The Christmas Trip: Does It Count as a Gift?
Holiday Season 2007 officially began on Friday, so I figured now's a good time to note that this year Amy and I are trying something different when it comes to giving gifts to our kids.
This Christmas we're giving our kids a trip to Lake Tahoe, where we have family friends. It will be an opportunity for our 4-year-old daughter to play in the snow for the first time, and for our 11-year-old son to go snowboarding with Dad -- something he has wanted to do again since our last trip to snow country in Canada two years ago.
This will be a fairly expensive trip, exceeding $3,500. Because of that cost, I hesitated for weeks before booking the vacation. My concern is that we're piling this big expense on top of whatever we spend on the kids' Christmas presents.
Amy's solution: We told the kids the trip is their major Christmas present from Mom and Dad this year. Problem solved.
Or is it?
Can a trip you might have taken anyway really be a Christmas gift, or does it seem like the Scrooge's way out? And does it really count as a gift if you tell your children about the gift weeks before Christmas actually arrives?
Every year, I complain about the proliferation of gift giving among adults around the holidays. I earn a decent salary, and if there's something I really want, I can go buy it for myself. I see no need for others to buy stuff for me, or for me to buy stuff that others can purchase for themselves.
Kids are different. This is their time of year. I know from my own childhood just how much fun it is tearing into that wrapping paper on Christmas morning to find the cool toys you circled in the Sears catalog way back in November, or included on the list you dispatched to the North Pole. Now, as a parent, I get that same thrill watching my kids' excitement.
But can a vacation everyone already knows about offer that same level of holiday cheer?
I understand that family holiday trips have a long tradition. And certainly, travel offers some compelling advantages as a present: It removes some of the angst of figuring out what to buy your kids when they have pretty much everything already; it's far better than another gadget that is put, permanently, in the closet within days; and it creates family memories that will last far longer than most tangible presents ever will.
But there are also some major drawbacks to the whole concept that, for me, potentially change the equation.
For instance: Does the trip diminish the traditional holiday experience for your kids, who are assuredly expecting their usual bounty? In our case, our Tahoe adventure is slated for the week after Christmas to fit various school and work schedules. And the kids already know this is their gift. So how does that play out on Christmas morning? We certainly can't give the kids a picture of a snowy mountain and say, "Remember that trip we told you about? Well, it's almost here!"
And there's another point: Our kids had no say in whether this vacation is what they want for Christmas. It's something Amy and I want to do, and we think the kids will enjoy it. But they didn't ask for it, and I worry it could ruin the best part of a kid's Christmas: the anticipation. If you already know what you're getting, what's the point of making a wish list?
That, however, leads to a major flaw I already see in our strategy: I'm not sure any of us believe it. The kids nodded when we told them this was their big Christmas present. But I don't think it registered. They still believe that there will be plenty to open under the tree, despite what we told them about the trip.
Written by Amanda on November 9th, 2008 with no comments.
A Kingston Christmas...
Christmas in Kingstons a young child, Christmas in Kingston was the highlight of the year. I spent summers in Kingston with my grandmother and grandfather while my parents toured the country doing summer-stock theater (my dad was a professor of Drama at Ithaca college).
Before the age of superhighways, the 500+ mile trip from Ithaca, NY to Kingston was a two-day journey by car. We made the pilgrimage three or four times a year - at the start of summer to drop me off, in the fall to pick me up for school, maybe Thanksgiving and always Christmas. Christmas was the best!
The annual winter odyssey had a magic flavor to it. We would load the trunk with gifts and pile into the family car, a Nash Rambler nicknamed ‘Nelly Nash' - and set out for the long drive east. Somewhere past the Catskill Mountains near the Massachusetts border my dad would pull off the side of the road and we would spend the night camped in the car. (My dad called it "Car Cramping".)
I can still remember falling asleep to the long Doppler-shift sounds of trucks in high gear approaching followed by sudden change in pitch as they passed and receded into the night. The lullaby of traffic was background music to dreams of presents and Santa.
