The 23d Annual Christmas Festival will be held this weekend, Nov. 6-8, at Boston's Seaport World Trade Center. The show opens Friday with the popular Gingerbread House Competition, an annual crowd favorite showcasing the talents of Boston's top chefs. After judging (full disclosure: my niece and I are judges), these incredible creations of varying sizes will be sold, with all the proceeds to benefit Boys & Girls Clubs of Boston.

The festival itself offers everything a holiday shopper could desire under one roof. The distinctive work of over 300 master American crafts people will keep guests dizzy with delight. Bargain hunters, as well as those with extravagant tastes, will find an endless array of home accessories, designer fashions, jewelry, handcrafted holiday decor, tempting gourmet specialty foods, and one-of-a-kind handcrafted gifts unavailable elsewhere.

Over 30,000 visitors visit the festival each year. Admission is $12 -- with an online coupon to print out here. Kids get in free. Show hours are Friday noon-7 p.m., Saturday from 10 a.m.-7, and Sunday 10-5.

Photo of chef Coady and pastry cook Zailda Smith put finishing touches on Finale's gingerbread creation courtesy of CM Communications

Return to the days of old when if you didn’t own a horse and buggy, on the southern coast of Maine you relied on the Atlantic Shore Line’s electric trolleys to get from here to there. Seashore Trolley Museum in Kennebunkport closed for the season at the end of October, but as a special treat, this year, for the first time, they'll reopen to participate in the town's Christmas Prelude weekends, Dec. 4-6 and 11-13.

Prelude visitors can ride in heated, restored electric trolleys on what was the Kennebunkport to Biddeford portion of the Atlantic Shore Line. The historic railway operated from 1904 to 1927, when it was essential transportation for tourists and commuters.

Rides will be offered on Friday from 1 to 3:30 p.m. and on Saturday and Sunday from 11 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. during the two weekends. Refreshments will be available and the museum's gift shop will be open with a selection of rail-related gifts for all ages. Admission to the museum store and visitors center is free. Tickets are $4 per ride, per person (all ages).

Founded in 1939, the nonprofit Seashore Trolley Museum is the oldest and largest museum of its type in the world. It's located at 195 Log Cabin Road, Kennebunkport (3 miles north of Dock Square). Info at 207-967-2800 or online.


Posted by Janet Mendelsohn, Globe correspondent

Photo courtesy of Seashore Trolley Museum

This Friday, Oct. 30, the streets of Harvard Square will be alive with black magic, costumed mimes, and a monster mash for the square's liveliest block party of the year -- Harvard Scare in Harvard Square. A costume party for children and a Monstah Mash block party for all ages will flood the streets, as live entertainment, costume contests, prizes, and terrifying thrills abound. The celebration begins promptly at 4 p.m. Retailers will have many special treats as well -- see here for a full list.

The Keene Pumpkin Festival perhaps began New England's craze for who-can-gather-the-most-jack-o-lanterns in one place. A special Community Night will be held Friday, Oct. 16, with hay rides along Main Street by Stonewall Farm, live music, pumpkin drop-offs, food, and a sneak peek of Saturday's grand finale with one tower lighted. This year marks the 19th Annual Keene Pumpkin Festival, on Oct. 17, where it might be possible to see more than 25,000 jack-o-lanterns lighted at one time. While you're waiting to see what that many pumpkins looks like, the entire family will be entertained with special activities including a costume parade, seed spitting and pie eating contests, live music on three stages, craft booths, lots of food provided by area nonprofits, and much more. The evening ends with a spectacular fireworks display. For more information visit online.

If you’re planning to spend Easter weekend in Schaumburg, Ill., you can get a room at the Hyatt Regency Woodfield. for $20.09 on April 10-11.
Call 800-233-1234.
Posted by Richard P. Carpenter, Globe correspondent

The way this winter has been going even the kids will need a break from the weather during school vacation week.
Enough with the sledding, skiing, and the like. Cape Cod's Ocean Edge Resort & Club has another idea: a week-long pool party.
For its No School, Only Pool getaway, valid Feb. 14 to 21, nightly rates start at $89 per room, per night, for a family of four. And, when accompanied by a paying adult, children 12 and under eat free from the kids menu.
The 335-room resort plans daily activities at the two indoor pools and family-friendly movies on select nights.
To book, visit the website or call 800-343-6074 and ask for rate code "No School.''
Then count the days.

