Christmas 2015 is Coming so Now What?

Christmas is coming again, and it's time to find that special thing that brings the family together.  In a lot of cases, that means finding a place that's festive and Christmasy to do your shopping, dining, or just enjoying things that make the holiday meaningful and memorable for you and yours.  Last year one of the things that I talked about was the trend toward amusement parks having a holiday celebration, and that has been very successful.  I make time to go to Holiday Lights at Lake Compounce in Bristol, CT every year now.  I've also done the city thing where I go to New York and see the tree at Rockefeller Center see the Rockettes and look at the windows along 5th Avenue and take a ride in a carriage in Central Park.  That's good too, as long as you stay away from that line to see Santa at Macy's.  But in the spirit of the season, I thought I would mention a list of great places to go and have a special trip for your holiday.  They are in no particular order.

Bethlehem, Pennsylvania is a very traditional town and they love Christmas there.  The name most certainly started it all.  The entire town is done up every December so that you can have that beautifully lit experience and the decor of old world charm.  There are programs all through the month for traditionalists and modernists alike.  It is a great place to do your shopping, and a premiere place to mail your Christmas cards from.  We have a Bethlehem here in Connecticut, and I love to send cards with the postmark from Bethlehem.

Solvang, California is the kind of place that makes me wonder what it is that has made Bavarian, Dutch and German towns feel like Christmas to us all.  This Dutch town full of windmills and traditional buildings is beautiful all year round.  When they light it all up, it's a beautiful town for Christmas.  I really don't know about this one, because it's sunny and warm.  I have the same reservations about Christmas, Florida.  Nice name and namesake, but it's still warm and there's no chance for snow.  I don't know.  They do have great shopping and food in Solvang, and Christmas for that matter, but they do kind of fall low on my list.

Helen, Georgia is yet another Bavarian town, but this one comes with mountains.  At the end of Appalachia close to Stone Mountain and Ruby Falls, this village is quintessential Bavaria, which does make for a beautiful scene at Christmas.  They have activities all season long and they also do carriage rides, which just makes it feel like Christmas.  There's plenty of shopping and festivities to go with the scenery and the best part is that it looks like that all year round.

Fredericksburg, Texas is taking Bavaria to a whole new level with a lighted Bavarian town that sports a 26 foot tall traditional German pyramid at it's center.  Once again, we are in the south here, so it is warmer than a traditional Christmas seems like it would be, but Texas is full of German towns and such, and they all lend a traditional air to the holidays.  For some reason, Bavaria just says Christmas in this country.

Leavenworth, Washington is the little Bavaria that brings Norman Rockwell paintings to life.  This town goes all out on the lights, but they have the gazebo, the carolers, the ice skating, the snow, the mountains in the background and the evergreen trees everywhere that just scream Christmas.  It would be hard to think of anything but Christmas walking around this town this time of year.  Everywhere there are traditional links to Christmas and Christmas past.  You can even get roasted chestnuts at stands along the street.  This is one of the more popular towns in the country to visit at the holidays and it's not that far from Seattle, so getting in and out isn't bad either.  Just remember, there will be snow, and at Christmas time that's a good thing.

Santa Claus, Indiana is one of those places that says that Hoosiers aren't quite right, but they know how to have fun.  I can say that, because I come from there.  So, they founded a town and named it Santa Claus and the rest is history.  This whole town is built around Christmas.  Santa is everywhere all year round, and Holiday World is the amusement park for the tourists.  By the way, Holiday World, do a Christmas festival.  Get with the amusement park trends.  You're in Santa Claus, for heaven's sake.  At any rate, Christmas is crazy in this town. You can visit Santa, shop til you drop, and enjoy one of the most festive Christmas spots anywhere.

Frankenmuth, Michigan is another Little Bavaria that celebrates Christmas all year round.  This little town north of the Detroit area is a wonderland that can be enjoyed in all seasons, but all of those seasons are Christmas.  Not only is it home to amazing shopping and food, it also sports an indoor water park for year round fun, and the one and only Bronner's Christmas Wonderland.  Bronner's is the largest Christmas store in the world, and they aren't joking.  You can buy anything Christmas there.  They even have an entire section just for Santa suits.

North Pole, Alaska is probably the most intriguing spot for me.  Alaska does everything big, and this little town is no exception.  It's Christmas all year round here.  You can send your letters to Santa here and they will answer them.  Not joking.  They have a host of volunteers that answer Santa letters every year.  You can visit Santa anytime, but the Christmas season is really something.  You never have to worry about snow either.  It's Alaska.  If you can't make it to the far north in winter, check out the various websites for this town.  There are many things that they will help you do that can make your Christmas very special for the kids.

