Happy New Year!

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

These shots were taken in July from the Inn backyard. Wouldn't winter fireworks be fun? We have plans for lots of movie watching. We used to pick an actor and watch a series of their films. What about you?

December Blizzard 2010 Time lapse

December 2010 Blizzard Timelapse from Michael Black on Vimeo.

Time lapse never gets old. It's cool to see the snow fall in action because it really was like there was nothing and then BAM we had drifts of snow!

In other youtube news...

We were floored by the number of views we had of our White Christmas video but this Holiday clip was one of the most viewed the other day with 190,000.

Do have loads of old tapes from Christmas, birthdays, and other celebrations? Maybe it's time to get them all digitized. The boy pictured in the film did just that and gave it to his parents for Christmas this year. Great idea!

Snow day!

On Sunday night/Monday we received 16+ inches of fresh fluffy snow in Windsor. This made yesterday a legitimate snow day! Lots of shoveling out, plowing through, and staying warm inside. Our innkeepers took a break to have an epic Nerf war.

What did you do?

Giveaway Day 12: Winner Announced

Ok, can we just say how wonderful it has been to spend the last 12 days posting and building cyber chats with so many new people. Sure, it has been fun to randomly give away rooms to 12 lucky winners but it's been great reading so many holiday messages. This is what this time of the year is about and we feel lucky to have such great friends & followers of our Inn. Now, don't be strangers! We look forward to greeting our winners from near and far but we really do wish that we could have given a room to each of you (that just wouldn't be very good business we're told ;) THANK YOU for making our holiday special and may each of you have an absolutely brilliant holiday week!

Your friends at the Snapdragon Inn

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Please email innkeeper@snapdragoninn.com with your mailing address and we will have your gift certificate to you by the new year.

Thanks for participating!

Giveaway Day 12: Final Day

Good Morning and welcome to Day 12 of our "12 Nights" Giveaway! Details on how to enter can be found at the end of this post. Today, we're leaving you with some clips of favorite holiday movies! THANK YOU everyone for your participation in our giveaway and sharing so many of your holiday favorites with us! It certainly has helped us get into the spirit and hope it did for you as well. We hope you have a wonderful weekend. Merry Christmas Eve!

"A Christmas Story" is a true classic with so many memorable scenes.

This one is also pretty funny.
Ralphie can't put his arms down in "A Christmas Story"


Of course, "White Christmas" with Bing, Rosemary, and an Inn in Vermont


This one will make you smile everytime
Hugh Grant dances in "Love Actually"

and just in case you haven't seen it, our very own holiday video ;)

Enter today's FREE night's stay by commenting on this post by 2PM EST today.You can get additional entries by:

• Liking us on facebook and commenting on our wall
• Following us on twitter and retweeting today's contest tweet
• and - one time only - join our email list!

Thanks for participating. Good luck!

Giveaway Day 11: Winners Announced

Wow, that went by fast. Just one more day of our giveaway. So we aren't keeping people tied to the internet, Entries for today's giveaway will be open until 2PM EST TODAY and winner will be announced soon after. That way we can all have a break from the computer and enjoy the holidays!

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Please email innkeeper@snapdragoninn.com with your mailing address and we will have your gift certificate to you by the new year.

Thanks for participating!

Giveaway Day 11: Favorite Gifts

Good Morning and welcome to Day 11 of our "12 Nights" Giveaway! Details on how to enter can be found at the end of this post. Today, we're talking about favorite gifts!

The gifts children give during the holidays can be especially fun. There were years when we would raid our mom's sewing/craft closet and make anything we could think of: crooked pillows, bean bags (everyone needs those), play dough containers, or the beloved painted paper weight!

Yesterday our family got the best Christmas gift, our new niece! Well done K80 and Jordan (especially K80). She is gorgeous. It is amazing what a miracle a new life is. Our Christmas feels complete now that she is out to be with the rest of her family.

DIY gifts can be wonderful but the total surprise gift can be exciting as well. Do you have a favorite gift that comes to mind from your child, spouse, friend, or family member?

