Yuletide Mayhem: Learning to love the Christmas crazies!

Havoc. That's how I would describe popping into the local grocery store for a pint of milk this time of year. A couple of evenings ago I had the shock of my life when I attempted to run in and out of our nearby Target for a few pantry essentials. The automatic entrance doors drew back and I was met with a veritable sea of shoppers, driving paths through one another with their oversized, overstuffed shopping carts and producing a noise level that was frankly mind shattering. I didn't fancy that milk for my cup of tea quite so much anymore, let me tell you. 

http://mattalltrades.blogspot.com/2011/12/christmas-crazies-are-back.html 

I've seen this sort of thing before of course. The Christmas Crazies are nothing new here in the US or in fact back home in the UK, but this was almost breathtaking. I had to fight to even set foot in the store, let alone to explore the aisles, gather my grocery goods or to pay for them at one of the 20+ overrun checkouts. And did I mention that this wasn't the evening before Christmas, the weekend before Christmas or even the week before Christmas? This was in fact mid December, in a usually quiet shopping strip on the far outskirts of the city. Oh my. 

It's true that everything is bigger in the States and holidays are not exempt. From the blinding (but occasionally charming) strings of lights that adorn 80% of our neighborhood, to the way the grocery stores empty out of anything even vaguely related to seasonal festivities by the weekend before the big day, everybody I meet seems to be onboard with the lunacy of the Christmas retail countdown. There is, however, only so much honey glazed ham, free range turkey and 'dressing' (stuffing to the Brits among us) that one person can eat. 

http://macooshoes.wordpress.com/2012/11/06/christmas-madness/

I do enjoy the hubbub though. The way that stockings, Christmas trees and twinkling fairy lights disguise even the most generic fast food restaurant with sincere holiday cheer and the joy these simple decorations combined with the rush of holiday preparation seems to bring to the people around me. 

Perhaps I will just stock up on milk next year and appreciate the madness from a safe, snuggled distance. I'm thinking cocoa could accompany this decision nicely. Maybe I'll just pop down the shops...

Winter Wedding Fever: Eloping In Snowy Style!

http://wedding-splendor.com/celebrating-your-winter-wedding-in-the-snow/

Winter has finally found us, bringing with it notions of romance that can be hard to ignore. For me, choosing to get married on US soil was both a blessing and a sacrifice. The opportunities for a unique and uncomplicated ceremony were abound, yet we were unable to share our special day directly with friends and family due to the distance posed.

I've talked before about elopement options here in the US, but I haven't yet paid mind to the spectacular views, unforgettable experiences and dramatic memories that certain seasons can bring (to even the simplest) of ceremonies. And winter can be magical, can't it? The fantasy of snowflakes descending, coating the scenery and the frozen ground, whilst below your vows are sealed with a kiss. Imagine that roaring rustic fire awaiting the new Mr and Mrs (fill the blank - go on it's fun!) as the sun begins to slide away behind the dazzling mountain tops. Yes. please.

If you find yourself planning a winter wedding, either due to the season's personal appeal to you or in fact your need to 'seal the deal' by a certain date to satisfy visa requirements (as we had to), then let me share with you a couple of personal favorites, right here on North American soil.

The Ahwahnee Hotel, Yosemite Park, CA

With breathtaking architecture and scenery the Ahwahnee Hotel in Yosemite Park, CA is a iconic choice as a backdrops to those forever vows. With it's majestic setting this hotel offers intimate ceremonies and receptions to appeal to any wedding party. Soaring pines and towering granite cliffs surround the building and it's expansive lawn, perfectly framing your perfect day and with endless fab photography opportunities to boot!

 

Yosemite Park, CA

http://yosemiteweddings.com/elopements

The Preacher's House, Great Smokey Mountains, TN

Offering a range of breathtaking elopement packages including Mountain View and Cabin ceremonies, this family owned business will help you to sculpt the day of your dreams. With more than 5,000 ceremonies performed and inclusive lodging available you can truly get away from it all and hush any wedding day jitters with the peace and unforgettable elegance of the Great Smokey Mountains. The simplest of ceremonies start at just $99 and there are scores of options to choose from. If this is an area you are considering, these winter wonderful ceremonies are worth a glance. 

