Finally -- Holiday Season is here! And with it, the warm feelings and the spirit of giving and the smiles and the family get-togethers and the relatives' fly-ins from all over the country and the first frost
Ahhh...It's Autumn! And after another scorching summer, who isn't ready for the cooler weather? Sweater weather! Pumpkins on porches! Children leading Moms and Dads to Halloween-costume stores.
For most of us, there's already a hint of Autumn in the air. The harsh, sidewalk-baking temperatures of summer have started to lower (for most of us!). The breezes are turning cooler.
Come summer and July 4, there's one thing all Americans agree on - it's time to celebrate the nation's very unique heritage, and very unique birthday.
Long winter got you down? Did your anticipation for Spring turn into suffering with hay fever or allergies from everything blooming? Are you ready for not only a change of pace, but also a change of place?
It's been a looooong winter in some parts of the U.S. And it probably seemed to many folks as though winter would never end. But happily, along with greenery and flowers and leafy trees and cool breezes, Spring is about to be sprung.
Valentine's Day is one of the sweetest holidays of the year...both figuratively and literally It's the second-biggest candy holiday of the year, second only to Easter. And candy sales for Valentine's Day are approaching $3 billion
Well, the Holidays are over. The caroling is over. The end-of-year merrymaking is over. And so - perhaps mercifully to some - the Holiday gorging and sweet treats and restaurants and huge dinners at relatives' and friends' homes is over, as well.
Andy Williams, the great singer (and a number of other great singers, in their times), said it best. This truly is the Hap-Happiest Time of the Year! Christmas is a time for friends, family...and the friends who are more like family.
Thanksgiving has always been one of my favorite holidays...maybe because it's celebrated by all Americans, of all political stripes, from all corners of the world, and by adherents of all religions.
If March comes in like a lion and goes out like a lamb...then Autumn often comes in like a lamb and goes out like a lion. To me, though, Autumn is one of the sweetest parts of the year, when the foliage takes on a technicolor-glow, the temperatures are cool and refreshing.
Late-summer, to me, is one of the most beautiful times of the year. The summer heat is starting to break. Nights are a bit cooler. Days start to get a bit shorter. There's a hint in the air of the Autumn breezes that will come soon.
Well, the Fourth of July is almost upon us. It's the quintessential American holiday...a day that Americans of all stripes come together to celebrate their principles and their history.
Time was - only a decade or two ago - that a hotel was just a place for the weary traveler to lay his/her head for the night. And many hotels looked pretty much the same.
Is it Valentine's Day already??? Seems like it was just New Year's Day! Yes, the day of romance is here. It's a day to snuggle with your Valentine, to enjoy good food and good wine, and flowers and other gifts that say you care.
It's been a doozy of a winter so far in the U.S. More snow, in some places, than many of us have ever seen in our lifetimes. More ice, more freezing roads, more sub-zero temperatures. In fact, it seems to be that kind of winter in many parts of the world.
It's ski season! And ski buffs all over America - and all over the world - are busy getting their equipment together, waxing their skis, and looking at their calendars.
All across America, there are places giving new meaning to the phrase "Bed & Breakfast." Places where the proprietors go above and beyond what's expected.
