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Winter Holidays Host Review

As the holiday season approaches, most of us plan for family get-togethers. Many such events involve travel, whether across town or across the country, and all involve food – the international, cross-cultural, universal heart of every holiday celebration.

For the majority of western cultures, our year-end holiday is Christmas. Of course, jolly ol’ Santa and consumerism have replaced the infant Jesus as the main character for many in the Christmas play, but long before either Jesus or Santa, every culture acknowledged the waning of the sun and the winter solstice. 

The harvest is over and the grain has been stored for the long cold winter. As the days grow shorter and the cycle of the year draws to a close, one big blowout is mandatory to celebrate all that has been accomplished before hunkering down to wait for spring. Whether the focus of your celebrations is an Asian festival of lights, Christmas or Hanukkah, everyone is ready to celebrate the past year and get ready for the new.

This month’s issue features a few traditional recipes to help you indulge yourself and some great historical perspective on this festive season in the West. The following hosts provide a few ideas of how to spend your holiday away from home. Enjoy, and from all of us at Cultural Travels, may the holiday season and the new year bring you many joys.

World Society - Pick of the Month
Location: Europe, Mediterranean, Japan
Specialty: Customized itineraries for independent travelers
Why We Like Them: Countess Maria von Staufer, a Christmas historian, has vast knowledge on the many Christmas markets throughout Europe, and other Christmas-related sites in Europe and the Holy Land. Tapping along with her husband, Andrew Hubert von Staufer, into 30-plus years of travel experience,  the von Staufers have created an extensive network of alliances from which they create itineraries to meet the needs of independent travelers. Arrangements can include entrance into many places not normally accessible to the public and personal meetings with people not normally available to visitors.
Article: A Chronological History of the Christmas Tree

Herzerl Tours
Location: Austria
Specialty: Culinary, art and music tours
Why We Like Them: The company’s founder, Susanne Marie Servin, creates small, intimate groups, which allows passengers to experience Austria up close and personal. Meetings with her Austrian friends allows an in-depth look at the culture of the country. Susanne personally leads all scheduled departures and can organize custom trips on request. Nearly all trips have a cooking component, which allows you to experience Austria with all your senses. “The Spirit of Christmas” trip explores three different Christmas markets and includes a cookie cooking class at the Gingerbread Museum of Lubereck. 
Article: An Elegant Austrian Christmas Dinner

VIP-Alpine Tours
Location: Germany, Austria, Switzerland and Italy
Specialty: Alpine Christmas and Oktoberfest packages
Why We Like Them: Regional specialists who create custom itineraries, as well as offering moderately priced coach tours to the Tyrolean Fall Music Fest, Oktoberfest and Christmas markets in Austria, and a six country Christmas market extravaganza. Company founder Bernd Nagy, an Austrian native, or his daughter, Christina; accompany every tour.
Article: Germany’s Old World Christmas Markets

Toursgallery
Location: Japan
Specialty: Small group tours focusing on the cultural and natural heritage of Japan
Why We Like Them: Toursgallery is the only company that offers a Christmas tour of Tokyo and a tour to the four winter ice festivals in Japan’s Hokkaido prefecture. The Asahikawa International Ice Sculpture Festival is filled with elaborate creations and the four festivals allow the visitor to see a wide variety of winter scenes. The natural beauty of this area and the abundant snowbirds are a nature lover’s dream.

Canterbury Travel Ltd
Location: Finland, Lapland
Specialty: Santa tours
Why We Like Them: For the child in all of us Santa holds a special place. Canterbury Travel takes you visit him and his elves in Luosto, Lapland, Finland. Special treats include reindeer and dogsled safaris, and other winter activities as you and the children search for Father Christmas and his elves. Various independent trips also are available throughout the holiday season.

Newport Mansions of the Preservation Society
Location: USA, Newport, RI
Specialty: Collection of Historic Houses
Why We Like Them: Every year three of the society’s “Gilded Age” homes provide a glimpse into the past by offering living history tours. Nineteenth-century Christmas decorations and actors in period clothing allow visitors the chance to experience what Christmas was like at the dawn of the 20^th century for the industrialists and corporate movers and shakers of that day.