November 19, 2008
Welcome to the Winnipesaukee View. Where you can find information on Lake Winnipesaukee and the surrounding area. A newsletter with things to do, events, bits and pieces of information and more...
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In this issue:
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Christmas Festivities
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Are you traveling this season? Learn how to overcome holiday travel stress.
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Smooth jazz for your holiday events
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Hints to make your holiday cooking easier.
It's time to get into the Christmas spirit. There are an abundance of Holiday activities this year. In addition to taking your kids to see Santa or checking out Christmas lights you still need to do the decorating, shopping and go to all the parties!
I've come up with a few things to make things easier for you this Holiday season. Enjoy the holidays and all the fun that goes with it.
Christmas/Holiday Events
With the Christmas season upon us, there's a flurry of activity with all the elves busy doing their work. There are so many things available for the kids to do this season, that you can't possibly do them all. If you plan well, you might be able to do quite a few of them.
There are Holiday open houses, parades, turkey plunges, Santa trains, concerts, craft fairs, tree festivals and more. Both young and old will enjoy most everything. It's so much fun to take children to the special things and watch their eyes light up in wonder!
Remember, Christmas is the spirit of giving. It's not material things, it's the joy and helping out that makes this season so special. For fun activities for the kids, concerts and other things, check out my Christmas Events page for all the details.
Christmas Jazz
Autumn Leaves is a lakes region based jazz ensemble that performs throughout New England. The ensemble is based around a duo consisting of saxophone and piano and expands to a quartet adding drums and bass.
The smooth style jazz of the ensemble adds eloquent music to events like seasonal parties, art shows and conventions as well as wedding receptions.
For your Christmas party, Autumn Leaves mixes jazz style Christmas songs with standard jazz fare, playing in the background so that your group can socialize without raised voices.
Listen to a sample of Autumn Leaves music.
Holiday Travel
As we all know, the holidays are a very busy time of year. There's a lot of traffic, long lines, no parking, delays and lack of time. I've listed a few things to help make your travel less stressful.
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Take extra time to search for the less expensive airfares. Compare prices online and sign up for deal alerts. Start early when looking for flights because the most popular flights book up fast. Look for web sites that compare prices such as: www.kayak.com or where you can get discount coupons such as: www.couponcabin.com.
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Be flexible with your travel time. Look for days that aren't as busy. It will ease up the congestion and stress by traveling to or from your destination on a slower day.
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Plan ahead on your parking options. It's very expensive to park at the airport, so look for off-airport parking. It's generally cheaper and easier to get to. Once you're parked, off-airport locations provide a shuttle directly to your airline. Perhaps it's easier to take a bus or limo to the airport. This relieves a lot of stress in driving and parking your car. Relax! Let someone else do the driving.
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Pack only the items you need. Many people over pack. Bring only what you will need because you will probably be bringing more items back with you. If you're going for an extended stay, ship some of your items to the destination and then on the return trip home. This really eases the amount of checked luggage that you have to pay extra for. Also, plan on using curbside check in if you can. There's a small fee, but the time saved will be worth it.
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Be prepared for the security checkpoints. Plan ahead so you can go through these quickly. You need to know ahead of time what you can and can't bring on the airplane. Pack all liquids in your checked luggage or buy them when you arrive. Wear slip on shoes because you need to remove them when going through security. For more information on what you can bring on an airline, check out: www.tsa.gov.
Most of all, have fun! Work on relaxing, bring a good book or something mindless to do on the plane. Keep your sense of humor and enjoy your trip.
Holiday Cooking
Cooking for holiday parties can be stressful. Whether you're giving a party or bringing a dish, you need to decide what to bring that's easy to prepare, especially when you're pressed for time.
Since most people lead very busy lives with too much scheduled into their day, it's best to find a recipe with a few ingredients that travels well.
What are the likes and dislikes of the guests? Are there children or others that require special meals? If you know someone has food allergies or doesn't eat meat, you have to take that into consideration as well. What are others bringing? What type of dish do you bring it in?
Casseroles are a great dish to bring to a party. They are all prepared, travel well and can be heated up when you get there. Roasted, grilled sauteed vegetables turn mushy after reheating.
If you're traveling a long way, it might be best to bring a dessert such as a cake or cookies.
Coordinate with others that are bringing food. You don't want to duplicate anything.
Choose the right container. Plastic is good for desserts, aluminum pans with locking covers are good for food that needs to be heated.
Remember to put your name on the bottom of all pans or platters that you want returned home.
Bring all of your food supplies such as spices, etc. to complete your dish. The location of the party may not have what you need.