Dad, Check; Mom, Check; brother, check, Aunt Helga, check.   Ahh, yes, it's that time of year again.  Crowded malls, busy streets with icy roads and no parking spaces.  Any other time it would be enough to make you go crazy,  not Christmas. Christmas is worth all of it because at the end of the consumer madness are the invaluable times with family and friends. 

 To help you enjoy Christmas shopping this holiday season I have included a few holiday shopping tips courtesy of christmas-celebrations.com.  Use the tips and seeking the ingredients for those Christmas cookies or the perfect socks for Grandpa may the most fun you have had in awhile.

Don't Wait Until the Last Minute

Are you one of those people who adds to your own stress level by doing last minute Christmas shopping? Do you know better, but it seems to happen anyway?

Look at it this way... When you shop on Christmas Eve you're going to have to fight the crowds, choose from limited merchandise, and wait in long lines. Buy your gifts little by little, beginning in November, and you can avoid last-minute shopping fiascos.

Shop in Off-Peak Hours

Most stores aren't very busy early in the morning or late at night. Shop at slow times and you can forgo the crowds and long lines. Better yet, find some stores that are open 24 hours. 

Take a List

Start your Christmas list early in the season. When the holidays near, keep a pen and paper handy to write down all of your gift ideas. Always take that checklist with you when you go shopping This way, you'll know exactly what you need to buy and you'll be less likely to forget anything.

Set a Budget

Are you still paying for Christmas gifts in January and February? Work out a budget and stick to it. Buy only affordable gifts and you'll find it much easier to pay off your holiday credit card debt.

Look for Sales

Watch store ads and be on the lookout for holiday sales. You can save a pretty good chunk of money because almost anything you may want to buy eventually goes on sale.

If you're up to it, consider taking advantage of "After Christmas Sales" to get supplies and gifts for next year. You'll have to put up with the crowds, but it may be worth the money you'll be saving and the satisfying feeling it gives.

Buy Extra Gifts

Find some "generic" items on sale that can be for a man or a woman, and purchase a couple of extras. Wrap them up and put a sticky note on the box stating what the item is. This way you'll always be prepared if someone unexpectedly gives you a gift, and you can avoid any embarrassment or hurt feelings by returning the favor.

Shop Online

Every year, more and more people shop from the comfort of their own home. All of your favorite stores are here online, so get your list and buy your Christmas presents at a leisurely pace to avoid the stress. Most online stores offer simple navigation and secure shopping.

The benefits to online shopping are additional security using your credit card and no sales tax if the company doesn't have a store in your state. Look for special deals that allow free shipping or discounts that will offset the shipping fees. (Usually the sales tax savings alone will do this.) When you shop online, you can find out instantly if an item is in stock, and you'll find a receipt right in your email inbox after the transaction.

Save Receipts

Be prepared for broken items, wrong sizes and duplicate gifts. Always save shopping receipts for 90 days after your purchase. This is about how long stores will allow a returns for unwanted items.

Reward Yourself

Finally, treat yourself to a special lunch or buy a small token for a job well-done. Christmas shopping isn't near so bad if you acknowledge your accomplishment and reward yourself with something inexpensive and fun.

Hello Again Tourism Fans, I am sorry it has been so long since i last checked in.  We have been crazy busy here at the Chinook Country World Headquarters.  Speaking of busy, the folks over at Paradise Canyon Golf Resort have been working hard at accommodating visitors from across the world.  Here is an update from Jim Swanton, Member Services Manager at Pardise Canyon on what is happening at the resort.

It has been a busy year in the condos with better than 1,000 RCI reservations. We were pleased to have many repeat guests. While the bulk of our guests are from the U.S. and Canada, we are becoming well known in RCI's world and had visitors from India, China, Israel, Russia, the U.K, Argentina, Venezuela, the Philippines, Thailand and Mexico. Statistics indicate that during a week long stay, the average family contributes approximately $1,000.00 to the local economy. This adds nicely to our good corporate citizen status in the community. We work closely with Chinook Country Tourist Association and Alberta Travel to promote the likes of Head Smashed In Buffalo Jump, Writing On Stone, Galt Museum , Fort Whoop-Up, Crowsnest Pass, Waterton Park, Great Canadian Barn Dance, Birds Of Prey, Remington Carriage Museum, local theatre, sports teams and more. We are pleased to report that the resort has maintained Gold Crown accreditation for the past ten years. We are constantly upgrading the condos to include carpeting, interior design with help from design consultant, Gerrie Layton, rock-facing existing fireplaces and adding fireplaces to a number of our B units.

Our Special Events calendar has been active and we will continue to promote that facet of our operation. A calendar highlight was presented by Tom Buchanan, photographic artist and teacher. It was a picture perfect Paradise evening and after three hours of instruction and a prime rib dinner, about twenty very keen and eager photographers ventured out on the course to practice what they had been taught. The results were fantastic and personal rewards were many. Deb Middleton-Hope was the prize winner for best picture and won a restaurant gift certificate. It is our intent to continue with special events that are of interest to the community and we would appreciate member input for ideas.

Monday evening will be a big night for the tourism industry in Alberta.  The 2008 Alberta Tourism Awards are slated to be held in Banff.   The Canadian Badlands and the town of Vulcan are both up for awards.  Chinook Country wishes all nominees from across Alberta the best of luck.

Our Good friends over at the Enmax Centre in Lethbridge announced they will be hosting a hop hop show on Saturday December 6^th.  Fat Joe, Juelz Santana, Belly and Danny Fernandez will be invading the Enmax Centre.  For more information visit www.enmaxcentre.ca

Speaking of the Enmax Centre the Lethbridge Hurricanes play a pair of games at home this weekend.  The Hurricanes host the Vancouver Giants on Saturday night and the Saskatoon Blades on Sunday.

            Want to check out John Mcdermott in Fort Macleod.  Maybe next time, the event is completely sold out.  Mcdermott played to a sold out Empress Theatre on Friday evening and will return for show on November 6^th.  McDermott has become a legend in the recording industry, producing an album a year and averaging over 100 performances a year in the last decade. He first came onto the scene in 1993 with his million record selling album Danny Boy.

            Well time to go pack, I am off to the Travel Alberta Industry Conference and Alto Awards in Banff.  I’ll have recap sometime next week.  Take Care!

Happy Wednesday!  I hope everyone enjoyed their Thanksgiving weekend.  I just have a few quick info bits to pass along…

The Lethbridge Hurricanes are in action tonight when they host the Chilliwack Bruins.  Game time is 7PM at the Enmax Centre.  The Canes will be looking to build on a 3-2 win over Regina on Monday afternoon.  You can scoop some tickets by calling 329-SEAT.

Are you a technology nerd like I Am?  Dethroner.com has a list of travel gadgets that will bring out the geek in you, check them out at http://dethroner.com/2007/02/24/top-ten-essential-travel-gadgets/.

Talk to you Soon!

According to the weathernetwork.com Southwest Alberta will see highs of 29 degrees celcius on Thursday, October 2.  October 2, plus-28, not a typo.  You just can't beat that weather.

Here are some other highs across North America for Thursday...

Miami, FLA 28 beat em

Los Angeles, CA 25 beat em

Cancun 29 Tie

I wander if the residents of Miami, Los Angeles and Cancun are thinking about taking a last minute sun vacation to Southwest Alberta. 

Have a good evening!