ALL-OUT HOLIDAY HUBBUB? Many people really dig it. The music, the decorations, the little squares of peanut butter fudge that are way to easy to down while standing next to the kitchen counter, the people coming to stay for a day or three or five. It can be pretty darn fun, right through to the moment when you, the host, need a moment or an hour or a night on your own. When that moment arrives, no one can predict, but you can predict your limits on cheer, hubbub, and peanut butter fudge squares better than anyone. The Garden Court Hotel wants to help give those good souls housing bunches of visiting relatives a little peace and respite via its Silent Night package. As the name suggests, this is all about those revelers who are over the general hubbub and fudge and decorations, at least over it all for a day, and who definitely need a little R&R.
THE PALO ALTO GETAWAY... has a "special family package" every weekend over the final fortnight of November and the final fortnight of December, right when our lives are at their most hubbub-y. The rate kicks off at $249 a night, and a deluxe accommodation is part of the deal. As is a 2017 glass Tiffany & Co. holiday ornament and a pumpkin pie from Palo Alto Creamery. (Eat it there or return home with it, to the delight of all.) And if you stay longer than one night? You'll start to save more, in increments of 5% off (so 5% off on night #2, 10% on night #3, up to 20% on night #5). Of course, this is the sort of package that will appeal to guests as well as plum-tired hosts, too. If you're planning on visiting a friend or family member in the area for the holidays, but prefer your own nook, your Silent Night is just ahead. Hubbub and togetherness is as sweet as pumpkin pie, but so are those hours when we regroup, nap, and find our energy for another bout of board games, carols, or fudge-based enjoyment.
