Leisure … more than a word, it's a lifestyle

If you’re a college football fan and you happen to be in Orlando at the end of the year, don’t miss out on two great games that are coming up:

Champs Sports Bowl
NC State vs. West Virginia
Tuesday, December 28th, 2010 at 6:30pm

Capital One Bowl
Michigan State vs. Alabama
Saturday, January 1st, 2011 at 1:00pm

Both will be held at the Florida Citrus Bowl Stadium in Orlando and are brought to you by Florida Citrus Sports.

Shopping, cooking, cleaning, wrapping… and more of the same…. that’s what the Holiday season means to a lot of folks. It can also be a very stressful time so what’s the best way to relax? Holiday movies of course! So here’s our list of the Top 10 Holiday Flicks of all time… the ones that make you laugh, make you cry, make you reminisce and plain old make you feel good!

10. A Christmas Story

Set in the 40′s bespectacled Ralphie (Peter Billingsley) desperately wants a Daisy Brand Red Ryder BB gun for Christmas. He’s determined to convince his mother, teacher and local department store Santa that it’s a wise gift.

9. How the Grinch Stole Christmas

We’re talking about the 1966 classic here and not the disappointing Jim Carey version as nothing compares to Dr. Seuss’ brilliant storytelling in rhyme in this animated classic. The Grinch is a bitter, cave dwelling “scoundrel” who lives alone…with the exception of his beleaguered, yet unshakably faithful dog Max.

8. Paint Your Wagon

OK…so this isn’t a true traditional Christmas movie but it always seems to be run over the holiday period and it’s an absolute classic. Starring Lee Marvin and Clint Eastwood as two unlikely prospector partners, their adventures include buying and sharing a wife, hijacking a stage, kidnaping six prostitutes, and turning their mining camp into a boomtown. Along the way there is plenty of drinking, gambling, and singing. They even find time to do some creative gold mining.

7. ELF

Buddy (Will Ferrell) is a human adopted by Santa’s elves as a baby. When he begins to feel out of sorts with his half-size friends and family, he sets out in search of Walter, his real dad (James Caan). As a perpetually naughty-list kinf of fellow, Walter has a tough time bonding with Buddy, who’s clad in yellow tights and an elf hat. But, never fear, the true spirit of Christmas finally shines through.

6. It’s a Wonderful Life

This 1946 B&W classic follows the life of George, a compassionate town hero (James Stewart) who has come to believe that his life hasn’t mattered. An intervention by Clarence, his guardian angel, guides George to realize how muc he’s helped his friends, family and neighbors over the course of his life.

5. Christmas Vacation

Yule love this one. The third installment of National Lampoon’s Vacation series finds the Griswold family celebrating the holidays. Perennially clueless Clark griswold (Chevvy Chase), father of the clan, is determined to ensure that they have a “good ol’ fashioned family Christmas”… at any cost. What could go wrong? You’ll have to watch.

4. Scrooged

In a very loose remake of the original A Christmas Carol story, Frank Cross (Bill Murray) is the cut throat president of IBC, an entertainment conglomerate, who will see three ghosts appear before night ends.

3. Rudolph, the Red Nosed Reindeer

The 1964 classic tells the story of an adorable young reindeer who happens to have a nose that glows. Unfortunately, some don’t find it as adorable as others and poor Rudolph is taunted and teased eventually running away to the North Pole. Narrated by Burl Ives, this classic is a must see for the whole family…and don’t forget the tissues!

2. Christmas in Connecticut

Journalist Elizabeth Lane (Barbara Stanwyck)  is one of the country’s most famous food writers. In her columns, she describes herself as a hard working farm woman, taking care of her children and being an excellent cook. But this is all lies. In reality she is an umarried New Yorker who can’t even boil an egg. The recipes come from her good friend Felix. The owner of the magazine she works for has decided that a heroic sailor will spend his Christmas on *her* farm. Miss Lane knows that her career is over if the truth comes out, but what can she do? Check out this 1945 classic Christmas movie.

1. White Christmas

Bing Crosby and Danny Kaye head up this true Christmas classic. But the real star of the show is Irving Berlin’s score. After leaving the Army after W.W.II, Bob Wallace (Crosby) and Phil Davis Kaye) team up to become a top song-and-dance act. Davis plays matchmaker and introduces Wallace to a pair of beautiful sisters (Betty and Judy) who also have a song-and-dance act. When Betty and Judy travel to a Vermont lodge to perform a Christmas show, Wallace and Davis follow, only to find their former commander, General Waverly, is the lodge owner. A series of romantic mix-ups ensue as the performers try to help the General.A little “Count Your Blessings Instead of Sheep” anyone? Great choice to impress your grandparents with your taste in movies. They’ll love you for it.