So, there are a lot of great places to spend some time at the holidays around the country.  I hope you get to visit at least one of those great spots, or you could enjoy the Magnificent Mile in Chicago, Illinois; the Grand Ole Opry in Nashville, Tennessee; the amazing things that they do at the Mall of America in Minneapolis, Minnesota; see the Pink Pig in Atlanta, Georgia; or visit one of the Disney Parks for the holidays.  There are many things to do, places to go and Santas to see.  But, for that year round feeling that you can't get anywhere else, I bring you to New England.

South Deerfield, Massachusetts is the home of the Yankee Candle Company and it is Christmas there all year round.  This place is great because not only does it sit in New England which is gorgeous at Christmas time, but all of the festivities are inside out of the potentially cruel weather.  They have music shows by robotic performers, they have the inside of a medieval castle with thrones and all; even a drawbridge and a waterfall.  They have all kinds of Christmas rooms with trees, and villages, and trains and every tradition you've heard of.  You can get candy, cookies, chestnuts, and ice cream if you want.  It even snows inside this place.  You can visit Santa and Mrs. Claus in the middle of the toy store.  They have a restaurant, activities for the kids, and oh yeah, they sell candles.  You can spend all day inside out of the weather and still feel like you're outside celebrating Christmas in all those traditional Norman Rockwell ways.  If you get to spend some time in the area, you can also visit Historic Deerfield which is an antique town; once again, I'm not kidding.  People live there, yet they preserve the town of over 150 years ago.  If you have easily bored children, you can go to Magic Wings, the butterfly sanctuary as well.  It's a great area, and Yankee Candle is one of those amazing places that makes every day feel like Christmas.

So, there's some ideas for Christmas.  I hope that it helps you make some special memories for the year.  It's one of the busiest times of year, so don't miss the chance to spend some quality time with the family.  And you know, going to visit the family for Christmas is great, but having something special just for your little part of the family is good to.  So get out there and make some memories.  Enjoy!

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https://www.fictionpress.com/u/530752/Nina-Kindred

There's Always Something New in Vegas

Welcome to fabulous Las Vegas, Nevada.  I've seen this sign a few times, as I'm sure we all have.  This is one of the biggest playgrounds in the world.  Over the years it has gone from adult playground only to come one and all and bring the family.  Vegas has something for almost everyone and it's constantly changing so that there is always something new to do.  They know how to get you to come back.  And it works.  I've been there multiple times just because it was time to go and see what was new since the last time I was there.  My first trip to Vegas was over 20 years ago, and at that time there was something new and big on the horizon.  They were building the Fremont Street Experience in order to bring some of that massive tourism money from the strip to downtown.  I remember the people that I was traveling with said that it was a nice idea, but that they couldn't see anyone wanting to go downtown instead of spending all of their time on the strip.

Ten years ago I went to Vegas and did all the stuff on the strip at the time, but I found myself being drawn downtown just like my earlier group had told me I never would.  These days here, I have to say downtown has made one hell of a comeback.  The place is jumping, the tourists are coming, and life is good.  So, Welcome to fabulous downtown Las Vegas, Nevada.

Downtown Las Vegas is the original party area of this famous playground in the desert.  The strip came to exist as a destination because of growth.  Just like any other town, the businesses coming in later moved to what was the edge of town.  But, the true history of this fascinating town is in downtown.  I love to go to Fremont Street to gamble anyway.  That's where the party is.  The people who gamble downtown are mostly there just to have fun.  They realize that the house always wins, and that they are going to lose money.  They come for the fun, and I like that.  My favorite place will always be LA Bayou, a little casino on Fremont Street right under the Experience.  This place is just a lot of fun.  The patrons, waitstaff, and everyone there have fun and it's the experience that I think most people are really looking for when they go to Vegas.  When you go to Fremont Street, you never know what you will find.  There's always the light show every hour.  You can't miss that.  It was one of the single greatest ideas that downtown ever had.  It was the Experience that really began to bring tourists downtown.  Being a pedestrian street, you see street vendors, performers and all kinds of great things.

But, there's always something new in Vegas, and now you can zip line right down Fremont Street right through the Experience.  Slotzilla will launch you on this one of a kind ride through the famous pedestrian mall.  This is brand new this year and it's something you can only do in Vegas.

Over at the Golden Nugget, one of Las Vegas' oldest hotel casinos, you can swim with the fish, or so to speak.  The Tank is what it's called and it's a swimming pool.  But, in the middle of the pool is a tank full of sharks.  It makes for a unique swimming experience.  You can also slide down a water slide that goes right through the tank.  The Golden Nugget is one of the best and oldest destinations in downtown for hotel and casino as well.

