outfits planned in advance so I can just get up and get dressed and enjoy my activities, and as much relaxing and fun time in between. And ok, I’m a dork, but planning what I’m going to wear on vacation is part of the fun for me. So here it goes. My packing list for a ten-day ski vacation over Christmas. Am I crazy overpacking? (Probably) Am I forgetting anything? (Definitely) Am I going to be kicking myself when I’m trying to haul all this and a toddler and all his gear solo to the airport? (100 percent) But isn’t that why packing’s so much fun?
So here’s my strategy. I start by dividing daytime and nighttime outfits since days are usual spent doing fun activities and nights are dinners and parties. I also have separate categories for sleep, exercise gear, and then gear for activities — in this case, skiing and snow sports.
I don’t always plan an outfit for every day since some days I won’t change out of my ski gear and there will be one or two nights we’ll have off, and I’ll definitely be mixing and matching pieces to maximize my suitcase space. The good news for me is that we leave a set of ski gear and equipment out there so we don’t have to lug it all back and forth, and really, I’m going to need at least one huge suitcase to fit all my sweaters and boots and non-ski gear.
Here’s what I’m packing for our Christmas vacation in Park City.