Irving Berlin and Louisville

Not sure what to do with Grandma and Grandpa while they are visiting Louisville for the holidays? Queue up a copy of Irving Berlin's White Christmas from 1954. Netflix streams it, and your local library and video stores likely have copies for borrowing. Enjoy the music and watch the family friendly film starring Bing Crosby, Danny Kaye and Rosemary Clooney. The story is about a song and dance team who meet a pair of sisters, also entertainers, and follow them to the failing Vermont inn of their former commanding officer.

White Christmas at the Frazier History Museum

The next day pay a visit to the Frazier History Museum at 829 W. Main Street where Irving Berlin's White Christmas, The Exhibit is on display until January 11. The exhibit features memorabilia and costumes that are on loan from the Rosemary Clooney House in Augusta, Kentucky. Getting a glimpse of these items immediately following or preceding the viewing of the movie adds an unusual connection to the film enhancing its entertainment value.

When You're Down in Louisville

Irving Berlin was a prolific song writer with a catalog of work that is overwhelming. A search through his body of work reveals that long before he wrote White Christmas, Irving Berlin wrote a song titled When You're Down in Louisville. The lyrics are especially appropriate to the holidays, as Louisville is welcoming out of town visitors

Goodbye, ev'rybody, I'm on my way to Louisville
I feel, oh, so happy I hardly can keep still
Although my home is very small, I invite you all
If you will come, you'll be welcome any time you call

Don't forget Don't forget
When you're down in Louisville Louisville, Louisville
Just call around, I'll be found in the town directory

I'll have the table set
No fancy dishes
But the things you get
Will all be delicious
And you're just as welcome as can be

About the Author:  Joe Hayden is the Team Owner and Manager of the Joe Hayden Real Estate Team - Your Louisville Real Estate Experts!

Are you Ready for Tax Time, Louisville?

Ringing in the new year means gathering up all your financial information for tax preparation. The last week of December is the time to make sure you have completed all of the transactions for the year and organize your financial records. You still have a few days to take advantage of year end tax benefits.

Is Your Wallet Too Fat?

If you let your favorite local charity take your extra money off your hands in 2014, you will be able to write off the contribution on this year's tax return. If you don't have a favorite, consider giving to one of the local animal shelters or homeless shelters. If your passion is children, Home of the Innocents at 1100 E. Market Street may be the right choice. Music lovers may choose to support the Louisville Orchestra. The choice is yours to make, but time is running out to realize the tax benefits for 2014.

Is There a Shredder in Your Life?

Post holiday sales are insane. If you don't have a shredder, now may be the time to get one cheap. Put a shredder on your shopping list and check the prices during the after-Christmas sales. As you sort through your financial documents and old records, shredding the unwanted as you go will keep you on top of the clutter. You may decide to keep tearing everything up by hand. If not, you will hopefully save a few bucks on your purchase during the last week of December.

Are Your Closets Overly Full?

Load up your unwanted things and get them to donation centers during the last week of December. Those receipts they hand you equal tax deductions for 2014. Put them all together and make notes about the 2014 donations. What was donated and its value are all information you will need when you start to prepare the tax forms. Doing it while it is still fresh in your mind will lead to a more accurate accounting of the donation. If you are in a hurry, snap a few photos of the items.  Print and attach to the receipt for a quick reminder at a later date.

About the Author:  Joe Hayden is the Team Owner and Manager of the Joe Hayden Real Estate Team - Your Louisville Real Estate Experts!

New Year's Resolution to Eat Louisville

While everyone else is resolving to eat less and work out more, a better resolution to make is to eat your way through the Louisville in 2015.  Louisville chefs are culinary geniuses who will introduce you to new foods and beverages all year long. The new experiences will widen your view of the world and your social activities have the opportunity to grow during this adventure, both desirable attributes of a resolution resulting in a better you for 2015.

Forming the Resolution

This is not an inexpensive endeavor, so some front end planning will be necessary. Your resolution details can be tailored to your budget. Selecting a menu price range and frequency of visits should be first. Do you want to explore appetizers only?  Is fine dining your preference? Are afternoon visits for dessert only the way to go? Do you prefer to explore brunch or breakfast around the city?

 After narrowing your food focus, compare it to your budget to determine the proper frequency for your visits. Is this a 52 restaurant visits adventure with one per week or is it going to be a fine dining all out extravaganza on a once per month basis? Do you want to eat your way through the alphabet with a restaurant starting with each letter on a bi-weekly basis?

