What a sad post... I thought you'd say something uplifting since the holidays appeared to be the topic of your post, but it is so depressing.

I visited Orlando last week - my son got his Associates and he's attending school in Winter Park.  It was 80 and sunny... and best of all, humid.  My dry skin disappeared in a day!  Admittedly, it just doesn't feel like the holidays there... I will put up with the dry skin to be able to wear a sweater and cords while I Christmas shop.  I need to see Christmas lights and people dressed in holiday sweat shirts and Christmas hats and cheesy holiday earnings everywhere I look.  I need hand painted signs announcing yet ANOTHER Christmas tree stand on the corner.  The guy collecting for the Salvation Army has to be dressed in full Santa gear, and plastic Christmas trees must adorn the windows of every Walmart in town.  I thought I'd find that everywhere... but I quickly learned that is not what you should expect from Florida!

More than anything, your post reminds me of another reason that I am lucky to be where I am.  Our stores ran out of supplies, like they always do.  The malls were packed.  And, while I was AWAY on vacation, I closed 2 transactions, and ratified 2 more, and this week, the week of Christmas, I returned to ratify another... and I have 3 buyer appointments this upcoming week.  Thank you for reminding me just how blessed I am.  God speed.

Dear Vicky,

Sorry, I didn't mean to be depressing.  I LOVE the holidays in Florida.  After living in Chicago for 43 years, I had enough of cold, snow, canceled holiday parties due to weather conditions and showing properties in the freezing cold.  I hated Christmas shopping in Chicago.  Wearing a coat in the mall because you had to go in and out of stores and freeze outside the mall and sweat inside the stores was not for me.

You were in Orlando and could not get into the Christmas spirit?  I was there Dec. 16th - 18th at Universal celebrating Christmas. The Macy's parade at Universal Studios is really something to behold. 

We had family in town just before the holidays and enjoyed the all the lights and the Christmas trees in downtown Naples.  Santa even had breakfast at the beach on December 20th in Pelican Bay.

The holidays were depressing to many this year due to the economy. My husband and I try to go up to Universal Orlando every December.  Mid-December is usually a slower time at Universal and you can obtain good on site hotel rates.  I was amazed how empty the park and the restaurants were this year.  When we stopped for after dinner drinks at the The Thirsty Fisherman at Portofino there were only two other people there.  I told the bartender that we'd sit outside in the piazza area to try to get some more people to give him some business.  At least eight other people came in after seeing Don and I sitting at the tables in front of the place.  I was wearing earrings in the shape of Christmas lights that blink on and off (are they cheesy enough for you? :) )that night but I had turned the batteries off to save some juice for Christmas Day.  I laughingly told the bartender that I should have left my earrings on; I might have attracted more patrons.

While the market in Naples has not been the best..  I have been blessed with one of the best real estate years I ever had while many other Realtors have left the business.  I credit this to all the real estate markets I have worked through in the last 30 years.

I gave up my Illinois Broker's License a few years back.  Pelican Bay is a gorgeous place to live.  I do not ever want to go back to the cold and snow.  I'll be celebrating sunset New Year's Eve down at the Sandpiper beach in Pelican Bay this year.