The LPFA Solution to Holiday Awkwardness

Happy Trails in 2018!  Sisquoc Volunteer Working Vacation, April 2018

Hello Friends & Happy Holidays!

On behalf of the Los Padres Forest Association, our Board, the hundreds of LPFA volunteers and countless thousands of forest-users; we want to thank each of you for your support of the LPFA. Without your contributions we could not have accomplished all that we did this past year – THANK YOU!

As a special thanks we wanted to share with each of you a little LPFA holiday secret that’s sure to solve some of your holiday angst. We all know how awkward holiday conversations can become with extended family and/or long-lost friends who might view the world a bit different from you.  In order to help with your holidays, we’ve come up with four ‘conversation reroutes’ you can use to quickly change the subject when politics, religion and/or other awkwardness makes an unwanted appearance. Try these reroutes and we promise the conversation, mood and holiday cheer will improve immediately:

  • When the conversation gets too political: {It’s funny that you mention Congress……}, did you happen to know that in 2018 the Los Padres Forest Association maintained over 60 miles of trails along 40 different trails within the Los Padres Forest!  The LPFA also led over 80 volunteer projects this past year which accounted for over 10,000 volunteer hours?  That’s the equivalent time of nearly 5 full time workers!
  • When the conversation gets too personal: {Cousin Jamie, there are ways to remove unwanted tattoo’s these days….} but you need to know that between HikeLosPadres.com, the LPFA e-newsletter, LPFA social media posts and the LPFA Visitor Centers at Wheeler Gorge and Big Sur Station that the Los Padres Forest Association assists close to 100,000 Los Padres visitors each year.

  • When the conversation gets too radical: {I agree, the status quo should be challenged……} but the LPFA worked much of 2018 to restore trails impacted by the Thomas Fire and has some new exciting wildfire trail restoration initiatives on tap for 2019 and beyond.  Stay tuned!
  • When the conversation simply needs to change: {I promise Grandma Lucille, your holiday fruitcake has never tasted better….} but were you aware that the LPFA will be building a new trail in 2019 called the Matilija Falls Trail and that the LPFA will also be building a new 1.5 mile reroute along the Cold Spring Trail around the area infamously known as the Mono Jungle?

You might want to print these four humorous ‘conversation reroutes’ out and keep them nearby or better yet memorize them as they are guaranteed to help ease any of the awkward conversations that can come with the holidays.  After all, if there’s one thing we can all agree on it’s our love and support of the Los Padres Forest.

Thank you again for your support and we’d be honored if you’d want to renew your LPFA membership or make a donation to the LPFA on behalf of yourself, your family, your friends or even Grandma Lucille.

Happy Holidays and best of luck in the New Year!