Speaking of gifts, today we are giving an extra lucky winner, a special gift. One of our custom Snapdragon pillow cases! It's a lovely color and the perfect feature pillow that pops!

Enter today's FREE night's stay by commenting on this post. You can get additional entries by:

• Liking us on facebook and commenting on our wall
• Following us on twitter and retweeting today's contest tweet
• and - one time only - join our email list!

Thanks for participating. Good luck!

Giveaway Day 10: Winner Announced

Thank you so much for participating in our holiday giveaway. Yesterday we got 16 new followers on facebook which equal 16 cans for the food shelf but we thought we'd throw one in for each comment on the blog as well so we'll take 32 cans to our local food shelf.
THANK YOU for that gift as well!

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Please email innkeeper@snapdragoninn.com with your mailing address and we will have your gift certificate to you by the new year.

Thank you all for participating. Day 11 post will be up shortly! There are still 2 FREE nights up for grabs this week!

Giveaway Day 10: The spirit of Giving

Good Morning and welcome to Day 10 of our "12 Nights" Giveaway! Details on how to enter can be found at the end of this post. Today, we're talking about the Spirit of Giving.

There is no better time than the holidays to give. Whether you take baked goods to your neighbors, go caroling at a rest home, volunteer at a shelter, donate to the food shelf, or take time off work to spend with your family, it's not quite Christmas unless you can give in some way. It benefits both the giver and receiver!

The Salvation Army

Toys for Tots

There are numerous ways to volunteer or give. One that comes to mind is The Holiday Project which aims to bring the spirit of the holidays to people who otherwise would not have a celebration. You can find out if you have a local chapter here (we have one in the White River/Upper Valley) and watch a news special on their holiday help here.

Charity Santa Runs

What have you done in the past to share the spirit of giving? Do you have a charity that you've worked with or a service project you've attended? Do you have a tradition in your family?

Also, for every new "like" we get on our facebook page today, we will donate 1 can of food to our local Windsor food shelf. If you haven't joined our page, now's the time and if you have already, share the word to your friends and tell them to join us so we can help feed the hungry!

Enter today's FREE night's stay by commenting on this post. You can get additional entries by:

• Liking us on facebook and commenting on our wall
• Following us on twitter and retweeting today's contest tweet
• and - one time only - join our email list!

Thanks for participating. Good luck!

Giveaway Day 9: Winner Announced!

Once again, you have all shared some wonderful thoughts and ideas on holiday books. Thank you Thank you! This morning's random prize pick goes to

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Please email innkeeper@snapdragoninn.com with your mailing address and we will have your gift certificate to you by the new year.

Thank you all for participating. Day 10 post will be up shortly! There are still 3 FREE nights up for grabs this week!

Giveaway Day 9: Holiday Books

Good Morning and welcome to Day 9 of our "12 Nights" Giveaway! Details on how to enter can be found at the end of this post. Today, we're talking holiday books!

Do you have a favorite holiday book? Is there a holiday story you bring out this time of the year or one who remember reading as a child? There is nothing quite like a lovely book to get the imagination turning and the excitement bubbling.

In our family, we had a copy of "Twas the night before Christmas" that seemed to be read over and over before Christmas and never got old. This little book must have been lost in a shuffle but the pictures are still vivid whenever the words are recited, "Twas the night before Christmas and all through the house, not a creature was moving, not even a mouse..."

One of the former owners of our 26 Main, Max Perkins, was the editor for many well known American authors. Ernest Hemingway was among them and we found this parody of Clement Clarke Moore’s Christmas poem written in the style of Ernest Hemingway. It is quite a fun read (especially if you know Hemingway) and combines James Thurber, Hemingway, and Christmas (quite a feat!) It originally appeared in The New Yorker, December 24, 1927

It was the night before Christmas. The house was very quiet. No creatures were stirring in the house. There weren't even any mice stirring. The stockings had been hung carefully by the chimney. The children hoped that Saint Nicholas would come and fill them.

