All Aboard for the Polar Express!

By Ami D'Amelio, NHGSA Programs Manager, Granite State Ambassador, PSU Ice Arena Class of 2011

The holidays are a magical time of year and what better way to kick off the season but to take the beloved ride to the North Pole on the Polar Express! This year, my sister-in-law Bridget and I hatched a plan to score some tickets for our families on the Polar Express Event of New England, and it all started in September .... which made for a very early start to the holiday season...

For the Polar Express Event of New England, which leaves from either North Conway or Lincoln, your entry and donation must be postmarked by October 1st. (For those of you that are just thinking of the Polar Express now, there are a few tickets which recently became available from the Lincoln location you can click here to see the available dates and purchase online) So we both sent in our entries with donations - hers to Lincoln, mine to North Conway - hoping we could hedge our bets. On the scheduled call days, volunteers for the Polar Express Event work their way through all the entries, calling each person and offering whatever seats are still available. When you receive the call, you have to make your decision on the spot and provide payment. If you don't answer, you lose your tickets. We were lucky enough that Bridget's call day was first and she was able to get tickets for all of us on the same Saturday night. (Consequently, I did get a call the next day but it was quite late in the afternoon and no Friday or Saturday tickets were available) Thank goodness we divided and conquered!

Now, the D'Amelios are a rowdy bunch so we took the feedback from other families who had attended in the pajamas and decided to all dress in matching PJs - I am sure we were quite the sight! But the kids were excited (the adults, too!) so we headed off in our matching outfits for the 7pm departure from the Hobo Railroad in Lincoln, NH on December 3rd. We arrived early to get to the head of the boarding line, the two little boys were in heaven playing with trains in the gift shop!


Promptly at 6:30, the doors opened and we rushed to board the actual train. True to the book, the train staff came by with hot chocolate for everyone and we enjoyed the yummy treat all the way to the North Pole.

Upon arrival at the North Pole, Santa's elves were standing along the path to help guide us to the theater and played along well with the kids. Our elf "Icecube" was very playful and asked the kids about their Santa lists - delighting each and every one with his attention.

We settled into the theater and enjoyed a reading from The Polar Express. Then the Big Man came out to greet the sea of excited kids and took the time to walk around and greet each one. This was definitely the highlight for our crew! (We had no idea Santa had this kind of time on his hands during this time of year!) After selecting a child to receive the first gift of Christmas, we all made our way back to the train and started the long trek back to NH from the North Pole. During our ride, the train staff came around again, this time to give each child a sleigh bell to take home. My girls were so excited to exclaim that they could still hear it ring!

It was a very delightful evening, and fun to see so much of the book come to life before our very eyes. It was definitely a memory that will stay with us for a long time - hopefully our matching PJs will last as long! :-)

Merry Christmas from Judi, Ami, & Kelly!

We're dreaming of a White Mountain holiday season ....

By "White Mountain Mikey" Duprey, Granite State Ambassador

Isles of Shoals Class 2003

White Mountain Mikey is nothing but a 'Kid' at heart. You all know I love trains and what better time of the year to enjoy them then during the holiday season. Santa's Holiday Express at the Conway Scenic Railroad in North Conway will let you visit with the Jolly Old Elf himself on a wonderful train ride through the picturesque Mt. Washington Valley. The Hobo Railroad in Lincoln offering a visit from Santa on a delightful ride in the Pemigewassett Valley along the Pemigewassett River. Don't forget both trains also offer a reenactment of the popular children's story, 'The Polar Express' by Chris Van Allsburg. The story of a young boy's magical journey to the North Pole. Sure to be the start of a family tradition.

A visit to the White Mountains during this festive season would not be complete with a trip to 'Christmastime' at Santa's Village on Rt. 2 in Jefferson. Come see some Special Shows, Rides, great Yuletide Festivities, and meet Santa and Mrs. Claus! Be sure to dress warmly, it’s cold in Northern New Hampshire at Christmastime. Don't forget to stop by the bakery and get your Ginger Bread Cookie and remember to ask for a Ginger Bread Girl! There's more cookie then the boy, trust me, I know these things.

