It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas, at least in my house! I do feel behind this year, but the tree is inside and standing (undecorated, but still in place) and the rest of the interior decorations are up. As I am coming up on my second Christmas since I purchased my current home, I still had some décor to buy. With a later Thanksgiving, I probably waited a bit too long to order my new wreath and pre-lit garland for my banister, as I now wait in a nearly decorated home for those final finishing touches.
ID 132778548 © Artproximo | Dreamstime.com
I started holiday shopping last weekend and on Cyber Monday, but the rest of my December weekends and nights will likely be filled with some shopping or preparation. I’m going to start cookie making this weekend, and, for the second year in a row, some friends and I, along with our moms, are making holiday decorations at our local AR Workshop. It’s always fun finding a new tradition!
Next week, as any of our regular blog readers know, is our annual GT Tested Reader Survey awards in Beverly Hills. For the last nine years, we’ve celebrated in Los Angeles in December and it just doesn’t feel like the holidays without the event. It’s become a tradition in and of itself.
How do you get in the holiday spirit? Are you behind this year, or right on schedule? What’s your favorite thing about the holiday season? Share with us at letters@globaltravelerusa.com.
— Kim Krol, editor in chief
Read This Next
Introducing
FX Excursions
FX Excursions offers the chance for once-in-a-lifetime experiences in destinations around the world.
#globility
Insta FeedOctober 2026
Oct 23, 2026The Flight Less Taken: Unsung Carriers Whisk You Away to Far-Flung Destinations
The miracle of flight feels slightly less miraculous these days. Endless delays, cramped seating and shortchanged amenities feel par for the course, and one can easily forget the wondrous fact that you’re hurtling above planet Earth, soaring above the clouds and across the skies to your destination of choice. In the olden days, you were limited to the fallibility of your outrigger canoe or horse-drawn carriage. It’s not hyperbolic to invoke the invention of the wheel when reminding oneself to stay calm and carry on in coach.
Sponsored Content
GET TO KNOW TAP FORBIZ
Unlock flexible, refined business travel with TAP Air Portugal’s program, TAP FORBIZ. Developed for small, medium and large Companies, with options for corporate events, TAP FORBIZ offers exclusive advantages adapted to each type of business.
Daily
Oct 23, 2026Aurora Expeditions Launches 2026/2027 Antarctic Season with 27 Voyages, Science at Sea
Aurora Expeditions prepares to embark on its 2026/2027 Antarctic season, featuring 27 voyages across its three purpose-built small ships. Each trip takes travelers and scientists to some of the most remote and extraordinary regions of the Southern Ocean.
Daily
Oct 23, 2026Azamara Announces New Premier Golf Partnership
Azamara Cruises recently launched an exclusive partnership with Premier Golf, the Official Golf Travel Partner of the PGA of America, to offer a collection of eight dedicated golf cruises in 2027 and 2028 on all four Azamara ships. Itineraries visit Ireland, Scotland, the British Isles, Northern Europe, the Pacific Coast, Southeast Asia, Australia and New Zealand, and include access to iconic courses such as Royal Portrush, Torrey Pines South and Cape Kidnappers.
Sponsored Content
Luxury Travel in Chilean Patagonia: Where Refinement Meets the Wild Edge
At the gateway to Chilean Patagonia, Los Lagos opens a landscape in constant motion. Volcanic peaks rise sharply above glacial lakes, mist moves through dense forests, and light shifts across every horizon. Here, luxury travel in Chilean Patagonia unfolds moment by moment, balancing raw energy with seamless comfort.
Daily
Oct 23, 2026Hotel Adlon Kempinski Berlin Launches New Culinary Experiences
Elegant, iconic and an undisputed leader in the realm of hotel luxury, Hotel Adlon Kempinski Berlin is ideally located across from Brandenburg Gate, where Pariser Platz meets Unterden Linden Boulevard. Adding to its timeless allure are new culinary and wine offerings, providing guests with an opportunity to go behind the curtain at the hotel’s Michelin-starred restaurant, Lorenz Adlon Esszimmer.
Guggenheim Abu Dhabi to Open This December
Daily
Oct 22, 2026
5 Hotels in Greece to Have on Your 2027 Radar
Daily
Oct 21, 2026Daily
Oct 21, 2026Fayetteville, West Virginia, Welcomes Hill Hall Hotel
Occupying a unique, restored space that once housed a 1923 stone high school and adjacent Mid-Century middle school, boutique Hill Hall Hotel is officially open in Fayetteville, West Virginia. This 40-room boutique property’s location happens to make it an ideal base for travelers exploring the beautiful New River Gorge National Park and surrounding area.
Sponsored Content
Global Traveler Hosted Trip on the Transcend Connect
JOIN GLOBAL TRAVELER ON ITS NEXT TRIP!
eFlyer Reviews
Oct 21, 2026Review: Bodysgallen Hall
The National Trust owns more than 500 historic buildings across the United Kingdom, each offering a vivid sense of its particular era. In common with many visitors, I often find myself wondering what it would be like to actually live in such a place. Imagine sitting, for instance, in one of those ancient oak-paneled drawing rooms at night, with the fire roaring and the wind rattling the ancient mullioned windows. I didn’t have to imagine it. Here I was, immersed in history in 17th-century Bodysgallen Hall in North Wales.
ShareThis