It's new, it's green, it's eco friendly.  It's the Downtown Container Park.  What is it really?  Well, there's a park, some restaurants and shops and even some sculptures.  Everything is designed from reclaimed shipping containers.  It's a great place to go and hang out  when you're staying in downtown.  It's the only one of it's kind and they also have the world's largest working fire hydrant.  Downtown is filled with new things and shopping for those who love to spend their winnings.  The Neonopolis Mall is still going and getting revitalized from it's little downturn there about 10 years ago.  There are shops and great restaurants in every hotel casino as well and all along the Experience.  Here's a tip for you.  Some of the best wedding chapels are in downtown as well, so if you're getting married while in town, this is a great area.  Check out Viva Las Vegas for any themed weddings you might want.  We did one where I was Guinevere and my husband was King Arthur.  It was a vow renewal but it was a lot of fun with our minister, Merlin.

But, if in all the tourist trap modern day nonsense you want to take a look at old world Vegas; come to Main Street Station.  That's right, it used to be the train station back in the day when people actually traveled by train.  They still have a pullman carriage in the building for atmosphere and it's a restaurant.

The casinos look like something out of an old western movie.  The rooms at the hotel are modern, but the common areas have been purposely made up to look like the old west days.  They also have a brewery that you can tour while you're in town.  They have many wonderful restaurants too.  Remember, all those buffets that you've heard so much about in Vegas have gone up in price over the years.  In most cases, the better prices on the all you can eat buffets are downtown.

So, the next time you feel the need to go and see what's new in Las Vegas, you should come downtown.  Sometimes what's old is refreshing and sometimes old gets refurbished into fabulous new.  There are things for everyone downtown, and it should not be missed.  There is now East Fremont building up as well.  There is just more to do.  There are more ways to spend money and more to see.  So, if you're tired of the atmosphere up on the strip, come downtown and see what made Vegas great.  Have dinner, party at LA Bayou, play and shop and the Container Park, swim with the sharks, and fly like a bird on a zip line right through the Fremont Experience.
Enjoy!

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https://www.fictionpress.com/u/530752/Nina-Kindred

Define Dangerous Travel Spots

Paris, France had a horrible set of terrorist attacks last week.  We've all heard about it.  I applaud the French for going after the camps of the terrorists who took credit for the attacks.  I think anyone would be right to do that.  Since then I've seen a plethora of advisories and such that are warning travelers about this area.  I just have to say that I'm not sure that's fair.  Lest we forget that there are many dangerous places to travel and Paris has rarely been one of them.  In the past we have told travelers to avoid South Africa, Venezuela, Georgia, Russia, China, Chad, Nigeria, Liberia, Angola, Rwanda, Somalia, Kenya, Libya, Egypt, Greece, Mexico, Columbia, Grenada, Northern Ireland, Mali, Bali, the Philippines, Borneo, Honduras, Nicaragua, Guatemala, Malaysia, Indonesia, North Korea, and the entire Middle East; just to name a few.  My theory is that you have to go somewhere if you intend to travel at all.

I once traveled to Russia at a rough time.  It was the end of the Soviet Union.  It was January, and you figure nothing will happen because it's bloody cold.  Well, they opened the churches for the first time in the Baltic States and invited the Pope to preside over several of the services and it turned into a bit of a fiasco.  There was an uprising in Vilnius, Lithuania and we just happened to be passing through there.  It was inconvenient to say the least.  A week or so later, we were trying to come home from Germany, or West Germany at the time, and the first Gulf War started that day leaving us stranded.  Was it stressful?  Yes.  We weren't sure that we were even going to be able to go home, because Europe shut down its airports that day.  But let me tell you something.  I have great stories to tell today.  Was it dangerous?  Yes.

I would like to think that there are safer places to go.  There should be a place to take the kids to that doesn't run risk.  We all love our families and want that to be true.  I wish it were.  I once took my mom to Iceland to go hiking.  What could go wrong?  Iceland is one of the safest countries in the world for women to travel in.  They don't have many people and they have virtually zero terrorist risk.  Great.  Everything did go just fine and we had a great time.  However, shortly after we left, a volcano erupted and the area that we were hiking in all but washed away.

I know, you can't fight mother nature, but it's scary.  I mean, would you travel to a place if you knew that it was about to erupt?  But, let's talk about those damn terrorists.  Back in 1993 came the first attack on the World Trade Center.  In those days I used to drive to the city to go shopping.  The parking garage at the World Trade Center was great and open to the public.  That's where I used to park, and the day before that attack, I was parked there.  Did that stop me from going to New York?  No, and 9/11 didn't either.  Am I foolish?  Probably.

