It's not too late to book a room at the inn

One-half second before midnight on Halloween night, retailers went full blast into the heat of the holidays.

There are only a couple of ways to get around ads imploring you to buy new carpets and couches lest your mother-in-law think you're a complete disaster -- not to mention your children, poor things, desperate and hungry for more Hannah Montana accoutrements. Toss the turkey, lob the leftovers and get out of Dodge so you can spend the holidays as they were meant to be: making memories with your family.

What could be better for a family's understanding of Thanksgiving than spending a few days learning about American Indian customs and culture? The Hyatt Regency Tamaya Resort & Spa, www.tamaya.hyatt.com, lies between Santa Fe and Albuquerque, N.M., on Santa Ana Pueblo's reservation.

Visit the resort this Thanksgiving for a cornucopia of special activities: learn how to make bread with members of the Santa Ana Pueblo through Native American Bread Baking classes; witness traditional pueblo dancing demonstrations and American Indian flute performances; connect with the pueblo's fall harvest, complete with chilies and blue corn at the pueblo's blue corn mill; try your hand at making American Indian pottery as well as drum-making lessons; hike through the indigenous forest with a member of the Santa Ana Pueblo, who relates history about the Tamaya people and land.

Then, it's time to indulge in a Thanksgiving feast with Southwestern inspirations of chilies and blue corn.

Call (505) 867-1234 to book the special Fall Feast Festival package, offering 23 percent value-added savings. Available through Nov. 25, the package rate starts at $199 per room, per night, and includes accommodations; a $25 resort credit; 10 percent savings at the Galleria Tamaya, featuring New Mexican art, jewelry, apparel and accessories; $20 in free slot play at the nearby Santa Ana Star Casino; valet parking and resort service fee.

The fact that Christmas falls on a Tuesday this year means there might be plenty of rooms at the inn, at least according to a survey of Western Premier Resorts International properties including Breckenridge, Park City, South Lake Tahoe, Sun Valley and Telluride and two locations in Mexico. When Christmas falls on or near a weekend, Dec. 23-26 check-ins at Western ski resorts are usually sold out months in advance. But with a Tuesday Christmas Day, availabilities (based upon advance reservations) won't start getting tight until Dec. 27 or 28.

Park City, for example, has availabilities for the Dec. 23-26 period that it doesn't normally have and many lodges are relaxing their seven-night-minimum requirements to accommodate those who just want to visit for a few days over Christmas. (Ask about minimums when you call).

You might want to book a two-bedroom condo in Deer Valley, commemorate Christmas Eve in the mountains, tear at the presents Christmas morning and then ski out the back door. Check out www.deervalleylodging.com or see what the other resorts offer at www.premier-resorts.com.

When you're talking charming holiday settings, you can't beat New England (and Nantucket Island in particular). Two of the area's finest traditions include the Annual Christmas Stroll Weekend, Nov. 30 through Dec. 2, and the month-long Nantucket Noel, Nov. 24 through Dec. 31.

After the lighting of more than 150 Christmas trees in the island's historic downtown, caroling ensues along the cobblestone lanes and Santa and Mrs. Claus arrive via Coast Guard vessel. Nantucket Noel festivities continue through New Year's Eve with theatrical and choral performances, concerts, holiday exhibitions and craft shows. Inquire about midweek specials during Nantucket's quiet season.

Ring the Nantucket Island Chamber of Commerce at (508) 228-1700 or stroll over to www.nantucketchamber.org.

Nantucket is accessible by airplane or ferry and visitors are encouraged to leave their cars behind because activities are accessible by foot, bicycle or taxi.

No need to get nostalgic about a white Christmas if you're aching for a winter vacation in the sun. Most Princess ships become winter wonderlands as snow falls in the ships' atriums on December cruises, and the daily snow flurry is just one of several new onboard holiday activities. Leave the woolies behind because the innovative snow-making process creates falling flakes that vanish on contact.

Get the family to team up for a "gingerbread challenge" house-building competition; create a personalized photo ornament and snag a seat at the Princess Pop Star talent show where competitors warble their favorite seasonal songs. Special events include a reading of "A Visit From St. Nicholas" by the captain or cruise director, strolling carolers and screenings of classic holiday films.

You can even attend religious services, including midnight Mass or an interdenominational church service performed by onboard clergy. Passengers celebrating Hanukkah, which runs from Dec. 4-12, may participate in onboard religious services conducted by a rabbi and kids enjoy themed arts and crafts relevant to the holiday.

Dining rooms feature freshly baked stollen and Christmas cookies, eggnog, plus a sumptuous brunch, including roast turkey and all the trimmings. Tell the kids that Santa Claus visits cruise ships, too, so they should decorate some Christmas cookies for his arrival, then get into other holiday-themed arts and crafts projects throughout the cruise. Santa has arranged a present for parents: free late-night group kid-sitting sessions on Christmas Eve and New Year's Eve.

Princess' 16-ship fleet offers worldwide holiday sailings including voyages to the Caribbean, Mexico, the Panama Canal, Asia, Australia/New Zealand, South America, Hawaii and the South Pacific. See if there's room left at the floating inn by calling (800) 774-6237 or sail onto www.princess.com.