Top 10 : Top 10, Holiday Guide

Top 10 Christmas Getaways

Scotch Mommy — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 15:32:00 GMT

Who created the law that said Christmas must be spent with family every year? Whoever this person is, they were definitely not subjected to the Aunt Mary vs. Aunt Phyllis feud of 1998–2001. One would have thought the moniker "Christmas holiday" would imply a time of celebration rather than petty familial mud-slinging. This is why I advocate a holiday away from the Christmas holiday.

1. New York glittering lights, Broadway, shopping, excitement, Sex and the City tours: one can expect all of this and more over a Christmas holiday spent in the Big Apple. With frequent, reasonably priced flights from most Canadian cities, you can easily make this a last-minute getaway.

2. Heli-skiing in British Columbia. For the ultimate adrenaline junkie (read: borderline crazed lunatic), heli-skiing offers the bravest among us the opportunity to glide down vast, untracked terrains in the province that pioneered the sport. Faced with the choice of jumping out of a helicopter at a great height or being subjected to my grandmother’s scrutiny over my weight gain, it’s a toss up, but I’d likely go for the former.

3. Chateau Nip Tuck. If numbers one to three on your Christmas list to Santa include the words Restylene, crow’s feet, and Laser Resurfacing, the ideal holiday getaway would be a spa. Not the mud bath and massage sort of spa, but the Botox and lipo variety. Book yourself in a few days before Christmas, relax at a posh hotel for a day or two, and then arrive at Christmas Eve dinner refreshed and revitalized.

4. European Christmas Markets. Spend the holiday season at several of Europe’s famous Christmas markets. Germany leads the charge with its historic Christkindl markets, where you'll find hand-crafted gifts like toys, marionettes, lamb-skin shoes, and plenty of mulled wine. In France, you'll of course be led by your stomach at the marché de noël in Paris and Boulogne, while Copenhagen’s Tivoli gardens are transformed into a magical winter wonderland every November and December.

5. Christmas Island. What better place to spend Christmas than on Christmas Island? This tiny island, uninhabited until the late 19th century, is located northwest of the Western Australian city of Perth. Known as the Galapagos of the Indian Ocean, it is a naturalist’s delight. The wet season begins in October, which coincides with the great crab migration, referred to as one of the wonders of the natural world. Although, if time hasn’t healed old wounds and the word "crab" still reminds you of your college roommate Barrie’s personal infestation, perhaps Christmas Island is best visited in the New Year.

6. Mont Tremblant, Quebec. Situated in the stunning Laurentian Mountains of Quebec, Mont Tremblant offers its visitors over 600 acres of land for skiing and snowboarding. And for those of us more interested in the après ski part of the skiing holiday, you can look forward to languorously sipping vintage port across an afternoon at the Fairmont Tremblant’s Nansen Lounge.

7. Cape Town, South Africa. Canadian winter = African summer. ‘Nuff said. Need more to entice you? How about whale watching, surfing, scrummy seafood, sunshine, mountain climbing, flora, fauna, sunset drinks on the beach. Coolest. City. Ever.

8. ICEHOTEL, Sweden. For a truly original experience, put all thoughts of tongues sticking to ice blocks aside and book a one- or two-night stay at the ICEHOTEL in Jukkasjärvi, Sweden. No matter how cold it gets outside, the rooms are never colder than –5 °C to –8 °C. Slip on some thermal undies and hop into a cozy sleeping bag (preferably next to a Scandinavian underwear model, which of course the hotel does not arrange) atop a bed made up of reindeer skins. If Sweden is too far, try Canada's very own ice hotel in Quebec.

9. Caribbean Christmas or Hanukkah Cruise. The great thing about a Caribbean cruise over the holidays isn’t the midnight buffet, the spa’s hot stone massage, the opportunity to wake up at the port of one beautiful island after another, or the onboard Hanukkah sing-along for your kids. It is the luxury o lying on a lounger, soaking up the radiant sun with the full realization that for several days in a row you will not have to take a pick axe to the ice on your car’s windshield while miniature icicles form inside your nostrils.

