Fitting In Some Fun Shopping

Okay, I admit it: I'm a procrastinator when it comes to holiday shopping.  I don't shop on Black Friday and I certainly don't plan ahead and buy Christmas gifts in July.  The truth is, given the chance, I'd much rather be playing outside than spending the day indoors at the stores.  Luckily, there are some places where I can combine my love of skiing with a little shopping, like TreeTop Sports at Bretton Woods.

The top of my list includes my favorite winter gift: hats. Everyone could use another fun hat to add to their collection. They are easy give: you don't have to guess at sizing and they're easy to wrap and ship.  Last year I sent Skida hats to my family in Colorado.  Skida has a great story: they are made locally in Vermont by a skier and student, and the company donates hats to cancer patients as well as proceeds for Olympic racers.  Here's my friend Nicole and me with our Skida hats on for a Nordic ski day last spring:

For the kids, I love these Sesame Street character hats and mittens.  Perfect for my little Cookie Monsters!

Animal hats with ear flaps have several benefits: in addition to keeping their ears covered, with a fun animal on their heads, imaginations run wild and Mom doesn't have to convince the little angels to keep them on.

For the skier in your life that needs a gorgeous sweater, I love the Core Sweater from Spyder.  Spyder offers sizing all the way down to 2T, so even the little guy can warm up with this one.  The Bitsy Virtue Fill Zip is cut slim enough to layer under a ski jacket, but the mid-weight fleece will keep her warm on extended laps on the bunny hill. 

 

You may, like me, also need to find some last minute stocking stuffers!  How about some ski socks from Darn Tough (another local company, and they also come in sizes for the little skiers),  or a Turtle Fur Totally Tubular that can be worn as a neck warmer, headscarf, or headband?

If you want the full luxury treatment, head to the Bogner shop at the Omni Mount Washington Hotel.  The Munich-based company, known for its high-end sports fashions, now offers a virtual clothing store where you can select custom clothing, gear and accessories electronically, and your order is mailed directly to you.

Still stuck for the perfect gift?  For the thrill-seeker on your list, I think a Canopy Tour gift certificate would make their Christmas morning!

The Power of the Kid Posse

Do you ever feel like you need a little inspiration to get the kids motivated to ski?

Last Sunday, we were on our 5th ski day out of the last ten days, and it seemed like the kids were just going through the motions.  Timmy was more interested in making block towers with the door stops in the lodge, and Bridget lacked her usual bubbly enthusiasm for conquering the mountain. Outdoor Dad and I were thinking we might need to just cut our losses; we have said time and again that we want this to be FUN - if skiing isn't fun, because the kids are tired (skiing takes a LOT out of those little bodies) or just need a change of pace, then maybe we should just head home.

But then, by chance, we ran into one of Bridget's old friends, and we hopped on the lift with her and her Dad.  Suddenly, little girl laughter and jibber-jabber filled the air.  They hadn't seen each other in months, and now were ecstatic to have a skiing playmate.  Rejuvenated, Bridget and her friend filled the lift rides with giggles and stories, and took turns making up games to play on the runs down.  They had a contest to see how many turns they could make in one run.  They played follow the leader.  They tried skiing backwards on the flatter parts.  And they raced, again and again.  Soon, another skiing family arrived and we had a whole posse of kids, from ages 3 through 6, romping over the snow.  They     joked as only they could, shouting from one chairlift to another and giggling hysterically when one friend lost his ski when he got on the lift.  (Luckily his Dad grabbed it and everyone was safe.)  Lap after lap, they just got back in line each time they reached the bottom, barely noticing if the grown-ups were along for the ride or not.

It was great to see them just having fun (that's the point, right?) and not worrying about anything else.   No grown-ups cajoling them to hurry up, or slow down, or to make more turns.  It was an unusually warm day and no one was in danger of getting too cold.  The kids ski gang took on a life of its own, and while they were playing, unbeknownst to them, they were learning, too.  Their games were allowing them to practice all those things we want them to learn on the snow: keeping their weight forward, finding balance on skis, and avoiding collisions as other skiers act as moving targets down the mountain.  Bridget's friend's dad, who is a racing coach, even showed them how to do a tuck on the flat section of the bunny hill.

It was great to end the day with smiles on our faces, and I hope all our friends can join us again for another skiing adventure.  What do you do to make it fun for your kids?