Go here to read the rest of Thurber's wonderful parody

Enter today's FREE night's stay by commenting on this post. You can get additional entries by:

• Liking us on facebook and commenting on our wall
• Following us on twitter and retweeting today's contest tweet
• and - one time only - join our email list!

Thanks for participating. Good luck!

Giveaway Day 8: Winner Announced

Thank you so much for your participation in yesterday's drawing. The memories shared and collected were absolutely wonderful! It helped catapult us even more into the spirit of this time of year. Thank you. This morning's random prize pick goes to

Drum Roll..............................

Please email innkeeper@snapdragoninn.com with your mailing address and we will have your gift certificate to you by the new year.

Thank you all for participating. Day 9 post will be up shortly! There are still 4 FREE nights up for grabs this week!

Giveaway Day 8: Holiday Memories

Good Morning and welcome to Day 8 of our "12 Nights" Giveaway! Details on how to enter can be found at the end of this post. Today, we're talking about favorite holiday memories!

Our Grandma Gert was an expert candy maker. Her candy boxes were specially filled with the preferred sweet delights of each recipient. They were more than boxes, of course, and Christmas isn't quite the same without them. (You can read a lovely essay on her after the jump)

It is the perfect time of year to be with family and friends, to remember loved ones and spend time together! What is one of your cherished, funny, embarrassing, or unforgettable holiday memories?

Enter today's FREE night's stay by commenting on this post. You can get additional entries by:

• Liking us on facebook and commenting on our wall
• Following us on twitter and retweeting today's contest tweet
• and - one time only - join our email list!

Thanks for participating. Good luck!

The Candy Box- by Joy Hafen

The Post Office in Barnard, Vermont was barely big enough to hold more than two people. One of those was Postmaster Ralph. There was never a chance that you'd ever be able to just pick up your mail and leave, Ralph was always ready to say hi, especially to the girls. Many times I would dial the combination to open our post office box and find a smiling eye staring at me on the other side, as if I was staring through a peep hole. It always caught me off guard and he loved to laugh at my surprise.

On a wintery day, there was the delight of a yellow note informing us of a package. This was always exciting, something besides bills for our parents, something that might be for one of us. The instant Ralph handed me the small rectangular box wrapped in brown paper, I knew what it was. I couldn't keep my excitement contained. The large, black scratchy handwriting on the package gave it away immediately. "Ooh!" I replied. "Something good?" Ralph asked. "It's from my Grandma," I said. Ralph smiled and waved as I left the Post Office, practically skipping. That must be the best job of a postmaster, getting to see the faces of those who receive lovingly sent packages from far away.

This box was a special treat. Our grandmother, in her late 70s and almost completely blind would make homemade candy every year. Grandma was skilled in all the homemaking arts. The homemade candy was just one of the special things that she would do for others. She had six children and every year, each family received a box. We didn't receive the same things either, each box was custom made for the recipients. I lifted the box to my nose to see if I could smell the fudge inside. I knew it was in there. Grandma knew how much our family loved chocolate. There was sure to be extra fudge in our box. My mother laughed as I was trying to gather up the scent before opening the box. As we approached the driveway we plotted our strategy for protecting our special gift and making sure we had a chance to enjoy it before it would be devoured by the brothers.

We entered the kitchen of our home, which always had the lingering scent of homemade bread and chocolate chip cookies. At the table, Mom unwrapped the package to reveal a store bought candy box. This was the always the procedure, as Grandma liked to have a real candy box to mail our treats to us. We always wondered just how many store bought candy Grandma was consuming, or throwing away, just to get the boxes. More likely she would save the boxes that she received as gifts and stowed them away to use for her own gifts, which were infinitely better.