10. Club Duvet. Club Duvet is an exclusive resort located in the bedroom of your own home. Tell everyone you know that you are whisking yourself off to an exclusive Christmas getaway and then don’t go away at all. Don’t answer the phone, put on your coziest pajamas, pull the duvet high, and spend a few lazy days in front of the TV, eating take-away Chinese food. Create a new tradition this year!

Written by: Anne Marie Kirsten

Top 10 Dating Tips for the Holiday Season

Guest Blogger — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 16:37:00 GMT

Justin and Annabelle Parfitt run FastLife Speed Dating and will appear in Love Incorporated, airing on Slice in January 2010.

The holiday season can pose some challenges, both for key internal organs as well as for a budding romance. Whether you brave the cold at home or jet off to sunnier climes with your new partner, here are some tips to see that your relationship makes it all the way to 2010.

If you go away:

1. Stay in a hotel rather than a self catering apartment. Your holiday is not the time to discover that your new partner is a slovenly slob.

2. If you’re hiring a car and planning on driving any distance, get a GPS system. If you can’t rent one, buy one, for pity’s sake! The likelihood that the object of your desire is also a skilled map reader that is able to successfully navigate you to your destination is slim. There are better uses of your time on holiday than squabbling over a wrong turn.

3. Avoid destinations where shopping is the main attraction. Your partner’s tolerance for a vacation consisting mostly of forays into bijou boutiques may be no match for your own.

4. Research your accommodation ahead of time. A romantic getaway to a room that smells of poo is more likely to cause an unsettling of the stomach than a stirring of the loins.

5. Avoid all-inclusive resorts. While the idea of unlimited Cuban rum may have some dubious appeal, the ingestion of said quantities of rum could have less than desirable consequences. But, most importantly, being together in a new environment is about discovery and new experiences. Try to do something new each day, even if all you do is seek out a restaurant tucked away in a corner of the local town, or a secluded beach on which to while away a few lazy hours. Seeking out and sharing new experiences is a far more powerful aphrodisiac than zoning out on the beach between visits to the buffet.

If you stay at home:

6. There are few things less attractive than meanness, especially during the holiday season. If you see someone collecting for charity, hand over a few coins with a smile. In the early days, you’re best off keeping any un-PC views you may have about charity or the homeless to yourself.

7. Christmas may well have become over-commercialised, but resist the temptation to wax choleric about how sacred spiritual traditions have been trampled by the foot soldiers of mammon. While you might feel better about adding your voice to a righteous chorus of protest by refusing to participate in an exchange of gifts, your partner will think you’re about as much fun as a rectal exam.

8. It really is the thought that counts. Would you enjoy being given earrings if you didn’t have pierced ears? It isn’t necessary to spend a lot of money; in fact, it’s best to steer clear of obviously expensive gifts in the early days. Try to find something thoughtful that demonstrates that you know what they like and what makes them happy.

9. The holiday season is about giving and receiving. It’s important to make an effort at both. If your partner invites you to a Christmas party, accept graciously, they’re probably keen for you to meet some of their friends. If you’re all partied out and you really can’t summon up the energy to participate in yet another boozathon, offer up an excuse that will at least make your partner feel good. You’ll find that “Honey, I’d love to come but I’m picking up your gift that night!” works better than “Honey, I can’t come because I’m de-lousing the dog”. Of course, if your gift is a half-finished bottle of vodka this ruse won’t have much of a chance, but then neither will your relationship.

10. Try to be sensitive to your partners needs when it comes to family. Every family has its own dynamic; some people can’t bear to be apart from their family at Christmas, others would sooner gouge out their eyes than spend a single night under the same roof. By allowing your partner to respond to their family in their own way, you're demonstrating that you respect their needs, so don’t be too upset if you’re not included in their family's plans.

Written by: Justin and Annabelle Parfitt