So there you have it…unfortunately we didn’t have room for every great Christmas movie and we really did leave some great movies off our list…movies like “A Charlie Brown Christmas”, “Home Alone”, “The Nightmare Before Christmas”, “Miracle on 34th Street”, “A Christmas Carol”, “Frosty the Snowman”, “The Holiday”, “Love Actually” and so many more.  Have fun this Christmas…why not make an early start and go and watch one of this wonderful movies right now!

Next week sees the start of the holiday travel period and it’s always a hectic time. The only problem with holiday traveling is the mass of people that you are going to travel with and it’s bound to be a trying and testing experience. To survive the holiday travel rigmarole, here are some practical tips to consider.

1. Plan Your Trip.

As with every venture in life proper planning can help smooth the way ahead. Planning ahead will lessen chances of encountering problems along the way. You may also be able to get great deals on airfare, accommodation and attraction tickets. Preparing everything you want to do and laying out the steps one by one can make your holiday much more pleasurable.

2. Pack in layers.

A good idea when packing your luggage is to pack in layers. Start with a layer of clothes, then a layer of electronics, then another layer of clothes, then another layer of heavier items, and so on. This allows TSA officers to quickly scan your luggage more quickly and means you’ll be through security in no time.

3. Confirm Your Status and Print Your Boarding Pass.

Before you head to the airport, always confirm your flight status and print your boarding pass if you can.This can be done online and will save you the headache of discovering that your flight has been delayed or canceled when you arrive at the airport.

4. Allow Plenty of Time.

Always plan on getting to the airport at least two hours prior to your scheduled departure time. It is always better to be early than to be rushed and it’s important to remember that airport parking lots will be more crowded, ticket lines will be longer, and other passengers who are less prepared will inevitably hold up the process.

5. Watch What You Wear.

Going through airport security can be a doddle if you watch what you wear. Never wear clothing with metal and make sure you remove everything from your pockets and put it in your carry on. Dress in a manner that does not identify you as a misplaced tourist and always wear footwear that is easy to slip off and put back on easily.

6. Watch Your Valuables.

When traveling always be conscious that thieves are on the look out for easy prey.  So make sure that you keep your purse, wallet, keys, cell phones, cameras, laptop computer, etc close to you.

7. Tag Your Luggage.

Losing luggage while traveling tend to go hand in hand.  Labeling your luggage with your name, address and phone number will prove invaluable should the worst happen and greatly increases your chances of seeing it again!

8. Keep Your ID Handy.

TSA security requires a government issued photo ID (driver’s license, passport, or military ID) and if you don’t have one or have misplaced it, two forms of non-photo ID (local, state, or federal) will be required, such as a birth certificate, Medicare card, voter registration, or Social Security card. Always keep it handy and easy to access.

9. Get Comfortable.

To get the most from your holiday break and hether traveling by aircraft or car always make sure you situate yourself as comfortably as possible. It’s important to relax during the journey so you’ll feel fresh and ready to go when you arrive.

10. Get Travel Insurance

Buying travel insurance is a good idea especially if you are taking expensive holiday gifts with you. Be sure to get coverage for loss as well as theft and you should also get coverage for travel cancellation since flights are quite unpredictable during peak seasons.

Holidays add a special touch to any vacation and with some simple planning and preparation you can ensure everything goes as smoothly as possible . Happy Holidays!

Great news! For over 25 years vacation homes have been a viable alternative for visitors coming to the Orlando area to visit Walt Disney World, Sea World and Universal Orlando. Up to now, Disney has always tried to lure guests to stay on their property but finally, after a long long battle, they have finally admitted that vacation homes are here to stay and they must join the vacation rental industry by becoming a travel partner with area vacation home rental companies. It’s fantastic news as it finally gives real credibility to an industry that brings over $4.1 BILLION to the local Orlando economy.

Here’s a picture of  the web site announcing the news…

So now you know, vacation homes really are the best deal for families who are traveling to the Orlando / Disney area! Come and stay with us…

Yesterday I talked about how to keep warm and suggested some venues on International Drive. Today, we’re going to discover there’s more to the Orlando area than just theme parks, great restaurants and fabulous shopping… it’s time to feed your eyes, ears and soul with the history and art of Orlando.