Mom lifted the lid and we just sat and marveled. Fudge, fondant mints, and Boston Cream flavored candy filled the box. The scent of mint and chocolate filled my head and my heart. I thought about my grandmother in her kitchen. Her tiny 4 ft 10 frame working busily in her trailer in Tooele, Utah. I could see her carefully stirring the sugar for Boston Cream and putting her face as close to the pot as she dared to keep an eye on things. I thought of how she would take one of her Corel ware cups, white and shiny, out of the cupboard and fill it with cold water. I remember her teaching me how to drop a spoonful of heated sugar mixture into the cup to see what formation occurred. Years of experience helped her, feel the candy balls in the water, her small fingers rubbing the mixture and by feel she could tell when it was just right for adding the final ingredients and the molding. She would line her countertops with wax paper and as the day progressed, they would be filled with each one of her confectionary delights. Extra fudge for our family. Uncle Scott liked nut rolls. Lots of Boston Cream for everyone, some families liked a little pecan on the top, some preferred plain. No mints in this box, but lots of mints in another. Carefully she'd work, cleaning as she would go until the day was over and the job accomplished. Her tired body would change into one of her housecoats and she'd relax by rolling her knee high pantyhose down to her ankles and putting on some slippers.

Those were the thoughts that flooded my mind before I ever chose a piece to eat. The thought of how much I loved that little lady so far away from me. How much I loved her smile and her laugh. I thought of the time she spent to make something special just for us and for just a minute, staring at the candy in the box, I felt like her favorite grandchild. I'm positive there were 22 other people thinking the same thing across the country.

I probably chose Boston Cream. That was my favorite. I can still taste the caramel cream melting in my mouth. The box was more to us than just a yummy treat. It represented our grandmother's love for us. There was so much in her life she couldn't do any longer, so many things she had to give up with age and the loss of vision. But candy at Christmas, she could do that in her sleep. And every year, until her very last Christmas, every family received her love in a simple little box. To this day, I can still taste that candy, and I miss having it, (candy making is not genetic apparently), but more importantly, when I think of the Christmas candy box, I remember my grandmother's love.

Giveaway Day 6 & 7: Winners Announced

Thank you all for participating over the weekend! It was actually a lot of fun to read about every one's food traditions and favorites. It is safe to say, that FOOD is an important

part of the holidays! And now the 2 weekend winners.

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Please email innkeeper@snapdragoninn.com with your mailing address and we will have your gift certificate to you by the new year.

Thank you all for participating. Day 8 post will be up shortly! There are still 5 FREE nights up for grabs this week!

Giveaway Day 6 & 7: Holiday Food!

Good Morning and welcome to Day 6 & 7 of our "12 Nights" Giveaway! Details on how to enter can be found at the end of this post. Don't forget - our 12 Days of Christmas giveaway continues this weekend! We'll be announcing two winners Monday - enter once, be qualified for TWO drawings! YES!!! Today, we're talking Holiday Food!

Our family has had a tradition of eating hamburgers & root beer floats on Christmas Eve that began in my mom's family in the 40's. To us, this combination of food = Christmas Eve.

Another Snapdragon family has egg, bacon and cheese sandwiches Christmas morning, and a pot of Tortilla soup on the stove for people to munch on the rest of the day.

In New Zealand, where Christmas is in the summer, the table is loaded with fresh berries as well as lollies, chocolates, waffles, bagels, cream and the list could just go on and on...

Do you have any family food traditions? What food is a must at your table? Is there something you crave but only indulge in during the holidays?

Enter during Saturday and Sunday for a FREE night's stay by commenting on this post. You can get additional entries by:

• Liking us on facebook and commenting on our wall
• Following us on twitter and retweeting today's contest tweet
• and - one time only - join our email list!

The 2 Winners from the weekend will be announced on Monday morning!

Giveaway Day 5: Winner Announced

Thank you all for pariticating! Don't forget - our 12 Days of Christmas giveaway continues this weekend! We'll be announcing two winners Monday - enter once, be qualified for TWO drawings! YES!!! Comments close Sunday, Midnight EST!

Drum roll......................................

Please email innkeeper@snapdragoninn.com with your mailing address and we will have your gift certificate to you by the new year.

Thank you all for participating. Day 6 & 7 post will be up shortly!

Giveaway Day 5: Winter activities!

Good Morning and welcome to Day 5 of our "12 Nights" Giveaway! Details on how to enter can be found at the end of this post. Today, we're talking about Winter Activities!

