2 Couples Share Good Tidings

Instead of snowcaps, they gaze at white caps. Instead of turtlenecks, they wear sunscreen. And the only white Christmas they dream of is the kind made of sand.

Gus and Ginger Sundvergs and their traveling companions, Pat and Jack Gragert, make a highway pilgrimage every year in order to spend Christmas in their motor homes on the Rincon Parkway, just north of Ventura.

The Sundvergs live in Las Cruces, N.M., where it snows this time of year, and the Gragerts, who recently retired to Phoenix, lived most of their lives in Minnesota. Now the retired foursome who travel all over the country cannot imagine spending the holiday anywhere but the beachfront at Rincon.

“Nothing I’ve seen beats this stretch,” said Jack Gragert, 67, a Walgreen’s pharmacist for more than 20 years.

Earlier this week, while decorating their beach-side Christmas tree, the couples basked in temperatures ranging from the high 60s to low 70s. Forecasters were predicting clear, but slightly cooler temperatures for the holiday weekend.

“We’re not missing the snow one bit,” Pat Gragert said. “The only good kind of snow is the kind you see on postcards--you don’t have to shovel it.”

*

The Sundvergs have spent every Christmas since 1991 at Rincon. The Gragerts first joined them on their annual jaunt in 1994.

Every year, the couples adorn their recreational vehicles with Christmas trappings and build a seaweed Christmas tree complete with tinsel, ornaments, lights and an electric train.

This year, the holiday travelers have had a tough time finding seaweed, so they are using tinsel to fashion this year’s tree. But this hasn’t detracted from their holiday spirit.

“We are very busy doing nothing,” said Pat Gragert as she watched her husband decorate the tree. “Retirement is the greatest.”

On Christmas Eve, the group of merrymakers were joined by about 30 family members and friends who came bearing traditional Christmas dishes to create a surfside feast.

The Sundvergs, who lived in Santa Barbara for 30 years before moving to New Mexico in 1989, have four children and many friends in the area. According to Gus, the RV Christmas tradition has really caught on over the years.

*

“Our kids told their friends and then they came and brought their family and friends and before you knew it, we had a pretty good little party going on down here,” Gus said.

Gus and Ginger, who ran a vending and catering business in Santa Barbara for many years, said they like to camp out for Christmas because it cuts down on the holiday stress.

“This is better than being in our home because it’s a lot more informal and relaxed,” Ginger said.

According to Gus, the only drawback is the potential for bad weather. “The year before last it rained like hell and it was a little tough trying to keep everyone dry.”

*

Forecasters said it would be a chilly Christmas. The National Weather Service predicted it could get as low as 39 in coastal areas, with winds at 15 to 20 miles an hour through Friday.

However, the happy campers were not about to let the prospect of cooler temperatures ruin their good time.

“We’re just going to play cards and dominoes and roast marshmallows and enjoy the view,” said Pat Gragert, standing in front of her 1988 Winnebago as her husband, Jack, put the finishing touches on the Christmas tree.