Approximately 30 minutes from Florida Leisure’s vacation rental homes is the City of Maitland and it’s here you’ll find the Maitland Art Center, the Maitland Historical Museum, Maitland Telephone Museum and the Historic Waterhouse Residence in Maitland, Orlando Florida.

The Maitland Art Center was founded and designed by architect and artist Jules Andre Smith in 1937. It is featured on the National Register of Historic Places and the center has a unique feel to it with it’s Aztec and Mayan artifacts. The Maitland Art Center holds a small collection of art from local, regional and national artists as well as offering art classes throughout the year in it’s stimulating and charming grounds.

The Maitland Historical Museum features exhibits that highlight the development of Maitland from its incorporation in 1885 through the present. The Telephone Museum features on a tour of communications technology. This exciting collection features the story of the Winter Park Telephone Company founded in Maitland by Carl Galloway in 1910.

The Historic Waterhouse Residence Museum is located just off Hwy 17-92 and overlooks Lake Lily. The fully restored Victorian home was originally built in 1884 by William H. Waterhouse for his family. The home demonstrates what life was like for a middle class family over 100 years ago. Through its furnishings, mementos and clothing, this two story home exhibits the class and customs of the people of the day.

Next to the home you will find the Waterhouse Carpentry Shop Museum which displays tools used by craftsmen of the late 19th century. Constructed around 1883, this is where Mr. Waterhouse ran his woodworking and construction business.

So why not get out and about next time you’re in Orlando… or if you are here at the moment, go today while the weather is somewhat chilly! Here’s some video to give you a flavor of what you’ll see…

In case you haven’t heard…we Floridians are living like penguins at the moment. While the Emperor Penguin can swim quite comfortably in water temperatures of 28.8°F (−1.8 °C) , we human beings are certainly not happy to put up with temperatures of similar proportions. In case you haven’t heard, Florida is experiencing it’s coldest conditions in 20 years…at least that’s what the local news channels tell us!

So how do you warm up on a cold Florida day?

Easy, you visit the indoor attractions! And we have plenty of them to pick from.

If you wander along International Drive you’ll find WonderWorks, Ripley’s Believe it or Not, Titanic – the Experience and Train Land International. All are great places to while away the hours and have some great family fun. There’s a multitude of restaurants and some great shopping can also be had at some of the designer boutiques and outlet malls.

Here’s a couple of videos… the first features WonderWorks and the second is a tour of I-Drive…

The moment you arrive at SeaWorld’s Christmas Celebration, you’ll feel a wave of holiday spirit splash over you. Carols fill the air, a sparkling sea of trees lights up the water and skaters dance on ice. Here in our wintery, watery wonderland, you can journey to the North Pole on The Polar Express Experience, share a smile with a sea lion, and enjoy stunning live shows inspired by the natural world. With everything from elves to Elmo, and from Santa to Shamu, SeaWorld’s Christmas Celebration is where holiday memories are made.

The Christmas Celebration is open every night from Dec. 17 – Jan. 2 and here’s what you can see:

•The Polar Express Experience: Now boarding! It’s a journey to the North Pole aboard The Polar Express. The holiday classic comes to life as you take part in a young boy’s thrilling ride to the North Pole, where you’ll meet Santa Claus and some winter weather animals.
• Shamu Christmas — Miracles: From the majesty of a symphonic soundtrack to the heart-pounding excitement of Shamu, Shamu Christmas — Miracles invites you on a holiday voyage.
• A Sesame Street Christmas: The holidays have arrived, but Abby Cadabby doesn’t understand what all the fuss is about… she’s never heard of Christmas. Elmo, Telly Monster and the rest of her Sesame Street friends teach Abby what Christmas means to them.
• Clyde and Seamore’s Countdown to Christmas: Clyde and Seamore are bringing copious amounts of comedy to Christmas this year.

• Winter Wonderland on Ice: Skaters dazzle and delight in this ice skating show. The other stars of the show are the towering fountains of water dancing on the lake.

• Sea of Trees: Take a walk through a watery wonderland and be immersed in a sea of holiday trees. The glistening forest sparkles to music and lights up the water.
• The Christmas Market: Browse handcrafted gifts, sample many festive foods and play holiday games.
• Holiday Reflections: SeaWorld ends the night with soaring fountains, lights and fireworks, choreographed to holiday musical favorites.

Here’s our previous blog for more in depth details… SeaWorld Christmas Celebration

SpaceX launched its Falcon 9 rocket this morning in a long-awaited effort to carry a spacecraft into orbit and return it to Earth. The company called off an earlier 9:06 a.m. launch attempt and finally lifted off the Cape Canaveral launch pad minutes ago.

