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Wearing one red glove, the woman who will only call herself “Mrs. Kolde” pumped a tank of gas Thursday at the Marathon Station on Goshen Road.
With only a few days left until Christmas, many were busy making holiday meals and gift and travel preparations. But for Mrs. Kolde, who said she dislikes her first name so much she doesn’t give it out, Christmas will be an ordinary day.
“There are no travel plans this year,” she said. “Because when you’re retired like me and you have a bare minimum of Social Security coming in, you really just can’t take the trip.”
Normally she would visit family or friends in Anderson or Bloomington, but this year, she’ll spend Christmas alone.
“Gas is always too expensive,” she said. “but when you’re trying to pay your heating bill too, well, it’s either one or the other.”
The American Automobile Association reported that Indiana drivers are expected to pay an average of $2.97 a gallon this holiday season, an increase of 72 cents from last year. Hitting an all-time high at $3.52 in May, prices at the pump have left Hoosiers digging deep into their pockets all year long. For those like Kolde, the final leg of the 2007 gas price spikes has definitely put a damper on holiday cheer.
According to the AAA.com fuel finder, the average price of one, 15-gallon tank of gas in the Fort Wayne area is $43.80, up $8.75 from last year. This makes it hard for people like Theresa Bonilla, 42, to even think about traveling to see her family in New York.
“It is very expensive right now,” Bonilla said. “We don’t visit (my family) because we don’t have the money right now. There are too many other things to pay for, too.”
For some, skipping out on Christmas with the family is not an option, no matter the cost. Eric Sitsler of Fort Wayne will travel to Noble County to be with relatives.
“For Christmas, (gas prices) haven’t been much of a concern,” Sitsler said. “I need to spend time with my family, so I’m going.”
The 27-year-old Sitsler will be one of the 65.2 million Americans expected to travel based on estimates by AAA.com. Eighty-four percent of these travelers are estimated to be going by motor vehicle. Those driving from Indiana, Illinois or other states in the Great Lakes region will account for 10.3 million of the nation’s auto travelers, according to AAA.com.
Aside from a fuel cost increase, other rates associated with holiday travel are also going up, according to the AAA Leisure Travel Index. Hotel rates have risen as high as 9 percent this holiday season along with airline tickets, which have gone up an average of 16 percent.
With 2008 on the horizon it is unclear whether drivers will see a break in cost anytime soon.
But with President Bush’s signing of the Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007 on Wednesday, the government is optimistic that prices should go down over the next few years. The law aims to help improve fuel economy and reduce the nation’s oil dependence.
“With these steps, … we’re going to help American consumers a lot,” Bush said in a speech. “We’ll help them by diversifying our supplies, which will help lower energy prices. We’ll strengthen our security by helping to break our dependence on foreign oil. We’ll do our duty to future generations by addressing climate change.”
Until then, people like Mrs. Kolde will consider spending Christmas at home.
atownsend@jg.net
