Vacations Blog

Dress your dog in holiday festivewear for the 1.2k Santa Sled Run.

The 12K’s of Christmas celebrates the “health, fitness, and joy of Christmas.” This Christmas run is being held in the town of Gilbert, Arizona on December 12th at the Freestone District Park. Every registered runner receives a free Santa hat to wear during the run. Chorale groups will be stationed along the route singing Christmas Carols, and prizes will be offered for those runners with the most inventive Christmas-themed running outfit.

Along with the 12k marathon is a 1.2k “Santa Sled Run” for the whole family to enjoy, including your four-legged friends. Decorate strollers, wagons, bicycles, and even your dog to run, walk, or stroll the 1.2k. Prizes will be awarded for the 12k’s of Christmas Judges Award, the Spirit of Christmas Judges Award, Santa’s Favorite Pet, Best Decorated Entry, and Individual and Child’s Christmas Spirit awards.

Non-runners can enjoy the Christmas Bazaar for some last-minute Christmas shopping, food, and drink. Downtown Gilbert will also be hosting post-event celebrations, so make a day of it and enjoy the 12K’s of Christmas!

Registration Fee for the 12k Race is $30 prior to race day, and $35 the day of the race. Registration includes water stations and snacks, Santa Hat and collectible finishers pin. Day of Race Registration is 8 am to 9:45 am, the race begins at 10 am, and the awards ceremony immediately follows the race.

Registration Fee for the Santa Sled 1.2K Run is $30 Team entry (4 people), $5 for each additional person.
Registration is from 8 am to 9:45 am, and the race Begins at 10:12 am.

Photo Credit: “I like my new sweater” by mbtrama on Flickr Creative Commons.

Orlando Museum of Art welcomes winter

We don’t have snow, ice or frigid temperatures, but even Orlando welcomes the winter holidays.

We hang tiny white lights from our rooftops and set plastic reindeer in our yards next to our pink flamingos.  Our malls are filled with holiday sale signs by Halloween and our children stand for hours for a chance to cry on Santa’s lap.

Yes, even in Florida, we welcome the chance to pay homage to the North Pole.

The Orlando Museum of Art offers a beautiful program to celebrate the winter holidays, although the timing of the event is a little bizarre.  The Orlando Festival of Trees begins and ends before Thanksgiving.

The Orlando Museum of Art’s Festival of Trees exhibit runs from November 14th to November 22nd.  The annual festival dates back to 1986 and strives to provide museum guests with a “winter wonderland” experience.  Room after room is decorated with wreaths and trees and holiday trimmings.

Christmas Trees in Orlando

The exhibit features a Gingerbread Village, Toyland Town and Christmas Village.  There’s also live entertainment provided by local choirs, dance groups and musical groups.  Of course, the holiday atmosphere wouldn’t be complete without a place to shop, so the museum provides a Holiday Boutique and Holiday Garden where they’ll happily feed your need for celebratory consumerism.

The event is open from 10am to 5pm, with extended hours to 8pm on Thursday the 19th and Saturday the 21st.  Tickets are $10 for adults and $6 for children.  Additional information on hours, parking and special events can be found at the Festival of Trees web site.

Orlando Festival of Trees

The Orlando Museum of Art is well north of the infamous amusement park district.  It’s surrounded by other Orlando museums and theaters and offers a more cultural view of Orlando, Florida than the hats with ears version.

Photo Credit:  Orlando Museum of Art

Stylin' girls at the mall.

There are twenty-five days until Black Friday, my friends! Time to get your gameplan together!

Black Friday, that traditional chaotic Christmas shopping day that qualifies as a quasi-holiday all on its own, is the Friday after Thanksgiving in the U.S. every year. This year, plan your Arizona shopping to visit these fine establishments:

The Scottsdale Fashion Square- 7014-7590 East Camelback Road – Phoenix, Arizona. Swank shops and boutiques mingle with great dining and people watching near the heart of Scottsdale.

The Chandler Fashion Center – 3111 West Chandler Boulevard – Chandler, Arizona. Indoor and outdoor shopping, dining, movies, and much more.

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Friends, there are only 90 shopping days until Christmas!

Yes, I know, I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have mentioned it. But in the interest of being a good Girl Scout and being prepared (that applies to Girl Scouts as well as Boy Scouts, right?) I thought I would offer some gift ideas for the traveler in your life. Or, some ideas to add to your own Christmas wish list!

This Passport Travel Tote is pretty awesome – durable, with pockets for just about everything, yet small and light and easy to carry – plus a detachable “boarding organizer” that holds plane tickets, ID, and passport. $44.95 from Memorable Gifts.

Sassy luggage tags with attitude put the fun back into wrestling for your suitcase at the baggage carousel. Tags are bright neon colors with messages such as, “Nothing worth stealing here,” and “I’m pretty sure this isn’t your bag.” $9.99 for a pack of six from Wishing Fish.

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My tree at home? Wouldn't be this good anyway.

Laura recently shared 5 Little Ways To Save Money for Vacations. Her suggestions were sensible, savvy and financially sound, and called for little to no disruption in your day to day life.

I’d like to offer a suggestion that’s a little more extreme.

Cancel Christmas.

Seriously.

Now before you start throwing the Scrooge label around, hear me out.

I’ve been thinking recently about how much I want to take my kids on a great vacation.  I travel quite a bit on my own, and I’ve noticed that it’s much more affordable to travel solo than it is in a group.  Even when I go places with just my husband, the sticker shock of two airplane tickets and two full sized meals (as opposed to one street vendor hot dog) never ceases to amaze me.  (Plus, when you’re traveling with your husband, you can’t save money by splitting a hotel room with 3 of your closest friends.)

I can easily scratch the heck out of my travel itch for under $400 – when I’m traveling alone.

But I’ve been wondering, where can I come up with the well over $400 needed for a great vacation for a family of four?

Obviously, one of the first things I could do to save money is stop traveling alone.  And to that I say, Ba Humbug!  I’m a travel writer, for Pete’s sake!  I pretty much have to take regular trips or I’ll lose my job! Nobody wants that!

My next idea was to stop buying groceries.  But then I considered the enormous hassle of dealing with Child Protective Services and quickly scrapped that plan.

And then came my brilliant idea to cancel Christmas.

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Don’t let the heat fool you.  Just because it’s hotter than molten lava outside doesn’t mean that the holidays won’t be here before you know it.  Seriously, they’re coming. Read More »

When you say Tucson and holiday lights in the same breath it is understood that you are talking about Winterhaven (in Tucson, anyway).

For 58 years the Tucson neighborhood of Winterhaven has lit up.  Literally.   Thousands of visitors walk, drive, or ride haywagons pulled by horses through streets lined with festive lighting.

It’s quite amazing, really.

There is no admission, however, there are opportunities available to make donations to the Tucson Community Food Bank.

The festival runs through the 27th of December, but just like Frosty the Snowman, it will be back next year.  And every year after.

Photos by Whit Honea