With launch of its Dragon capsule, SpaceX also hopes to launch a new era in U.S. spaceflight, to demonstrate that commercial companies can take on a role in orbit once reserved only for government agencies like NASA.

The Falcon 9 — the company’s gleaming-white, 157-foot-tall flagship – was programmed to send the Apollo-like capsule 186 miles into space, where it would orbit the Earth twice before splashing down in the Pacific Ocean to be recovered by waiting ships. It would become the first commercial spacecraft to orbit the planet and survive the fiery reentry back to Earth.

It’s nothing short of historic, according to SpaceX founder and chief executive officer, Elon Musk. “When Dragon returns, whether on this mission or a future one, it will herald the dawn of an incredibly exciting new era in space travel,” Musk said recently.

One of the wonderful things to do when visiting Orlando during holiday season is visit Disney’s Hollywood Studios and take a look at the fabulous Osborne Family Spectacle of Dancing Lights.

The story of how the lights came to be is quite fascinating;

Jennings Osborne, along with his wife Mitzi, founded a medical research facility in 1968 in Little Rock, Arkansas. The business’ success allowed the couple to eventually purchase a large estate outside of town in 1976 and four years later, in 1980, the Osbornes welcomed little Breezy into the world.

In 1986, Breezy made a very simple request of her parents for Christmas … to decorate their home in lights. Jennings gladly complied, stringing 1000 lights around their home. “Each year after that, it got bigger and bigger,” Osborne would later recall. So big, in fact, that Osborne purchased the two properties adjacent to his own and expanded the display into them.

By 1993, the display had over three million lights and some of the more prominent features included:

* an illuminated globe, with Little Rock and Bethlehem marked, mounted in the back yard;
* two rotating carousels of lights, placed on each end of the estate’s circular driveway;
* a 70-foot-tall Christmas tree of lights with 80,000 lights in three colored layers, mounted atop the home’s kitchen; and
* a canopy of 30,000 red lights over a section of the driveway
The lights were a wildly popular attraction, both in Arkansas and around the world, as news crews often visited to film the display.

The display was, however, not as popular with some of the Osborne’s neighbors. They claimed that the display created massive traffic jams near their homes, and in 1994 they filed suit to have the display turned off. Ultimately, Osborne agreed to several conditions on the display, such as a set schedule for when the lights would be turned on and hiring off-duty police officers to help the neighbors enter and exit their properties.

Much as generosity spurred the creation of the display, another act of generosity may have spelled its doom in Arkansas. After a family arrived just after the display had been turned off for the night, Jennings agreed to switch the lights on for them, in violation of the court order and netting him a $10,000 fine. The neighbors returned to court, which sided with them and ordered the display turned off permanently. Osborne appealed to both the Arkansas Supreme Court and the United States Supreme Court, where Justice Clarence Thomas refused to hear the case.

The story of the light display’s court case brought national attention, including offers from several cities to host the display but it was Walt Disney World project director John Phelan who contacted Osborne’s attorney about moving the display to the Orlando resort, and eventually discussed the potential move with Osborne himself.

Osborne was intrigued by the offer, but initially understood that Disney wanted to put the display on another residential street in Orlando. What Phelan actually offered was to install the display on “Residential Street,” a backlot section at Disney’s Hollywood Studios theme park (then known by its original name, the Disney-MGM Studios). Being a fan of the resort himself, and realizing where the display would go, Osborne accepted Disney’s offer. In 1995, the display was set up on Residential Street as “The Osborne Family Spectacle of Lights,” becoming an immediate success.

Residential Street was visited using the backlot tour’s tram vehicles. When the light display was in place, however, the tram tours would stop before sunset, allowing guests to walk amongst the displays. Initially the display was purely the original lights from the Osborne estate, but in subsequent years the display was augmented to its current size of over five million lights. The display’s Disney caretakers have also added a number of hidden Mickeys into the lights.

The display is made up of over 10 miles (16 kilometers) of rope lighting connected by another 30 miles (48 kilometers) of extension cords. The extension cords and lights are held together using two million ties. It takes 20,000 man-hours to install the display each holiday season, starting in September. The lights are turned on at dusk each night, starting in mid-November and running into the first week of January, and require 800,000 watts of electricity.

In 2004, the park began construction on a new arena for its upcoming Lights! Motors! Action! Extreme Stunt Show, that opened  in 2005. Part of the construction included the demolition of Residential Street, thus necessitating another move of the display. The solution was to move it to another part of the park, the New York Street set (now known as the Streets of America). As part of the move, the Studios added an artificial snow effect to the display, made up of 33 snow machines that use 100 gallons of fluid per evening.