Snowboarding started as a backyard sport — kids riding these Snurfer-type/skateboard-type boards over homemade jumps and through the trees. Almost 30 years later, The Stash, an all-natural terrain park at Killington that was designed by riders at Burton Snowboards, brings the sport full circle.

Being an old-school skier (translation: I like to keep my skis on the snow), I generally avoid terrain parks. Just watching the riders slide on the street-style metal rails makes me cringe. “Doesn’t it trash your skis’ (or snowboard’s) edges?” I ask. It’s a question mostly answered by shrugs.

In The Stash, the rails are mostly made of friendlier materials — natural materials, such as birch trees and other logs. Even the trash cans are carved from wood. This past week, a rail that arches maybe eight feet off the ground and carved into a dragon from Oregon timber was installed. One snowboarder tentatively slid a couple of feet up it, then jumped off laughing and swearing.

There are five such parks in the world: in addition to Killington, Burton built Stashes at resorts in California (Northstar-at-Tahoe), France, New Zealand, and Austria.

Killington’s Stash winds through the woods for about a half-mile, and the only time I cringed was when a rider lost his balance on a stonewall rail and landed on his backside on the polished concrete top.

Features that made me say "wow" were a jibbable wooden fence, a Sequoia-sized log rail, and the Sugar Shack (minus any maple syrup), where riders were sliding down a stair rail. The day before, some of the Burton-sponsored riders were flying over the shack, I was told. (OK, that would make me cringe too.)

"It's really creative," said Stowe rider Nils Mindnich, 14, who's competed since he was six and is now sponsored by Burton and Red Bull. "It looks like no one had to build much even though it took an immense amount of effort to make. It looks really natural."

Asked whether some of the features were intimidating, Jaron Van Meter, 20, a snowboarder from Rome, N.Y., confessed yes. But he still liked how well all the features were sculpted, the natural feeling of the park, and the "cool atmosphere."

So cool, in fat, that even someone as uncool as me had fun skiing through the trees and watching the riders play.

Posted By Peggy Shinn, Globe Correspondent

Ever wonder what it would be like to go on vacation with Ellen DeGeneres and her significant other, Portia de Rossi? Ellen offered viewers this look at the couple's holiday trip to sunny Bora Bora. It's really quite comforting to discover that celebrity vacation footage, even in beautiful and exotic locales, is just as boring as everyone else's.

Roger Williams Park Zoo in Providence is ringing in the new year with free admission on New Year's Day. If you can't make it Jan. 1, the zoo is offering half-price admission from Jan. 2-Feb. 28. That's $6 for adults, $4 for seniors 62 and over, and $3 for children ages 3-12 (under 3 are free). Why go to the zoo in winter? The zoo says cold-hardy animals like snow leopards, penguins, bison, seals, and moon bears may be more active. For less hardy visitors, there's always the indoor exhibits at the African Pavilion and the Tropical America and Australasia buildings.

What happens when travel bloggers come together for a good cause? Passports with Purpose. The authors of DeliciousBaby, Nerd's Eye View, and Wanderlust with Lipstick joined forces with several other bloggers to raise money for Heifer International. Here's how it works: Each time you donate $10 to Heifer International, you get a chance to win a prize of your choice from a lengthy list. The not-so-shabby raffle prizes include: a two-night stay for a family of four at the Wildflower Inn in Lyndonville, Vt., a three-night stay at the Wyland Waikiki in Hawaii, a Flip video camera, and a Peg Perego Primo Viaggio infant car seat. The fund-raiser runs through Dec. 29.

