This weekend millions of people will travel to spend the holidays with family and friends. AAA estimates that 93.3 million Americans will take to the roads this holiday season, indicating that peak travel times beginning Saturday December 22nd could mean long lines at gas pumps and rest stops, and leave travelers eager to start their holiday celebrations stuck in traffic. Suffice it to say that traveling for the holidays … READ MORE
More so than in years prior, Black Friday shopping traditions have been extended and pushed forward, not back – to late Thanksgiving Day. This year’s Black Friday shopping specials begin on Thursday afternoon, just barely after your dinner has digested. For some, they may be shopping as the tryptophan is still in effect. Want the best deals? Be prepared to stand in long lines. Not up for waiting two … READ MORE
All over the shore reality is setting in: the new school year begins in less than two weeks, bringing to a close another summer season that seems to have only just begun. Children are understandably saddened as their days playing in the sand and surf are about to be relegated to weekends only. But if you’re a parent, the new school year looming means it’s crunch time on new … READ MORE
For some reason, I seem to always have five things that I am obsessed with. I decided to give you each of my five obsessions every month so you can be sure to have them on your radar as well. I have been on a spending freeze because I am trying to be responsible, (which really stinks when you like to buy new stuff). I did what I always … READ MORE
Warm weather signifies many things—blossoming flowers, outdoor activities, summer’s approach—and if kids are in the mix, often whole new wardrobes. Children undergo growth spurts at sometimes quite alarming rates. It can seem as though literally overnight, the pants that fit just last week now barley graze the ankles; the spring jacket grandma purchased at Christmas is now at least one size too small. Growth spurts aside, children are fickle … READ MORE
The beginnings of another year signify many positive things—if you happen to have children, are a college student, are gainfully employed by the resort in the summer, but not so much in the winter, or are among the masses forced to live beyond their means—your post-holiday bank balance is not one of those “positive” things. So in the month when the smiling faces on holiday cards are replaced by … READ MORE
In anticipation of the holiday season, and to further our quest to celebrate the movement to buy local, and jointly support community artisans, ShoreBread launched Local Artist’s Month. In this our final week, and just days before Christmas, (when hopefully many of these artist’s fine work will be delivered via neighborhood elves under many local evergreen trees), we bring you our final selection of Local Artists. We’ve had the … READ MORE
The holidays are both a joyous and tumultuous time of year. It’s crazy, hectic and celebratory; it’s time spent and memories made with friends and family near and far—it’s for many, as that well-known song says, the most wonderful time of the year—and the most expensive. For parents, perhaps the most memorable part of the season is the priceless looks on their children’s faces Christmas morning. The source of … READ MORE
On your mark. Get set. Go! When the clock strikes midnight after Thanksgiving, shoppers will be sprinting to local stores to go shopping crazy. Many stores open at 12 am on Friday, others open even sooner. Black Friday is the biggest shopping day of the year. More recently, Small Business Saturday has become an appealing alternative to the Black Friday Rush. Another option? Cyber Monday; A day when … READ MORE
The color of the light is something that is easy to take for granted. A person might look at a brown chair, say, without really stopping to recognize that there isn’t anything inherently brown about it. It reflects the part of the light spectrum that makes up the color brown but in the end it is more a trick of the light than an attribute. In photographer Elaine … READ MORE
More than a century after opening on the Boardwalk, Dolle’s Candyland is still making candy in Ocean City and considering expanding to new areas. According to co-owner Anna Dolle Bushnell, however, even if the company reaches out to new markets, it will never leave Ocean City. “We’ll continue to be a staple in Ocean City, a tradition,” said Bushnell. Celebrating its 101st anniversary this year, Dolle’s has upgraded their … READ MORE
It’s considered en vogue to be green—recycling, re-purposing, composting, alternative energy sources—all “buzz words” encompassing social responsibility and positive change. Even if you’ve managed to skirt the movement—perhaps the recycling doesn’t always make it to the curb, the word “composting” sounds like a new way to tag friends on Facebook, and alternative energy sources are simply not in the budget—Grow Berlin Green spearheads a fashionable option to being green, … READ MORE
The nights are getting a little cooler; it’s a mass exodus as college students pack up three months worth of memories and leave town; younger kids grudgingly accept that days spent on the beaches and in pools are soon to be replaced with classrooms and homework—summer is drawing to a close. As much as this can be downright painful to accept, it also means that it’s time to save … READ MORE