Search Results for: blog touring the town for christmas lights

Marriage Christmas Traditions

Mick had his turn of looking after me, now it’s my turn to look after him. On Sunday night we went to carols at the beach. Despite the heat of the day and the fact it’s summer here in Australia, that evening turned quite cold and windy. Next thing, Mick’s come down with all the snuffles, aches and pains of flu symptoms. He’s an easy patient to look after though. He’s spent the last few days on medicine and sleeping, sleeping, sleeping. I wish I could sleep like that when I’m sick, but I never can. Thankfully I’m now armed … Continue reading →

Affordable Holiday Travel: Touring Department Store Window Displays—Seattle

It’s simple, really. If you are looking for an affordable family friendly holiday activity, head to your local mall. The activity is not set amongst the stacks of sweaters or rows of remote controlled toys. In fact, you don’t even need to step foot inside a single shop to enjoy the festive treats that await you behind glass walls or inside fencing near the food court. As I continue my series of blogs spotlighting seasonal store window displays I am focusing on the Pacific Northwest, specifically Seattle, Washington. That’s where you’ll find Nordstrom’s flagship downtown store and its spectacular seasonal … Continue reading →

Affordable Holiday Travel: Touring Department Store Window Displays—Dallas

Who needs ice and snow when you’ve got sparkle and shine? Dallas is not known for snow-covered sidewalks, but the city certainly doesn’t lack the Christmas spirit thanks in large part to upscale retail giant Neiman Marcus. As I continue my series of blogs spotlighting department store window displays I am turning my attention from the Big Apple to the Big D—Dallas. The city is home to Neiman Marcus’s flagship store and the windows at the downtown location are traditionally one of the most visited spots in the entire state during the holiday season. This year the store is treating … Continue reading →

Affordable Holiday Travel—Touring Department Store Window Displays

I recently blogged about one my family’s favorite holiday rituals—-driving to Chicago to take in the spectacular holiday window displays at Macy’s on State Street. Each year the famous department store chooses a theme and fills their massive windows with intricate decorations and kid friendly animated characters. People line up for blocks and brave the vicious winds whipping off of Lake Michigan to take part in this annual holiday tradition. If I wasn’t one of the lemmings who took part in the event myself I’d surely think the people who stood in line for more than an hour to peer … Continue reading →

Why People Are Traveling To Iowa To View Christmas Lights

I grew up in a small city on an island in the middle of the Pacific Ocean. Needless to say, our family’s annual car ride to view local Christmas lights lasted approximately… oh, about, 7 minutes. Of course that was decades ago… long before the advent of icicle lights and inflatable waving Santas. And as for driving to other cities or (gasp) states, well that was simply not an option. Thirty years after my first car ride to view Christmas lights my situation has changed rather dramatically. I currently live in the frozen tundra (Wisconsin) where holiday light displays are … Continue reading →

Christmas…Military Style

December is all about the Christmas Season, and you know it’s Christmas season in the military when you go to the post office and have to stand outside because all the wives are waiting in line to mail those Christmas packages to their spouses. What I didn’t tell you is you’ll be noticing this the last week of November, not the first week of December like most people believe. Of course, you can attempt to send a package off to another country the first week of December but this doesn’t mean that they’ll get it in time for Christmas. If … Continue reading →

Outdoor Décor: Decorate Your Yard for Christmas

It’s that time of year and it’s starting to get exciting! If you’re looking for ways to add some Christmas spirit to your yard, you might like some of these: Christmas Candy Pick up some round stepping-stones and paint them with red and white swirls to look like peppermint disk candies. Form a pool noodle into the shape of a candy cane and paint it to look like one. This makes a good decoration for the exterior front door or it can be hung from an exterior wall. Just tie a ribbon around it, make a big bow, and hang … Continue reading →

Let’s Make Christmas Stockings!

Christmas stockings are fun to make and decorate. You can buy the ready-made ones and simply decorate them as desired, or you can make your own to decorate. Use the pattern below and enlarge it for any size stockings you like. You can make large ones to hang up for Santa to fill and you can also make small or medium ones. They make great gift bags for small gifts and they also make really cute Christmas ornaments. Just glue (or have a grown up sew) some ribbon to the top corner for hanging. One you have the pattern the … Continue reading →

Touring the Town for Christmas Lights

Have you ever taken the kids for a drive to look at Christmas lights? It might not seem like that big of a deal, but it really can be a lot of fun, whether or not you have an ultimate destination in mind. Taking a spin to view beautifully lit homes and buildings or to check out animated displays can really put the whole family in the Christmas spirit. Look around, take pictures, get inspired for your own decorating projects, or just relax and enjoy. One fun way to go about the tour is to number each display as you … Continue reading →

Travel Tidbits: Unique Holiday Destinations and Good News for Directionally Challenged Travelers

Christmas is exactly one week away and by now most families have their holiday travel plans set in stone. I’ve covered dozens of destinations worth traveling to this season in the past month, and thanks to some well-heeled readers I have a few more to add to the list. Thank you to Angela who reminded me that reindeer parks make for great family outings this time of year. If you live near Redmond, Oregon consider yourself lucky. Operation Santa Clause at The Reindeer Ranch near Redmond bills itself as the home of the country’s largest herd of domesticated reindeer. If … Continue reading →