In 2006, the park added over 1500 dimmer relay circuits and control switches to the display to enable the lights to switch on and off electronically and this remains in place today. The switches are choreographed to a musical score during which the lights “dance” to the music. After each performance, the lights remain steady for about ten minutes before “dancing” again to another selection; other holiday selections play during the intermissions. The “dance music” selections include:

* “Christmas Eve (Sarajevo 12-24),” by Trans-Siberian Orchestra
* “Jingle Bells,” by Barbra Streisand
* “A Mad Russian’s Christmas,” by Trans-Siberian Orchestra
* “Feliz Navidad,” by José Feliciano

Admission to the display is free with admission to the park, and it’s a MUST SEE if you’re visiting Walt Disney World over the holidays. Here’s some video…

Yani Tseng - LPGA Player of the Year

All of the LPGA’s major awards were up for grabs over the last four days in Orlando, and an exciting finish saw Maria Hjorth take a 1-stroke victory over Amy Wang in the season-ending LPGA Tour Championship.

In doing so, this meant that Yani Tseng became the first player from Taiwan to win LPGA player of the year; South Korea’s Na Yeon Choi won the year’s money title as well as the Vare Trophy for the year’s lowest scoring average; and South Korean Jiyai Shin kept her No. 1 ranking to become Rolex Rankings No1. edging out American Cristie Kerr, despite shooting 12 over par, 17 shots behind Hjorth.

At the end Hjorth commented:  “Every win is emotional for me.  But being a mother and coming back after giving birth is definitely something that I’ve been hoping for.  It’s nice to prove that it’s possible.”

An emotional Yani Tseng said: “Yeah, actually it’s my honor to be the Player of the Year and when at the announcement, “Yani Tseng is Player of the Year,” the emotion just – it’s kind of – because I never thought I would be holding the trophy, winning Player of the Year.  Because I was always holding the trophy in a tournament, but just one week, but this feels like I’m holding for a year, I’ve been working so hard to chase this title.”

Cristie Kerr & Nigel Worrall

3rd placed Cristie Kerr paid tribute to Tseng : “Yani had a great year.  Besides winning the two majors, she won one more, Arkansas.  That was the difference.  I knew that I had to win probably three tournaments to win Player of the Year, and I just fell short, a little bit short.  Not much.  Not enough to hang your head on.”

It’s  nice to see so many Korean born players on the tour and how at home they seem to be here in Orlando. Shin spoke of the help she received from fellow Orlando resident Annika Sorenstam: “Yeah, I think it’s probably beginning of the year when I talked to Annika.  Because I think she really helped me a lot and she always e-mails me to encourage me when I was in the British Open or this week or some other weeks when I needed. She’s always, saying, you know where I live, you can just stop at my door and just ask me a question.  But I was shy to go ask (laughing).  I knocked on her door one time because I want to give her a card, and then I was glad she’s not at home because I don’t know what I’m going to say, I was so nervous (laughter). But she’s just so nice, such a nice people, and I’m really happy that she’s enjoying her life right now and still supporting the LPGA, supporting golf and to help everybody out.”

So that wraps up the 2010 season and it’s been a great one. Instead of just one player running away with everything, we’ve seen a close run race for every title and that’s what has made the ladies tour so interesting. It’s also been great for Orlando golf to host the final championship of the year and with so many of the leading players coming from the area, it also gives it a nice homely feeling.

Se Ri Pak and Nigel Worrall

What was also nice to see, was the availability of all the ladies to meet and greet the fans. The men could learn from this as all of the ladies were happy to spend time signing autographs and posing for pictures after their rounds. I was particularly pleased to spend a few moments with woman’s legend Se Ri Pak, the woman who has arguably done more to widen the appeal of the game of golf than even Tiger Woods.

Pak made her debut on the LPGA Tour in 1998. There were no South Koreans on the tour back then. Today eleven players from South Korea, a country of about 48 million, one-sixth the size of the United States, are ranked in the top 30 of the Rolex world rankings, more than the United States (eight), Japan (five) or any other country.

Further, South Koreans have won 8 of this season’s 17 L.P.G.A. events and even more remarkable is the depth of the talent; the eight events were won by eight different women, all of them under 30. Today there are 32 South Koreans on the tour and another 36 playing on the Futures Tour. So, that’s it for this year… we have a lot to look forward to as we look to next season.