B.T writes, "Do you have any ideas for Christmas getaways for single parents that don't have their kids on the holidays? My x-husband takes the children to visit his family in Michigan every year and I would like to get away but most holiday getaways are designed for couples. Can you give me any ideas or direction?

GLOBAL BRENDA'S ANSWER: The first time my ex-husband took the kids off for Thanksgiving dinner with his family I was kind of lost for ideas of what to do. That year I went to a church dinner. At that time I was very active in the youth group at the local Unitarian Church. If you want to go away for a weekend or just the day, here are some other suggestions:

Try a national park. This is a great place to meet people - all ages, all family groupings, singles, etc. By going in the winter there will few people and the group will be closer knit. Treat yourself and stay in one of the cozy lodges or at least have your holiday dinner there. Tell the hostess you are traveling alone and ask to be seated with other people. It is a nice way to make new friends.

Try a B & B in your local area. Not all of them are romantic couple oriented. Call and ask the hotel about their clientele at that time of year.

Do something completely different. In the Amish area of Pennsylvania, arrangements can be made to share a dinner with an Amish family. You may have to help prepare the holiday meal but what fun that would be! Check out this article for more information and suggestions:

http://www.travellady.com/Issues/Issue70/overtheriver.htm

Lisa Walsh, a single parent and bed and breakfast in a very rural area in New York Amish country wrote in to tell us about her B&B. Her B&B is about one hour south of Ottawa and only 5 minutes from the St. Lawrence River, in the Thousand Island's region. She would like to offer my establishment to single parents for a relaxing retreat and or a place to bring kids. She has 46 acres of land where families can hike, snowshoe, cross country ski etc. She has worked as a music instructor for kids for years. Please contact here at ... to make reservations.

Buy a tour package for New Orleans. No one is ever alone in that city. The packages include a holiday meal. I have traveled there alone many times and always feel comfortable by myself. Once again you will be seated with other people or fly down on your own, book a hotel and book a holiday meal at a special place and ask to be seated with other people.

Go to http://www.towd.com and click on your home state and nearby states for tourism board contact info. Ask them what they suggest.

Contact a local single parent group. Many single parents will be in your same predicament. To make it easy for you, we have started a list of single parent groups on the site. http://www.singleparenttravel.net/writing/spgroups.htm

Lastly, turn the tables around and reach out! Host a dinner yourself inviting not only friends, but international students. Contact a college or university or church group in your area. Typically, organizations ask that you invite at least two international students.

Allow me to share a story with you about sharing Thanksgiving. Traditionally my ex-husband took my son to visit his family for Thanksgiving. One Thanksgiving, while my daughter was living nearby in Philadelphia and attending college, she and her roommate decided to host Thanksgiving dinner. The two of them would cook the meal. I was asked to invite two foreign students from Temple University and arrange to pick them up and take them home after dinner. When I called the university, all the favorites were picked over - France, Germany, England, Brazil. I selected two young ladies from Taiwan. The dinner turned out to be one of the most memorable Thanksgivings I have ever enjoyed. First we had to educate our Taiwanese friends on the history of Thanksgiving dinner. I am not quite sure they got the pilgrim part but they certainly were in the spirit of Thanksgiving. As the joyous meal ended, we passed around three pieces of corn, a family tradition, and asked each person to express thanks for three things in their lives. When it was the turn of our Taiwanese guests, they suddenly burst into tears and told us how much they missed their families, how hard it was to be so far away from home, and how grateful they were to be with us on that special day.

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