Have you always wanted to experience New York City at Christmas time, but found the idea daunting and outrageously expensive? We’ve found two ways to combat those fears, courtesy of a company called Untours and the Cosmopolitan Hotel in the city’s Tribeca neighborhood. First, Untours, which likes to bill itself as offering independent travel, with support. Untours has a group of local experts to help you plan a day suited to your tastes. For $99, a life-long New Yorker will devote two hours to planning your day and helping you on your way. That's $99 total, not per customer, so bring family and friends. The locals can help you figure out how to navigate the city and savor the holiday splendor, find the bargains and avoid the hassle. They will help decipher which of the outdoor markets suits you best, which museum’s display is best tailored to your taste, which department store’s windows will provide the most cheer. They can help you take a backstage tour of the Metropolitan Opera or Radio City Music Hall for a song. To take the One-Day Untour, just get to the city and join the expert for coffee to start your day, or plan the itinerary with them ahead of time. Once you’ve finished the chat, you and your friends are on your way to travel as you please. Call 888-868-6871 for more information about the Christmas in New York Untour, available through Dec. 31. Untours also offers a one-week New Your “Untour,” which includes an apartment. Not interested in a week’s stay? The Cosmopolitan Hotel, at 95 West Broadway (at Chambers St.) has rooms available for $169 a night, most nights, through the holidays and to the end of February (except for the two nights leading up to New Year’s Eve). We have stayed there and can vouch for the location and the cleanliness of this value hotel, which has also earned plaudits from Frommer's. Go to cosmohotel.com or call 888-895-9400. You can feel good about working with Untours: in 1999, it was awarded the Newman’s Own/George Award for having the "Most Generous Company In America." Hal and Norma Taussig, owners of Untours, donate nearly all of their company’s profits to the Untours Foundation, which in turn provides low-interest loans to projects that create jobs, build low-income housing, and promote Fair Trade.

The folks at TSA know that the holidays are -- how to put it -- a stressful time. Most people who fly know the carry-on rules, but for some reason it becomes easy to forget that the rules apply even to holiday goodies. To wit, the TSA reminds travelers that the following foodstuffs and beverages need to packed in luggage and checked:
* gravy (??)
* salad dressing
* oils and vinegars (who travels with oil and vinegar?)
* cranberry sauce
* salsa
* sauces
* maple syrup
* creamy dips (then noncreamy, less fattening varieties are OK?)
* wine, liquor and beer
* jams
* jellies
* soups (excuse me sir, is that a soup in your pocket or are you just happy....)

And who says these TSA guy don't have a sense of humor? Check out this last bit of advice from the website:

Note: You can bring pies and cakes through the security checkpoint, but be advised that they might be subject to additional screening. (italics mine)

Ya gotta love these guys.

Anyone who’s traveling to Atlanta during December can experience one of the world’s leading symphonic orchestras at its festive best in a busy schedule of evening and matinee holiday concerts. Rather than repeating the same program for all December concerts, the renowned Atlanta Symphony Orchestra mixes it up to appeal to all ages at Symphony Hall at the Robert W. Woodruff Hall Arts Center.
The series opens Dec. 4 and 6 with the moving “Handel’s Messiah,” with Norman Mackenzie conducting the orchestra and Chamber Chorus.
For Dec. 5 and 6, the orchestra and the Atlanta Gospel Choir join forces for an “ASO Gospel Christmas” conducted by Chelsea Tipton II. For families, there are four performances Dec. 7 and 14 for “A Kid’s Christmas” featuring the Polar Express with Lee Harper & Dancers and the Atlanta Symphony Youth Orchestra conducted by Jere Flint.

