A confession...

Remember our posts last month about the mistletoe growing in the woods behind Smoky Mountain Tower?  This picture will remind you.

In my post, I promised to hang some real mistletoe inside All Decked Out and Smoky Mountain Tower for you to enjoy.

Well, I'm sorry - but I have failed!  We have looked in a dozen stores to try to buy mistletoe, but we just can't find it anywhere.  So I apologize to those of you who will be staying with us for the rest of this year.  If you will write to me at Dave@SmokiesRentDirect.com, I'll still try to find mistletoe and mail it to you.

I guess you can always print out this picture and hang it up, but it's not the same.  But what IS real is your opportunity to stay at either Smoky Mountain Tower or All Decked Out.  Would you believe, this week is still open - but just until next Sunday morning, December 22.  So if you want to make a REAL last-minute trip to Gatlinburg, you can register online right now.

Here are the links:
   All Decked Out - www.SmokiesRentDirect.Com/All-Decked-Out/availability
   Smoky Mountain Tower - www.SmokyMountainTower.com/availability

Just remember, every minute you wait to make your reservation, the chance goes up that somebody else will book - or time will run out.  Starting next Sunday afternoon, both cabins are booked until next year!

If you can't make it this week, please pass this along to your friends.  SOMEBODY needs a quick trip for a little rest and some last-minute Christmas shopping at the outlet malls!

The answer to "What" and "Where"

In our last post, we asked you to identify the plant in the picture, as well as the location of the plant.  One person got the "where" part of the answer, but not the "what" part.  So here are the correct answers.

The plant is a Nandina bush - a member of the bamboo family.  It looks similar to holly because it is an "evergreen," but it's not part of the holly family.

As you can see, this particular bush is located between the front door and the garage door at Smoky Mountain Tower.  It is starting to get the red berries right about now.  So if you make a quick trip to Smoky Mountain Tower before Christmas, you can enjoy our Nandina bushes "live and in person."  There are actually a couple more bushes just to the left of the front door.

We only have a few dates open at Smoky Mountain Tower or All Decked Out for the rest of this year - but we have plenty of dates in 2014.  Now is the best time to be making your Gatlinburg plans - before the rush.  Just visit our websites for more information (you can always access both cabins at www.SmokiesRentDirect.com).   See you in Gatlinburg!

What am I, and Where am I?

Here's another guessing game.  What is the name of this plant, and where is this specific plant located?

It shows the colors of Christmas, but is it holly?

Maybe the background will give you a clue about the location.

Please be as specific as possible, and we will give you the answer in a few days (unless somebody guesses correctly right away).

CYBER MONDAY

It will come as no surprise that today is "Cyber Monday."  I'm sure you've already received dozens of emails, announcing this deal or that discount.

So I supposed you want a Cyber Monday deal for Smoky Mountain Tower or All Decked Out, right?  Marcia and I actually talked about it last night.  And I've thought more about it this morning.

Here's what I think:  You are already overwhelmed with Cyber Monday deals.  So we're not going to add to all the confusion.

However, we DO have some great nights still open this month at both All Decked Out and Smoky Mountain Tower - including Christmas at All Decked Out.  You already know our prices are among the lowest in Gatlinburg, and you already know we don't have ANY extra charges, like cleaning fees or extra person fees.

So, if you are just aching for another Cyber Monday deal, write to me at Dave@SmokiesRentDirect.com and make up your own deal for any open nights this month (remember, there's a two-night minimum).  I'll do my best to give you the deal, as long as it's reasonable and I won't lose too much money!

This is probably the ONLY Cyber Monday deal where you control the offer!  Please pass this along, so your friends can also take advantage of this unique opportunity.  And here's even better news - I'll be glad to get your offers anytime this month, as long as we still have open nights.

Happy Thanksgiving!

This is a day when we all (hopefully) spend a little time considering the things we are thankful for.  It’s a good exercise.  But instead of asking you for a list of those “thankful things,” I want to take a little different approach.

In addition to all we do in connection with our Gatlinburg cabins, All Decked Out and Smoky Mountain Tower, I am now the Executive Director of a small leadership institute (www.DeltaOneLeadership.org).  That gives me a great opportunity to continue working with people I first met at ServiceMaster, especially the former Chairman, Bill Pollard.  So I want to share a quote about ‘thanksgiving’ from Bill’s book, “Serving Two Masters?  Reflections on God and Profit.”  In the book, there’s a whole chapter on Prayer. 

Think about all the drawings you have seen of that first Thanksgiving, almost 400 years ago.  Many of them show pilgrims who are praying.  So, today, please think about this quote from Bill Pollard in his book: 

“When I pray, I should be ready to act to accomplish the things I am praying for. As I pray, I should not be anxious, but have a spirit of THANKSGIVING. I can worship God in my prayers and bring delight to Him as I seek His way and His will.”

Prayer is definitely more than just asking God.  It’s also a time for thanking God.  That’s something we should probably do more often – especially today.

The Gatlinburg Christmas Parade - Almost...

Earlier today, I put up a post about the Gatlinburg Fantasy of Lights Christmas Parade, which takes place in less than two weeks (Friday, December 6 and 7:30 pm).  It's always a spectacular event, as you can see.

In my post, I said that one of our cabins was open, so you could enjoy the parade in person.  But I was wrong.  When I rechecked our reservations, I found that we have guests arriving that afternoon at both cabins - Smoky Mountain Tower and All Decked Out.  So I'm afraid you'll have to wait until next year to stay with us and enjoy the parade.

But we still have some good dates open in December, including some weekends.  You can enjoy all the lights in Gatlinburg and Pigeon Forge, AND save some money on your Christmas shopping at the Outlet Malls.  How's THAT for a plan!

Just go to our websites and check our calendars for the dates that work best for you:
  -All Decked Out - www.SmokiesRentDirect.com/All-Decked-Out/Availability
  -Smoky Mountain Tower - www.SmokyMountainTower.com/Availability

You, too, can make the holidays special, and we're glad to help.

You're gonna hate me for this...

In our post on Saturday, November 9, we told you about the Christmas decorations that would 'go live' in Gatlinburg on Wednesday, November 13.  We promised to post some pictures.  So here's a photo, just for you.

Oh, you thought I was going to show you the lights at night, when they're so brilliant - instead of during the day when they aren't anything special?!

Well, to be honest, that is exactly what we had in mind, too.  But we got all the decorating done early at All Decked Out and Smoky Mountain Tower, so we were able to head for home before Wednesday night, when the lights were turned on.  Under the circumstances, this was the best I could do.

But wait, there's hope!  You can type "Pictures of Gatlinburg at Christmas" into Google and get lots of photos.  Better yet, make a trip to Gatlinburg between now and February 28, stay with us at Smoky Mountain Tower or All Decked Out, and see the lights for yourself.  If you do, I don't think you'll hate me so much!