Snowshoeing in Paradise Park: Windsor, Vermont

It was a chilly 5 degrees Fahrenheit here in Windsor and we finally have a small base of snow on the ground. It's that time of the year when you actually wish a BIG storm would dump a foot or two on the world. There is something surreal when the world feels like a snow globe, quiet and magical as the snow falls in a thick layer of white.

All of the area ski areas (Okemo, Stratton, Killington ) are open and grooming and adding trails daily. Our local sports shop, Paradise Sports, is even getting miles of FREE cross country/snowshoe trails groomed and ready for use! This is a new addition to town this year and very exciting.

We also have beautiful Paradise Park right out the back door of the Inn which offers a wonderful space for snowshoeing, ice fishing, and winter treks for anyone!

Paradise Park Trail Map

Our town also freezes over the common to be a small ice skating rink and of course our Recreational Department has various activities going for all ages. A couple of our boys are playing on team "SPURS" in the youth basketball program.

Our fearless Snapdragon, Jim, is a telemark skier/biker extraordinaire. Check out this video, "Bark" of him and his pals navigating between the back country trees of our very own Mt. Ascutney.

Windsor, December 2009

New Zealand, December 2009

What is your winter activity? Do you have a favorite spot to ski or snow shoe? Do you prefer to stay in or get out? One of our Snapdragons is from New Zealand, and it is summer in December so he loves tramping (hiking & camping) but some of you may be from sunnier/warmer climates than Vermont. What do you like to do in the "winter" months where you are?

Enter today's FREE night's stay by commenting on this post. You can get additional entries by:

• Liking us on facebook and commenting on our wall
• Following us on twitter and retweeting today's contest tweet
• and - one time only - join our email list!

Thanks for participating. Good luck!

Giveaway Day 4: Winners Announced

4 rooms down and we aren't even half way through! So if you are just joining in now, there are still 8 rooms to go in the "12 Nights of Christmas". Who is the winner of the 4th night's FREE stay at Snapdragon Inn?

Drum roll......................................

Kittie chose Room 9, great choice!




And here is the winner of our extra prize.
You are still eligible to enter into the room giveaway.

Please email innkeeper@snapdragoninn.com with your mailing address and we will have your gift certificate to you by the new year.

Thank you all for participating. Day 5 post will be up shortly!

Giveaway Day 4: Snapdragon Guest rooms

Welcome to Day 4 of the "12 Nights of Christmas". But what do these these rooms look like that we are giving away?

The house was in amazing condition when we started this project for being over 190 years old, thanks to the families before us, but there was still a lot work to do to get the guest rooms ready. Now, they are looking perfect and ready for you to be enveloped in what several guests have called, "the most comfortable beds they have ever slept in". You can read some guest reviews on Trip Advisor , other guest perspectives here,or read an overview of the Inn. Each has its own personality and feel.

When you stay at the Inn which room will you choose?

Room 1:Queen

Room 2:Queen

Room 3:Queen

Room 4:Queen

Room 5:Queen

Room 6:King

Room 7:King

Room 8:King

Room 9:King

Bathrooms 5, 9, and 8

Each of the rooms include:

• Feather beds, down comforters with synthetic and down pillows
• Private tile bathroom with radiant heat floor, porcelain accented fixtures, and tile & marble shower. Rooms 2,5,7, and 9 also include claw foot tubs.
  
• L'Occitane customized bath amenities
• Snapdragon Spa Studio Robes
• Air conditioning
• Furniture and antiques accented with Snapdragon Inn custom fabrics
• Selection of books edited by Maxwell Perkins
• Wireless Internet
• HD Television and Blu-Ray/DVD Player
• Phone with voice mail and advanced features

Just for fun, we'll choose another one of today's entries to receive a set of our L'Occitanne customized bath amenities and a set of 3 custom Snapdragon lip balms! They are delicious.

Also enter the giveaway on facebook, twitter, or join our email list!

Thanks for participating. Good luck!