A five-decade Atlanta tradition unfolds Dec. 11-13, (cq) with four performances of “Christmas with the ASO” featuring the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra and Chorus, the Morehouse College Glee Club, and the Gwinnett Young Singers conducted by Mackenzie.
Popular holiday standards highlight Dec. 18-20’s four performances of “A Very Merry Holiday Pops” conducted by Michael Krajewski. The season wraps up with “ASO New Year’s Eve” on Dec. 31. A complimentary glass of bubbly helps ring in 2009.
Tickets are $15-$68, depending on program. To buy tickets by phone, call 404-733-5000; in person at the Woodruff Arts Center Box Office (15th and Peachtree Streets) or online.
By Jan Shepherd, Globe Correspondent

Photos courtesy of the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra

Southwest put fares on sale for the second time in a week to boost business in the slow periods after the holidays.
The three-day sale begins today and ends Nov. 20 for travel from Dec. 9 through Feb. 28. Sale fares are available only on the website, with the cheapest days being Monday through Thursday. Sample deals from Providence: Baltimore-Washington Intl. $49 one way, LA $99, or Chicago Midway $89.
``It is pretty obvious that there are more than a few empty seats hanging out this winter, even with the substantial seat cutbacks,'' Rick Seaney, CEO of ticket-research firm Farecompare.com, told Bloomberg News.

CraftBoston Holiday makes its much anticipated premiere today for a three-day run at the Boston Westin Waterfront. (The hotel is located adjacent to the new Greater Boston Convention Center on Summer Street.) It’s the best addition to the city’s holiday shopping scene since the popular 22-year-old “Crafts at the Castle” folded after last December’s show.

With 105 glassblowers, jewelry designers, furniture makers, fashionwear weavers and knitters, and metal artists, and home accessories craftsmen, CraftBoston Holiday offers one-of-a-kind and limited edition gifts by top regional and national artists. Sponsored by the Society of Arts and Crafts in Boston’s Back Bay, the show is a streamlined version of the annual spring CraftBoston that features 175 crafts artists, lectures, theme tours.

Here’s the lowdown: Friday till 8 p.m., Sat. 10 a.m.-6 p.m., Sun. 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Admission (good all weekend) $15, seniors $12, ages 12 and under free. Proceeds benefit Society of Arts and Crafts, 175 Newbury St., Back Bay. 617-266-1810. Visit website for admission discount coupons. Boston Westin Waterfront is at 425 Summer St., about four blocks from South Station.
By Jan Shepherd, Globe Correspondent

As if you needed another reason to go to New York: The New York Botanical Garden's Holiday Train Show beings Nov. 23. Model trains and trolleys wend their way past more than 140 replicas of New York landmarks. This being a botanical museum, the replicas - including the Statue of Liberty, Brooklyn Bridge, Yankee Stadium, and Radio City Music Hall - are all created from plant materials. Designer Paul Busse and his team at Applied Imagination used things like bark, fungus, tea roses, cinnamon curls, reeds, acorns, moss, twigs, pine cones, and berries to create the spectacular little renditions in a larger-than-life city. As far as holiday traditions go, it's just really cool. The show runs through Jan. 11.

Heading to New York City for Labor Day weekend? Escape the skyscrapers and busy sidewalks with an outing at the New York Botanical Garden in the Bronx. It’s 20 minutes from Grand Central on the Metro-North Railroad.
Once there, see if you can find all 20 sculptures in “Moore in America: Monumental Sculpture at The New York Botanical Garden,” the largest outdoor exhibit of Henry Moore’s art ever presented in a single US venue. If finding them on your own is too daunting, guided walks are available Saturday and Sunday. For families, “Moore for Kids” takes place in the Everett Children’s Adventure Garden. “The Art of Henry Moore,” a film documentary, screens all three days in the Arthur and Janet Ross Lecture Hall.
Among non-Moore programs are “Home Gardening Demonstration: Late Season Color,” “Perennial Walking Tour,” and “Lenape Life.” See the website for details.
New York Botanical Garden, Bronx River Parkway (Exit 7W) and Fordham Road, The Bronx. 718-817-8700. Open Tues.-Sun. and Mon. Federal holidays 10 a.m.-6 p.m. All-Garden Pass includes grounds, seasonal gardens, exhibitions, and attractions such as the Enid A. Haupt Conservatory, Everett Children’s Adventure Garden, Rock and Native Plant Gardens, and Tram Tour: $20, seniors and students with ID $18, ages 2-12 $7, under 2 free.
Posted by Jan Shepherd, Globe Correspondent

Oval with Points 1968–70/Photo by John Peden

August is almost over. Do you know where your vacation days are?

