Winning in Winter

Holiday Traveling

This season is the merriest and the brightest, but it is also the most traveled. This year, in particular, is one of the busiest holiday traveling seasons in years. According to AAA, 115 million Americans are expected to travel in the next ten days.

“Airports are expected to be the busiest they’ve ever been over the Christmas and New Year’s travel period,” reports Aica Diaz, Media Relations Manager of AAA. Crowds of travelers are expected, meaning the earlier you can arrive at the airport, the better. This also means big planning for all of those holiday traveling with little ones.

Even just getting a ride to the airport can feel like a huge to-do. Which is why it is a great idea to plan ahead. If you have somebody willing to drive you, then congratulations, you’re one of the lucky ones. For those of you who don’t, scheduling an Uber or Lyft ahead of time has saved me on many occasions. If you are traveling at the busiest times of day, like rush hour, experts prepare for lots of traffic, or they take the LIRR.

Taking the train to Jamaica Station and boarding the AirTrain is the easiest, cheapest, and sometimes fastest way of getting to JFK airport. To get to LaGuardia, the LIRR offers services to Woodside Station where you can transfer to the LaGuardia Link Q70 bus straight to the airport. For us Suffolk County locals, we are less than a 30-minute drive from our MacArthur Airport and if you are a lucky traveler who scored a flight out of there, driving should be a breeze.

In the next few days, our local airport workers, TSA agents, and flight attendants will be having the most stressful shifts of the year. It is important that travelers stay mindful of their working conditions. No matter what profession you’re in, imagine the busiest day of your career. Now, imagine everything is going wrong while you’re having the busiest day of your career. Now, imagine some of the things going wrong are completely out of your control. Finally, imagine thousands of customers yelling at you for things out of your control, while other things are going wrong, while you’re having the busiest day of your career.

This is what employees of airports go through on busy travel days. Patience, compassion, and basic manners go a long way while in the airport. Staying relaxed and understanding that things may not go according to schedule will help you enjoy your holidays while traveling. Nobody is actively trying to ruin your vacation or maliciously trying to delay your flight. The ability to stay positive and roll with the punches will help all travelers get to where they are going with ease. It is easier said than done, of course. But entering the airport with the mindset of “things may go wrong, and that’s okay,” will help you, and all of the travelers around you, make it to their destinations happily.

Whether it be by plane, train, car, or camel, it’s important to ensure those traveling with children set themselves up for success before leaving home. By preparing toys, downloading videos, or getting creative with some interactive travel games, the stress of traveling will be that much smaller without the sound of crying kids and complaining teenagers. 

There is nothing more anxiety-inducing than being a parent with a screaming child about to board a plane. Trust that other travelers know this, and they don’t mean to stare or make you feel embarrassed. However, long flights can be excruciating for all parties when a baby can’t fall asleep or is in pain from take-off. Remember to bring some lollipops to limit popping ears, snacks to limit growling stomachs, and activities to limit bored minds. Those not traveling with children, remember kindness.

The Messenger wishes everyone safe travels, positive energy, and a very merry Christmas.

Holiday Traditions

We’ve always been a breakfast family. The early hours of the mornings were, for many years, the only times everybody in my family had no plans. For this reason, breakfast was the meal we’d happily sit down and eat together. For birthdays, we’d blow out candles on cinnamon rolls instead of birthday cakes. Mother’s and Father’s days would be breakfast in bed instead of dinners out. And Christmas would be my mother’s fabulous overnight French Toast.

Ingredients:

• 1 cup brown sugar
• ½ cup butter
• 2 tbsp corn syrup
• 1 loaf French bread, sliced ¾ inch thick
• 5 eggs
• 1.5 cups milk
• 1 tsp vanilla
• Cinnamon, for topping

Directions:

Over medium heat, melt together brown sugar, butter, and corn syrup. Stir continuously until completely combined. Pour into a greased 9×12 inch baking pan. Lay evenly sliced bread in lines over the melted syrup. Beat eggs with milk and vanilla, then pour over bread and syrup. Refrigerate overnight. The next morning, sprinkle cinnamon over the top and bake uncovered for 30 minutes at 350 degrees.

Ingredients:

• 1 Cup of Bourbon (more or less to taste)
• 2 Cups Unsweetened Cranberry Juice
• 2 Cups Water
• 1 Lemon, juiced
• 1/2 Cup Maple Syrup or Honey (more or less to taste)
• 2 Sprigs Fresh Rosemary
• 2 Cinnamon Sticks
• 1/2 Cup Frozen Cranberries
• 2-3 Star Anise (optional)

For sugared rim (optional) –

• Ground Cinnamon
• Granulated Sugar

Directions:

1. Add cranberry juice and water to a medium size pot. Add the cinnamon sticks, rosemary, lemon juice, star anise, and cranberries and bring to a low simmer.
2. Add maple syrup or honey to pot. Taste and add more if desired. Stir and let simmer on the stove for 10-25 minutes.
3. Pour 2 oz of bourbon into your cup (or more if you like your drinks stronger). Add 6 oz of the warm cranberry juice from the stovetop. Garnish with 1 cinnamon stick and rosemary sprig if desired. Enjoy!

Optional* If you’d like, use the leftover lemon or an additional lemon wedge to coat the edges of your glass. Then, sugar the rim with 1 teaspoon of cinnamon mixed with 1 tablespoon sugar on a flat plate.

Dip cranberries and rosemary sprigs into water and sprinkle with sugar. Let dry for a holiday sugared look.

Recipe provided by Lifestyle by Anna Elizabeth