Making the List

The key to success with a resolution is the specifics. You must make the list. You must include dates. Researching restaurants is easily done via internet. Identify the targets. Whether you want to eat through a food blogger's recommendations or a magazine's top picks of 2014, is irrelevant. Find what appeals to you and tie it to the dates on your calendar.  Once your calendar is set, you can invite friends or family to join you in the successful implementation of your New Year's resolution.

Engaging Others in Your Activities

Completion and success are more likely to occur when you announce your intentions. Blogging about your resolution experiences or sharing it through social media will make it known that you have set a goal and that the progress is fun. You will be eating prime rib while your fitness bound friends are on the treadmill checking Facebook. Within a few weeks, they will be calling to join you. Creating blog posts about your food adventures will add another aspect of growth to the resolution through becoming a better writer and/or developing a new skill set. This resolution has winner written all over it. Bon appetite!

About the Author:  Joe Hayden is the Team Owner and Manager of the Joe Hayden Real Estate Team - Your Louisville Real Estate Experts!

Out of Control December Calorie Consumption

It starts with the leftover pieces of pumpkin and pecan pie on Thanksgiving Day. Someone had to eat them. Then there are the beautifully decorated cookies on the community food counter in the office, they were irresistible.  The next thing you know the neighbors are bringing over a tub full of fudge, and Poof! it disappears. Two cocktail parties later, you can't get the zipper closed on your little black dress and don't understand how it happened so quickly.

Countering the Intake with Ice Skating in Louisville

The antidote to holiday pound creep is ice skating. Burning off the calories consumed when you ate the garage from the gingerbread house is easy when you hit the ice at one of Louisville's skating rinks. Two outdoor skating areas are open in December. WinterSkate is located at the Steinbaugh Pavilion in Historic Downtown Louisville at 824 Front Street. WinterSkate offers the old-fashioned outdoor, holiday ice skating experience complete with traditional holiday music.

 
Concessions are available at WinterSkate, but you might consider skipping the snacks if your purpose for the trip is to reduce. The other outdoor skating option in Louisville is at Fourth Street Live! through December 26 as part of the Forty Nights of Lights celebration. The rink uses a synthetic ice which means it is open for your calorie burning laps even if temperatures are above freezing.

Indoor Skating Rinks in Louisville

Don't let the weather be a deterrent to adding ice skating to your workout regime. Louisville is home to two indoor ice rinks, too. Iceland Sports Complex at 1701 UPS Drive and Alpine Ice Arena at 1825 Gardiner Lane both have regular public skating hours listed on their schedules. A word of warning as you dream of perfecting your double axle or triple toe loop - the ice is hard, so remember your limitations!

About the Author:  Joe Hayden is the Team Owner and Manager of the Joe Hayden Real Estate Team - Your Louisville Real Estate Experts!

Louisville's Last Minute Shopping Guide for Christmas

Gift buying procrastinators of all varieties, read up. The calendar pages were torn off one by one while everyone around you was out shopping and preparing for the holidays. The clock is ticking now and you have a few short hours remaining to both start and finish your shopping. Here is a last-minute shopping guide for Christmas shopping in Louisville.

Hours on the Last Day of Shopping

Mall St. Mathews will be open from 8:00am until 6:00pm on Christmas Eve. Oxmoor Center is following the same schedule. Jefferson Mall will open at 7:00am and give you until 6:00pm to finish your shopping. If you are among the worst of the waiters or thought inspiration would strike and it didn't, the old standbys can still save the day. Target and Wal-mart are open later. The Bashford Manor Target at 3600 Mall Road is open until 10:00pm on Christmas Eve as are several other mass retailers.

Ideas for Last Minute Gifts

Google a drink recipe that sounds good. Print, or better still, hand write a recipe card. Your neighborhood liquor store will have the ingredients and you can wrap everything to look like you were well-prepared. Grab a bunch of fresh flowers at the grocery for your host. Gift cards are nice, but get a whole lot more interesting when they are creatively presented. Put one inside a deck of themed playing cards and include a cigar or snack item as part of the gift.

The Hail Mary Gift

When the clock is striking one hour until the gathering and you are still gift-less, the options are diminishing too. The ATM is still open and so are the gas stations. Lottery tickets, cash and candy bars become the options. The coupon book for redeeming your services throughout the year is a go to for some, and as long as you follow through, it is a respectable gift. Consider wash your car, mow your grass and cook you dinner as opposed to the hug coupon if you want some real appreciation for this gift.

About the Author:  Joe Hayden is the Team Owner and Manager of the Joe Hayden Real Estate Team - Your Louisville Real Estate Experts!