According to Expedia.com's Vacation Deprivation survey, 31 percent of employed Americans fail to take all of the vacation days they receive each year. What a crime, considering US employers give their workers considerably fewer vacation days (about 14 days on average) per year than employers in European countries. Employees in France, for example, get about 37 vacation days and take about 35 of those days per year. According to Expedia, Americans will leave three vacation days per year on the table. Bottom line: the United States gets the least and takes the least vacation days, while the reigning vacation champion, France, receives the most and takes the most.

And if that's not enough to justify taking a long weekend off, a break may be good for you and your employer. Expedia says that 39 percent of Americans say they come back from vacation feeling better about their jobs, 52 percent say they come back feeling rested and rejuvenated, and 53 percent come back saying they feel reconnected with family.

Just saying the word makes my teeth hurt. And ‘‘nocation’’ or the ridiculous ‘‘holistay’’ are no better. But my family and I took the staycation challenge last week and lived. We covered a fair amount of ground: camping at Nickerson State Park and a beach day in Brewster, an afternoon swimming at a local pond, two cookouts with family and friends in Rhode Island, a trip to the Mystic Aquarium & Institute for Exploration in Connecticut, and a movie and dinner out in Cambridge. We were in no rush. In between we had time to play board games, ride bikes, read, relax, and recharge.

In the road trip department, here’s an interesting challenge: Drive your family cross-country on $250 a day. At first blush that seems easy, but when you factor in a hotel stay, gas, and food, it adds up fast. And what to do on the cheap to keep the kids entertained? Travel blogger Amy Graff from On the Go with Amy traveled from Santa Monica, Calif., to Chicago did it and stayed (barely) below her budget of $3,750 over 15 days. (Her trip was sponsored by Best Western, for whom she blogs, which I’m sure didn’t exactly hurt.) Her tips for a budget road trip? Drive a fuel-efficient car, carry refillable water bottles, avoid big-name destinations (sorry kids, no Grand Canyon or Disneyland), split entrees, and opt for cheap souvenirs. (It helps if your child likes to collect rocks.)

And it doesn’t hurt to have a sense of humor. Bon voyage.

Poor little Augusta. Who really remembers that Augusta is Maine's capital city? Well, on the 4th of July, it's Augusta's time to shine with its Capital City Riverfront Fourth!

The day is packed with all-American fun so rise and shine, hit the road, and make accommodations to stay over - Augusta's got it going on. A pancake breakfast starts things off, followed by the annual parade at 11 a.m. From noon to 5 p.m., there is an Old Time Independence Day celebration at the Old Fort Western, including a Town Ball game, which is a 19th century version of baseball. For dinner it's a chicken BBQ, where lickin' yer fingers is required while you watch some great area bands perform live. The day is topped off by the Westside Waterfront Park for more vendors and live music, as you await the riverfront fireworks show, which begins about 9:15 p.m.

For more information call 207-626-2352.

East Lyme, Ct. gives you three good reasons to spend your long holiday weekend within its town lines. First and second, is the Niantic Lions Club 30th Annual Lobsterfest and Chicken BBQ which is held in the same location as the 48th Annual Niantic Outdoor Arts & Crafts show. Anyone cooking lobsters in mass quantities for nearly 3 decades is surely to have it down pat, and if you couple that with over 100 artists and crafters spread over vast green lawns, you've got the makings for a wonderful summer tradition. Both events will be held on Saturday and Sunday, July 5-6, on the East Lyme Town Hall grounds.

Those same days, not far from all the lobster and art, the East Lyme Historical Society will host their Annual Flea Market, Crafts and Collectibles Sale from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. on the grounds of the Thomas Lee House on West Main in Niantic. These kinds of markets where donations are collected randomly, sometimes provide the most rich shopping experiences. And all of the above benefits some of Niantic's best charitable organizations.