In the winter of 1991-92 I was on a train to Budapest and as we passed the airport on our way into town, there was an explosion.  One of the terminals had been bombed by terrorists.  It was Al Qaeda.  No surprise, not even all the way back in those days.  What did we do?  A few days later we went to that airport and flew to Russia.  It was our itinerary.  Never mess with a history professor's itinerary.

I've been on trains that wrecked days later.  I've shown up to a Native American reservation inside the Grand Canyon the day after a flash flood ravaged the area.  I've lived through tornadoes, car wrecks, and having the Measles at age 25.  Do I have a purpose for telling you all of this?  Yes.

Over 33,000 people die in car crashes each year in the US.  We all still drive.  Gas leaks, extreme weather, disease, starvation, and accidents in general kill more people each year than terrorists do.  What is it about the terrorists that make us think that we can just avoid it?  What makes us think that if we don't go where the terrorism is, we won't have to be involved in it.  There are more people in this world scared of terrorism than are scared of ghosts, clowns, and nuns put together.  Do you know that old saying that you could get hit by a bus tomorrow?  Well, in New York there have been a record number of pedestrians being hit by vehicles lately, so apparently you could get hit by a bus tomorrow.

So what should we do when faced with the terrorist threat?  A couple of years ago I planned a trip to southern Spain, Gibraltar, and Morocco.  It was a great trip, but I didn't take it.  There was an uprising of the people of some kind in Morocco, and I switched all of my plans to go to a safer place, because I didn't want to put my son at risk.  We went to Switzerland, and it was a great trip, but I still want to go to Gibraltar and vicinity.  Now I may never get to, and that was my second trip to Switzerland.  Did I miss out on something?  Probably, and all because I was scared of terrorists for the sake of my son's safety.

The world is a crazy place, and terrorists are some of the crazies.  They scare the hell out of us, and in case no one knew, that is the purpose of terrorism.  It's meant to scare the whole world into doing what some group of nuts wants us to do.  They are cowards, hiding in caves and deserts.  They pray on the weak and the young.  They treat women like disrespected animals and animals better than women.  They take a beautiful religion and bastardize it so that they can do whatever they want to others and still have a clean conscience.  They like to see us scurry for cover.  They like to drive us out of the cities.  It makes them feel strong.

There was a movie called War Games back in 1985 or so, and it was about a computer that could learn that was running our military.  It almost started World War III.  In the end it made a discovery.  It said, "Strange Game.  The only way to win is not to play."  I only wish we had that choice.  We have tried that, but it isn't working.  Negotiating doesn't work.  So what does?

I believe in solidarity.  Has anyone besides me noticed what's happened since these attacks in Paris?  The whole world is standing with Paris.  I think the world has had enough.  I hope that the time for terrorists is finally coming to an end.  If everyone stands against it.  If everyone fights against them.   "We can't be consumed by our petty differences any more." Said the President in Independence Day,  "We will be united in our common interest...you will once again be fighting for our freedom. Not from tyranny, oppression, or persecution, but from annihilation. We're fighting for our right to live, to exist...We will not go quietly into the night! We will not vanish without a fight! We're going to live on, we're going to survive."

So, I say to all the terrorists out there, be careful what you wish for.  Jihad is your way, but you may just find yourself with more than you bargained for.  Have the terrorists seen what I have?  The world is standing up in one united voice and saying that we are tired of being terrorized.  We are tired of being afraid to take a train with our children.  We are tired of worrying when we go to the city.  We are tired of checking for dangers before booking a vacation.  We are tired, and we want a peaceful world full of free people who can move about freely whether they are of a specific gender or religion or not.  We are all equal and we are all done.

 So, urge your leaders to work together.  This stunning show of solidarity says that the citizens are ready.  Let's try and get our governments and leaders ready.  It's time to take back our world.  It's time to remove the vermin from the shadows.  It's time to rebuild and redesign.  It's time to agree to disagree about religion and culture.  It's time to learn instead of shut down.  Don't ban it, teach it.  Don't take away celebrations, add them.  Don't shelter, teach.

Will we ever get to be one world?  I would like to think so.  Wouldn't it be nice if the people who died in Paris didn't die in vain?  I say let's get some good out of the bad.  Let's make our world one to be proud of.  We have a good start.  The voice of the people is speaking.  Now all we need to do is listen to it.

And what about Paris?  I say we should all go to Paris.  We should state in one united voice that we are done being afraid and we are all ready to fight to end this era of unknown terror skulking about in the dark alleys of our minds and cities.  Stand together.  Stand united.  Stand with Paris and change the world.  If we can do that then we can live and let live.  If we can do that then we can learn to respect differences.  If we do that then maybe we can truly travel and enjoy.