Great Smokey Mountains, TN

http://thepreachershouse.com/

Pigeon Forge, TN

http://www.pigeonforge.com/

The Ahwahnee Hotel, Official Site

The Preacher's House, Official Site

Hockey Sticks At Dawn! US sports I'm loving this season

Every time winter hits this exciting little East Tennessee city, I find myself scuffling through the far reaches of my wardrobe, dragging out long forgotten thermal wears and hoping to rediscover one very important piece of seasonal clothing... my orange Ice Bears sweater.

No it's not attractive, flattering or particularly practical but it is a staple when those fascinating, semi-violent ice hockey matches roll around. My first experience with a professional ice hockey game was unlike anything I had encountered before. The audience, rampantly chanting and sloshing their $6 beers left and right were muddled in a free-for-all of ground floor seating, daring me to squeeze myself into an arena side spot.

The players were fierce. Slamming into the perspex protector surrounding the rink with such gusto that it caused me to flinch, squeal and throw my own drink around in a way that definitely marked me out as fresh meat. Yes the others laughed at me. No I didn't mind too much. I was far too caught up in the arena's atmosphere; the screaming, the heckling and the random fights breaking out between the teams' players on the rink, to care what I looked like. It was fantastic.

You'd think that coming from the land of football hooligans and hardened Yorkshire lads and ladettes, that an ice hockey game wouldn't be anything to write home about but it was a whole different vibe to what I'd encountered before at professional UK sporting events. The crowd enjoyed losing it, chanting and cheering and jeering but I never felt unsafe or like I should slowly start edging backwards out of the arena before things really kicked off. That was nice.

I'm not entirely sure what difference helped me to feel more secure, maybe it was the fact that every time a large animated man bumped into me while throwing his arms high in the air, he would turn around and offer a most sincere apology before returning to his game with just slightly more controlled gusto than before.

Not your average sporting event clearly. Anyway, I can't wait to get in on this season, don the luminous orange sweater and scream my lungs out as hockey sticks collide. Fab.

Best of British: TV As It Should Be!

Hello again folks!

Just a speedy mention of a fab BBC television show that I've recently enjoyed via the American TV station PBS!

'Call the Midwife' is set in 1950's East London and has a range of British faces that you're bound to recognize, all tucked away nicely within the fantastically entertaining cast. Following the experiences of new midwife Jenny, this program had me chuckling and sniffling all the way through each of the 6 episodes (wish there were more, honestly). Best of British all the way!

www.bbc.com

Plus, look out for the cheeky Christmas special via the BBC this December!

Call The Midwife BBC                         Call The Midwife PBS

Five Fab Reasons For Living In The USA!

Hello again lovely folks! Today I felt inspired to reflect on my journey of the last two years or so and pour out my gratitude towards the country I now call home, into a cheeky blog post!

It may have something to do with the crisp, blue winter sky outside my living room window or the clean mountain air I breathed while walking the dogs through the woods this afternoon, but I'm feeling particularly spoilt by my surroundings today. So here we go, my own personal list of why I'm loving where I live!

1. Historial Happenings

No matter how you dress it up, America has gifted the world with endless tales of plight, of struggle and possibility and with examples of overcoming odds and forging success (and all in a substantially short amount of time). From pioneers and the wild west to the carnage of the civil war, all the way up to the rise of industry and power, this country has so much to explore and so much to teach us that I often feel overwhelmed, especially by how close many of it's people still are to those not-nearly-forgotten events.

http://historyinworld.blogspot.com/2012/05/history-of-north-america.html

2. You've Got A Friend In Me

Speaking from personal experience and having lived a time or two in a variety of places across both the UK and the USA, I do believe that the US takes the biscuit when it comes to super friendly people. More over, the southern states of the US (Tennessee, Georgia and the Carolinas in my experience) are above and beyond the most jam packed with so many lovely, caring, I-want to-know-your-story-please kinda people that it can't help but brighten your day. If you don't get frustrated easily with answering a stranger's question just because it's fun to meet someone new, there is definitely space for you to flourish down here in the south. Smiles all around then!

http://www.languageatwork.com/friendly-february/

3. Climate Control

As a whole the USA offers such a wide range of climates, cultures, scenery and terrain that I'd bet it's near impossible to become an uninspired traveller, even without a passport to your name. From the snow-capped mountains of Montana to the wide, windy plains of Kansas, or the rich rush of the Big Apple all the way down to the chaos and shine of Las Vegas, how could one becoming disenchanted with so much on offer?

How about the gentle rocking of wooden chairs, perched upon a perfectly shaded porch? Watching out over the depths and heights of the red orange fire of leafy mountains and a fading sun while sipping sweet iced tea?