I get tired of hearing about the various “risks” of international travel, and I get pumped when I see books pushing travel, especially one aimed at girls and young women prepping for their first big journeys. That’s why I’m promoting "The Girlo Travel Survival Kit” by Anthea Paul.

Yes, travel and everything has its risks, but I’m a statistics kind of gal, not a fearful one. (As in, there’s a greater chance of getting killed on the highway than by a …. take your pick.)

If you’re over 40 and daughterless (ahem), you likely don’t know about Paul and her “girlosophy.” She’s dished out her sassy, big-sister advice around other earth-shattering teen topics, namely romance, food, and soul-searching in seven earlier books.

I know this book is cool because the youthful graphics bug me, plus it talks about packing hoodies, tracksuits and iPod chargers. See what I mean? (Though I do have an iPod!) I love the funky color photos and the upbeat “get-going-girls” ‘tude. Leave it to those travel-crazed Aussies. (Paul lives in Sydney.)

Though Paul's vibe is breezy, there’s real information here, on everything from choosing a destination, preparing, travel tips on the road, safety, and the shock of reentry. If you want to inspire a young woman to travel, give her this book!! (She’ll think you’re really cool, too.)

Deets: $19.95 in USA, published by Allen & Unwin, distributed by Independent Publishers Group. Please consider buying it directly from IPG at www.ipgbook.com, 800-888-4741, or at your local indy bookstore!

Delta recently sent my husband Wessel and me information via email (they called him also, but not me!) about a change in our flight schedules from Durham, NC, to Oslo, Norway next month.

“We have bolded the affected flights,” it read. Only one flight was in bold, from Atlanta to Newark, and it was only a 10-minute change. We’d booked this trip months in advance, and these kind of changes are quite typical. No biggie. I noted it and went back to work.

Unfortunately, Delta and yours truly were dozing on the job, but wide-eyed Wessel caught another, much bigger change that was not highlighted but should have been.

On the final leg of our journey home in late June, instead of our original flight leaving at 4:50 p.m. from Cincinnati to Durham it was now scheduled to depart at 3 p.m. And guess what time we were arriving into Cincinnati from Paris? At 3 p.m. Argh….

I called Delta for the low-down. Turned out the 4:50 p.m. flight had been scrubbed.
The representative, who then put us on a later flight, was not the least bit apologetic.

The May issue of Parents magazine has compiled of list of what it considers the 10 best US and Caribbean beach resorts for families. Lo and behold, a Cape Cod resort clocks in at number 8, competing alongside heavy hitters in Florida, Hawaii, California, and the Caribbean. The rankings are based in part on cost, quality of supervised children’s programs, variety of family activities, and quality of pool and beach areas. In order of their rankings, here's the list:
1. Sheraton Grand Bahama Island Our Lucaya (Bahamas)
2. Club Med Punta Cana (Dominican Republic)
3. South Seas Island Resort (Captiva Island, Fla.)
4. Atlantis, Paradise Island (Bahamas)
5. Disney’s Vero Beach Resort (Florida)
6. Beaches Negril Resort and Spa (Jamaica)
7. Hilton Hawaiian Village (Honolulu)
8. Ocean Edge Resort & Spa (Brewster)
9.Loew’s Coronado Bay Beach Resort & Spa (San Diego)
10. Rio Mar Beach Golf Resort Casino & Spa (Puerto Rico)

It's no wonder. Expedia is out with its eighth annual Vacation Deprivation Survey, and of the more than 1,600 Americans responding, nearly 30 percent say they are vacation deprived and 31 percent say they won't use all of their vacation time.

And Americans are woefully behind our counterparts abroad in receiving and taking time off. On average, workers in the States have 14 vacation days, 26 in Great Britain, 27 in Germany, 31 in Spain, and 37 in France.

Of those 14 days, the workaholics among us report that they will leave 3 vacation days unused.