Cataloochee

Our local ski mountain is just plain fun. My family enjoys nothing better than to make the trek through Maggie Valley and then up to the high-elevation resort for a few hours of skiing and snowboarding. On clear days with the sky a brilliant blue, the scenery is every bit as good as the skiing. As locals we can choose when to go and avoid the rush of out-of-towners. Truth is you don’t have to like winter sports to enjoy Cataloochee in the winter. There are plenty of places where tykes can play in the snow. The lodge has a fine little bar with a television for sports nuts, a fireplace, and plenty of food. The deck area outside overlooks the slopes and allow picnics if you want to bring your own sandwiches. Just go.

Real Christmas trees

My family is still sold on real trees. They’re messy and heavy, and I could better use the hours I’ve spent making trunks fit in tree stands, but when you add it all up it’s definitely worth the trouble. Our annual trek to Nesbitt’s Tree Farm is a much-anticipated event. There are other farms in Haywood and Jackson counties, and if you’ve never visited one I would encourage it. There are also plenty of lots to choose from. Once the tree is in the house, visitors never fail to comment on the smell of the fresh fraser fir. It just smells like Christmas.

Power outages

I’m not actually recommending this to any one, but as long as it’s short and not too cold, there is something exhilarating about living for a few hours without the wonders of the light bulb, heater, refrigerator and even toilet. We’ve suffered through two short outages in the last few weeks, sending us scrambling for candles and flashlights. These power interruptions led to extended dinners, card games, good conversation and an exaggerated awareness of all five of the senses. As I said, it’s all fun and games in short doses, but I don’t know how they did it in the old days.

Good coffee

There’s coffee, and then there’s coffee. I’m addicted and need it all the time, so for the most part I go for the drab stuff. Lately, though, I’ve let my guard down and taken to buying steaming lattes and mochas and all the froo-froo concoctions available at our local coffee houses. It’s opened up a whole new world of caffeine. I don’t know where this is going to lead, but I’m a little worried. This could get expensive.

— Scott McLeod