There are no statistics to show how many Islanders actually leave the Island during the winter school break, which falls this week, one week after most of the rest of public schools in Massachusetts take their winter break. The Martha’s Vineyard Commission does not track the numbers nor does the Steamship Authority, at least with any precision, when it comes to Islanders and their travel habits. But enough anecdotal evidence exists to paint a picture, beginning with ferries jammed to the gunwales with parents, kids and dogs last Friday as families, couples and singles of every description headed out for a week away — somewhere. This midwinter exodus is a longstanding fact of life on the Island, where most people earn the bulk of their living in the summer months and do not have the luxury of enjoying that American staple: summer vacation.

So this is the time of year when most Islanders take their annual holidays — and in particular this week when schools are closed. Some will spend the week skiing out west or up north (although the scant snowfall in New England this year has been tough on the ski resorts). Others will travel south to the warmer climes of Florida or the Caribbean (that anecdotal evidence also shows that Islanders love and are attracted to other islands, perhaps a subject for anthropologists to ponder).

Others, for financial or other reasons, stayed home, happy enough to have a pleasant break in the routines of daily life. Let the kids stay in their pajamas in the morning and play card games until lunchtime. Bake peanut butter cookies from that recipe in the newspaper that you clipped in December but never got around to making. Take a long walk at Waskosim’s Rock Reservation in Chilmark, where the late February light dances in the bare woodlands and enjoy the pleasant sensation that you have the whole Island to yourself this week — because you almost do.

And the early springlike weather makes it all the more pleasant. The Island is washed clean by the sunlight and most stores and restaurants are shuttered now. And while we may cheerfully complain about where to find a cup of coffee in this lonely outpost (thank the stars for Waterside Market in Vineyard Haven and Mocha Mott’s in Vineyard Haven and Oak Bluffs with their delicious cups of steaming java), there is something starkly beautiful about this time of deep quiet, a chance for the Vineyard to have a deep rest before spring and summer burst into bloom, bringing with them the stresses and strains of so much humanity crowded into one small place surrounded by the sea.

The familiar hum and pace of everyday life returns next Monday. But for now we are enjoying school vacation week, otherwise known as quiet Island week.