Perhaps the glistening white beaches of the Florida Keys would take your fancy? Or the forgotten ways of a simpler life still thriving and surviving in Northern Alaska?

http://hmcurrentevents.com/?attachment_id=314

With so much to see and so little time to see it in, thank goodness we don't have to waste any of it on waiting for the passports to arrive!

4. Patriotic Pledgers

When my wonderful husband asked me to sing along with the British national anthem 'God Save The Queen' during the 2012 London Olympics, I had to pretend that I had forgotten the words (it's been a while you know, since moving to the States and all... ahem*). Truth be told I never really knew them to begin with. I may have been able to mutter a line or two of the first verse, but even that would have been pushing it and I'm sure I would have ended up ad-libbing before long (he would never have noticed I'm sure).

Yet due to just three seasons of working for the Girl Scouts of America, I can now recite the Pledge of Allegiance like its nobodies business. Why is that? Why is it that folks still stand, right hand carefully placed upon their heart, when the anthem begins to play or why perfect strangers (and businesses) insist on thanking and honoring military individuals for their sacrifice? It's genuinely a beautiful thing, usual to many but a new and endearing experience for me.

http://www.sonofthesouth.net/uncle-sam/patriotic-poster.htm

5. The Great Outdoors

Ah, what it is to fill your lungs with clean mountain air, to glance outside early in the morning and spot a nervous doe passing through your back yard. What's more, how splendid to have the opportunity to interact with that hidden world and leave society behind you, if only for a day. Coming from the small isle of England, it would be fair to say that there's not a lot of space there left to work with. In Yorkshire where I'm originally from we're blessed with rolling hills and wooded spaces but not like this. Not where you can leave everyday life behind and get lost (hopefully not purposefully) in a far more primal way of living, where the nearest neighbor it beyond eyesight to say the least. Magic.

I'll leave you with an image that inspires me to one day to make it my own. My very own peaceful, untouched cabin in the woods. Bliss.

www.pdhyman.com

'Tis The Season - Sharing Christmas Joy Across The Miles and On a Budget

Well, it's that time of the year again! Halloween is a distant memory, GI recovery from Thanksgiving dinners is almost complete and the lights are glistening all around the neighborhood. The countdown to Christmas has commenced and there is certainly no escaping it. Every radio, television and store front advertisement serves as a reminder of that 25th day in December and how quickly it descends on us each and every year (the older you get, the faster that timeline encroaches, don't you think?)

www.auction-warehouse.com

This will be my second consecutive Christmas in the States (the last one being a bit of a blur of newlywed life and adapting to the reality of the holiday season away from my previous home and family in the UK). I will say that this year has been slightly more organized on my part, particularly in terms of getting affordable gifts posted to the folks back home at affordable postage prices. Here are some tips I've picked up along the way:

Homemade Gifts - This is a great idea if you're handy with a sewing machine or even a glue gun! All it takes is a little bit of imagination, a trip to the local craft store (Joanne's Fabrics and Hobby Lobby are my personal favorites) and a short commitment to researching ideas and "how to's' online. This is the route I went this year and I was able to make useful, well produced (and cheaply made!) gifts that were lightweight and inexpensive to mail overseas. It did take a couple of weeks of project time (interspersed with real life of course) but all in all I had a great time and learned some new skills along the way. Bargain! See below for some useful links to a few great homemade gift ideas...

Lightweight 'Area Unique' Gifts - How about a tea towel from your new city or state of residence? Or a handmade Christmas ornament that depicts something inherently All-American that you would never see outside of the States? The key is to find something that is unique to your new area and share it with your family back home - chance is they'll love being a part of your new lifestyle with little treats like these!

www.bronners.com

Super Frugal and Super Personal - Why not put together a photo slideshow of the last year of your life abroad? Arrange with a family member to gather the group around a computer on Christmas Day and share your heartfelt creation with every one of them. You can fill your slideshow with quirky inside family jokes, a certain song that really means something to you all and individual messages for each person. You don't need to spend money to let those back home know that they're on your mind despite the distance, but time and effort will surely bring about some seasonal smiles.

Useful Links:

http://www.joann.com/
http://www.hobbylobby.com/
http://www.the36thavenue.com/2011/11/25-handmade-gifts-under-5.html
http://www.skiptomylou.org/handmade-gift-ideas/
http://postcalc.usps.com/ - USPS Postage Calculator to help you plan!!