What better time of year is there than the fall to take a trip to the mountains? Beside the cool air, sweeping views, and little log cabins, nothing beats spending a Thanksgiving vacation viewing God's lovely creation. My family had the opportunity to spend our holiday vacation in Sapphire, NC. Here are ten ideas to inspire some new holiday traditions and create a dazzling fall vacation:
1.Relax: Curl up by the fireplace, watch a Hallmark Christmas movie, or just catch up with your family. What's the fun in having every moment planned out? Be spontaneous and enjoy some well deserved down time.
2.Beat the Grocery Rush: Even with their smaller populations, mountain towns still have packed grocery stores during the holidays. Prepare early, so you can get the perfect turkey with all the fixin's.
3. Invent New Recipes: You have time! Woohoo! How often does that happen? Get creative in the kitchen. My personal favorites from this trip were guacamole soup and homemade hot-chocolate. Remind yourself why you enjoy the art of cooking.
4. Plan Thanksgiving around Your Schedule: This year, with twenty degree weather, we were stuck inside all day Wednesday. Instead of wasting the day, we cooked and had an early Thanksgiving dinner. As long as you remember the spirit of the holiday, the timing doesn't matter (well, on second thought, try your best to keep it in November).
5. Participate in a Turkey Trot: This is one of my favorite traditions. Getting out Thanksgiving morning with your community and running 3.1 miles in 18 degree weather never hurt anyone (besides, how else are you going to burn off all those calories you plan to eat).
6. Visit Local Attractions: Since we stayed only two hours from Asheville, NC, we decided to explore the Biltmore House. It wasn't my first visit, but this elegant estate was decorated for Christmas and was simply stunning. If the beauty wasn't enough, they had hot wassail. It is pretty much pure joy in a cup.
7. Dust off the Board Games: Silence the cell phones and turn off the television. When was the last time you played Monopoly or Battleship? There's a reason these games are still around. They are fun!
8. Be Adventurous: We were planning on driving the Blue-Ridge Parkway, but upon our arrival we found it was closed due to snow and ice. So, we parked the car and started walking the road. We took a detour to hike up into the snow covered woods. A couple scratches and broken tree branches later, we found a little clearing off the side of a cliff with an endless view of the mountains. It was simply breathtaking!
9. Support Small Businesses: Without knowing it, I participated in Small Business Saturday. Yay! In a cute, tourist town appropriately called, "The Highlands," we went for a stroll through the little spice shops and sports stores. As an end to the afternoon, we went to a local pizzeria, "The Pizza Place," and then had pumpkin pie ice cream. Yes, it was dedifinately as good as it sounds.
10. Be Thankful: Remeber what Thanksgiving is all about. God has blessed us all greatly and we should be immensely grateful. He has graciously given us so many things that we take for granted. Although this holiday shouldn't be the only time to reflect on our blessings, it should definitely be characterized by gratitude.
Hopefully, this will inspire a few ideas for how to spend the holidays. Happy Thanksgiving!
"Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God. And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.”-Colossians 3:16-17
Oh...before I forget, here is my recipe for Homemade Hot-Chocolate:
1/2 c. Sugar
1/3 c. Unsweetened Cocoa Powder
1 c. Heavy Cream
3 c. Fat-free Skim Milk
1 tsp. Pure Vanilla Extract
(Optional) Mini Marshmellows and Peppermint Sticks
Combine sugar, unsweetened cocoa powder, and heavy cream. Bring to a boil, then reduce to medium-high heat while stirring. Add remaining milk and heat through. Lastly incorporate the vanilla extract. Pour into mugs and serve with Marshmellows and Peppermint Sticks to taste.
Yields 4-6 servings.