My grandmother's house was the old gray Victorian near the intersection of Lake and Grove Street in the Silver Lake District of Kingston. Her house was always filled with the smells of something baking, the aroma of hot cinnamon, fresh baked mince meat and apple pies hung heavy and sweet in the air.
On several occasions fresh falls of snow transformed the woods around her house to a land of mystery and beauty. I would spend long afternoons tramping through the snow, exploring trails and following the tracks of deer. No doubt left by Santa's reindeer looked for a place to land.
One evening after twilight my grandmother transformed her back yard into a winter fairy-land with the addition of several ice-candles she had made in secret. They were essentially blocks of ice with a dash of food coloring and candle inside but their effect on the landscape was magical. In the gray-blue icy darkness, each candle cast a golden circle of light. The snow around them sparkled and glowed. I can remember laughing and playing as I dashed and danced from one candle to another.
It's funny, but I can remember almost everything about Christmas except the actual presents I received. For the most part the memories are of family, circles of light, laughter, and a sense of excitement building up to Christmas morning.
The passing years change everything. As an adult and a parent I frequently find this season to be one of stress and anxiety. There's way too much to do and no time to do it all. Everything costs too much and there is never enough money. My wife and I go nuts trying to 'buy' the perfect Christmas.
It is too easy to forget that for kids, the best present we can give them isn't sold in stores or advertised on television. It's memories of tranquility and joy. This year's hot toy is next year's trash but we carry the memories and feeling of approaching Christmas with us forever.
Ice candles were among the best presents and they didn't arrive on Christmas morning - they were part of the background. Ice candles are easy to make, and best of all, cost next to nothing.
Written by Amanda on November 14th, 2008 with no comments.
Seven affordable winter adventures for all types of travelers
Wolf watching and winter sports in Yellowstone
Winter isn't just a good time to plan next spring and summer's adventures, it's also a great time to get outdoors and try a whole other set of activities. Whether you're a bona fide snow bunny or prefer to just dabble in winter sports in between sitting by the fireplace and gorging on comfort food, you can find winter adventure packages that suit your interests and your tolerance for below-freezing temperatures. I've searched the Web and found seven great tours suitable for different types of active winter travelers—and they're all pretty good deals, too.
By early November, visitation to Yellowstone Park drops way off. However, the park's top attractions — abundant wolf and other wildlife watching and geothermal hot springs- don't adhere to manmade timetables.
Each year, close to three million people visit Yellowstone National Park, mainly during the summer. By early November, most of the park's roads and facilities close for the season and visitation drops way off. However, the park's top attractions—abundant wildlife and geothermal hot springs—don't adhere to manmade timetables.
Mont Blanc winter sport smorgasbord
Snowshoeing, dogsledding, skiing, or ice-skating? Why settle for one when you can have a smorgasbord? U.K-based Exodus Travels' "Winter Activity Week" tours gives you a taste of all those sports and more set against the backdrop of some of Europe's most spectacular mountain scenery.
Exodus runs multi-sport winter tours in Finland, Sweden, Norway, Switzerland, Iceland, and Slovenia, but its program centered around Mont Blanc (which straddles the borders of France, Italy, and Switzerland) offers the most variety and the lively atmosphere of Alpine resort town Chamonix in France. After transferring from Geneva, Switzerland, you'll settle in at the Chalet Savoy in the village of Les Houches near Chamonix, which will be your base for six full days of winter activities. Most days, you'll go on one or more guided excursions, including cross-country skiing in the Italian Ferret Valley, dogsledding in the Chamonix Valley, snowshoeing around Le Prarion, and skate-skiing and Nordic walking in the Italian Aosta.
Inn-to-inn skiing, snowshoeing, and hiking in Vermont
"Long weekend getaways are just the ticket for overcoming the winter blues," says cross-country ski guide Deborah Lewis. This coming winter Lewis will guide REI Adventures' first Vermont winter trip, an inn-to-inn adventure that promises the right combination of outdoor physical exertion and indoor pampering.