10 Grand Christmas Gifts

10. For moose lovers in the family, give them a walk on the wild side. Dress their feet in moose slippers from Strictly Moose in Gorham.
www.StrictlyMoose.com
9. For the city dweller and anyone who longs to take a walk in the New Hampshire woods, stock up on balsam pillows available at Fiddleheads in Colebrook.
www.FiddleheadsUSA.com
8. Just about everyone loves a cold glass (or can or bottle) of beer, but for the ones on your holiday list who long to craft their own brew, check out the beer making supplies and kits at Granite Cask in Whitefield. How can you can you possibly go wrong in giving your brewmeister the way to brew Mastiff Drool English Style Barleywine?
www.GraniteCask.com
7. There are special people in our lives for whom the ordinary gift just won't do. For your mom, your Nana, your sister, your best friend, you need something extraordinary, like a one of a kind piece of jewelry or a hand-thrown pottery mug that will start their day by remembering you. Find something extraordinarily special at The Local Works Marketplace in Bethlehem.
www.WrenCommunity.org
6. It's Pancake's best friend - Maple Syrup. Serve up a hearty Grand North breakfast for far-flung friends and family with a gift basket from Fuller's Sugarhouse in Lancaster.
www.FullersSugarhouse.com
5. Baby, it's C-O-L-D outside! But being bundled up doesn't mean your loved one can't be styling with a toasty warm hat and mitten set handmade in the Grand North. Slide up to Creative Natives in Colebrook for a great, and colorful selection of fine wool hat, scarves and mittens.
www.northcountrychamber.org/creativenatives.htm
4. Got a penny? Got handful of them? Trade them for a bag of penny candy from Chutter's General Store in Littleton.
www.Chutters.com
3. The love of your life is the one who inspires you to be your best. Give her a true Grand North symbol of what she means to you from Greetings Jewelers in Berlin. their very own handcrafted design, Inspire, celebrates love and life and the possibilities that come about when they, and you, are joined.
www.GreetingsJewelers.com
2. What little kid was never entranced by a train? For the train lover in the family, get them a membership in the Mount Washington Cog Railway's Cogger Club. Joining up entitles them to ride as many times to the top of Mount Washington as they want aboard The Cog, including one trip in the cab of a biodiesel locomotive!
www.TheCog.com
1. Sometimes, the best gifts aren't the ones you can wear or even wrap, like the gift of relaxation. Give her, him or them a spa treatment to melt away the stresses of everyday life. Available at the Omni Mount Washington in Bretton Woods, the Mountain View Grand in Whitefield and the Carlisle Place in Jefferson.
www.OmniHotels.com
www.MountainViewGrand.com
www.CarlislePlace.net

Happy Chanukah from New Hampshire's own Adam Sandler

Smelly feet??!

Submitted by Ami D'Amelio, GSA Programs Manager

There seems to be a lot of spooky and scary Halloween activities around - from Haunted Acres in Epping, The Ghoullog in North Conway to Spooky World and Nightmare New England in Litchfield, from Fright Kingdom in Nashua to Haunted Overload in Lee - but what if you have goblins of the more timid variety or toddlers?

Don't fret, there are lots of options that won't frighten your tiny trick-or-treater. Below are just a few options to consider:

Mall Trick-Or-Treating:

My kids always loved this when they were little - it is a familiar setting, lots of goodies, less walking, no cars, mostly younger children, and everybody stays warm and cozy! This year, your children can do their store-to-store pilgrimage at roughly the same time as most NH communities, but you will be in a climate-controlled venue (i.e. no freezing pre-November winds for your little ones!). The picture to the right was also taken at The Picture People which is conveniently located right in the mall. We decided to have the professionals capture our newly one-year-old's first "real" Halloween and my first handmade, homemade costume.

I found three locations that are offering this type of event this year. First, Simon Malls are offering mall-wide trick-or-treating from 1-3pm on October 31 at both the Mall of NH in Manchester and Pheasant Lane Mall in Nashua. Fox Run Mall in Newington is also offering mall trick-or-treating from 2-4pm on Halloween. At any of these locations, just look for the orange pumpkins in the windows of participating vendors. Is your little ghoul a Simon Malls Kidgets member? They can stop by the Guest Services counter for an extra goodie bag!

Tanger Outlets in Tilton also offered a trick-or-treat event on Friday, October 29th. The Management Office provided a Halloween bag with a small treat to all costumed children between 6-8pm. For added fun, they also held a costume contest in from of the Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory at 7pm for those 12 and under.

Girl Scouts of Alstead:

Girl Scout troops 20978 and 22297 have organized a Halloween party for kids complete with games, prizes, snacks and crafts. This party is from 5-8pm on 10/31/2010 at the Alstead Town Hall on Main Street. With the Girl Scouts of America, you know that it will be good, clean fun and you can support a great organization at the same time!

Town Events:

Many individual towns have caught on that local residents need a better alternative for the little ghouls and goblins. You can ask at your local town hall or do an internet search with your town name + toddler + trick-or-treat. I found quite a few that would be great for my 2-year old, and possibly even my 1st grader (who is solely interested in Halloween for the goodies!).

When they are ready for more ...

And then when they are older and looking for the more traditional scary, or even downright frightening, Halloween experience, you can check out nicely organized websites like HauntWorld.com that categorize, rate and recommend the best Haunted Halloween venues!

Happy Halloween!