Over a three-night long weekend, you'll cross country ski, snowshoe, or hike (depending on the snow conditions) between inns in the Moosalamoo region of Vermont's Green Mountains. You'll travel six to eight miles per day carrying a daypack, exploring peaceful trails and learning about their history from Lewis, a local history buff, who will take you to sites such as a hidden Robert Frost cabin and the 100-foot-tall Falls of Lana.
The adrenaline junkie's Colorado ski vacation
If you've conquered typical resort skiing and yearn for steeper, wilder terrain, you'll want to check out Colorado-based Telluride Helitrax's "Ultimate San Juan" package, a one-of-a-kind itinerary that will make you feel like you're the star of your own Warren Miller film. Over the course of six days you'll experience heli-skiing, snow-cat skiing, hike-to skiing, and guided skiing at one of the steepest ski areas in the country, all in Colorado's San Juan Mountains.
"The San Juan Mountains are the youngest mountains in Colorado, with 80 peaks over 13,000 feet," says John Humphries, program manager and guide for Helitrax. "Because they haven't been worn down as much over time as other mountain ranges, the terrain is very steep, resembling the Alps or the Canadian Rockies."
Dogsledding in Minnesota
Dashing through the snow, in an eight-dog open sled, over the frozen lakes you'll go, on a trip with the Northern Minnesota-based White Wilderness Sled Dog Adventures, an outfitter that blends the excitement and romance of travel by dogsled with comfortable winter lodging and gourmet food. Run for the past 13 years by husband and wife team Peter McClelland and Chris Hegenbarth, White Wilderness offers a variety of sled dog experiences, including a four-night Traditional Yurt trip that's great for beginners looking for an in-depth mushing experience.
"People crave adventure, and dogsledding is pretty user-friendly," says Assistant Director C. "Theo" Theobald. "If you love dogs [or are open to the possibility of liking dogs], meeting working dogs and traveling with them in a traditional style is just really neat."
Winter Carnaval and snowshoeing in Quebec
You'll start by staying at the opulent Fairmont property Le Cha^teau Frontenac, which, set in Quebec's historic center, is within easy walking distance of most Carnaval attractions. "The Cha^teau Frontenac looked liked a fairy tale castle all covered in snow. My room had the most fantastic view of the city," says Floridian Sue Blough who went on the trip in 2006. The first three nights your group will spilt time between enjoying the sites of Carnaval in the city, sampling the French cuisine of Old Quebec, and doing outdoor activities like snowshoeing and dogsledding in nearby parks. "A highlight of the trip for me was the food," says Blough. "At one gourmet restaurant in the old city, the presentation was so exquisite that people took pictures of their food—and it tasted great too."
Then, you'll leave Quebec City for another Fairmont hotel, Le Manoir Richelieu, which is perched above the St. Lawrence River in La Malbaie, Quebec. From here, you'll head out for snowshoeing trips in Parc Regional du Mont Grand-Fonds and Cap-Tourmente National Wildlife Area. During a free afternoon, you can try cross-country or downhill skiing, or just relax in the hotel spa.
Climb New England's tallest peak
Over the course of the North Conway mountaineering program, you'll spend two days learning mountaineering skills and then use your last day to try for the summit of Mt. Washington. The first day you'll get the hang of using technical equipment like crampons, ice axes, and ropes, and practice safety techniques such as self-arrest (stopping yourself from falling down a slope) with an ice axe. The next day you'll climb on more difficult terrain and learn about avalanche safety and how to assess weather conditions.
The last day is by the far the biggest: A guided winter ascent up Mt. Washington, a peak famed for its high winds and extreme low temperatures. "We generally go up the Lion's Head Winter Trail, as it avoids most avalanche terrain, and we will usually use ice axes, crampons, and occasionally a rope depending on trail conditions," says EMS Climbing School guide Dave Kelly. "Anyone in reasonable physical condition should be able to make the summit, but the day is long and quite arduous for some."
Written by Amanda on November 10th, 2008 with no comments.
Top of the Rock Golf ~ Outdoor Activities ~ Resort Activities ~ Big Cedar Lodge
#1. November 13th, 2008
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