holidays Archives - Other CMS

Tips to Increase Your Comfort as You Fly this Holiday Season

CENTRESTAGEFILMS — Thu, 08 Dec 2022 22:56:30 +0000

The holidays have long been considered the most fraught travel season of the year, and it’s not hard to see why. The reality is that the final six weeks of the year find tens of millions of Americans with a desire to be home for the holidays hitting the road en masse. Throw in the prospect of inclement winter weather ranging from downpours of rain to blizzard whiteouts, and you have conditions sure to foster long lines and short tempers.

And holiday travelers find little relief in the friendly skies, particularly not this year, with inflation driving airfares to new levels and major carriers still groping with post-pandemic staffing shortages. Given that, it is more important than ever to find ways to keep your cool if you’re flying this holiday season. Fortunately, there are some basic steps you can take to keep the madness at bay and make your flight home (or away) as enjoyable as possible.

Wardrobe Department: While there’s nothing wrong (and quite a bit right) about heading to the airport in your Business Casual best, your flight time will more quickly fly by if you’re dressed comfortably. Make sure to avoid heavy or restrictive clothing, opting instead for soft fabrics and stretchy garments for peak comfort and coziness. It’s also always wise to layer, given shifting cabin temperatures, and it’s worth investing in compression socks for health and comfort during long flights.

Take Your Seat: Most domestic airlines these days give you the opportunity to choose your seat, albeit for a substantial additional cost. Spend the extra money if you can fit it in your budget, as doing so can make a big difference in the quality of your flight experience. Not only might you be able to score added legroom, but you can opt for one of the cabin’s low-traffic areas.

Time, the Avenger: Just as the proverbial watched pot never boils, your flight just seems to crawl if you’re looking at your watch every five minutes. How best to beat time? First, the moment you get to your seat set your watch to the time at your destination. Second, break out all the attention-holding material you were smart enough to stow in your carry-on bag. Focusing on video entertainment, projects from the office or simply a good book helps pass the time.

Get Some Sleep: Heading home for the holidays in a timely manner often involves taking early morning flights or, worse, dreaded red eyes. Knowing how difficult it is to sleep on a plane, it’s best to come prepared if you do hope to catch 40 winks. Essential items include good earplugs or noise-canceling headphones, a sleep mask and a high-quality neck pillow, preferably one that attaches to your seat’s headrest.

Get on Your Feet: If you are going to be in the air for an extended period, it is important you take care of yourself up there. Get out of your seat, stretch, stand or walk around when you can and don’t forget to stay hydrated and take and vitamins or medications that are part of your usual routine. You’ll feel better when you land and ready to meet the holiday joys and challenges at your destination.

At Harmony Communities, we feel strongly that each resident has a sense of home. That they come home from work and feel pride in their environment and in their place in the greater community. That families are comfortable raising children in our neighborhoods, and that couples and singles know that they belong to something bigger than their four walls. In other words, we seek to create harmony within each community, making our communities not just passable, but peaceful, safe, functional, and beautiful

The post Tips to Increase Your Comfort as You Fly this Holiday Season appeared first on Other CMS.

The Holiday Blues Are Everywhere: Here’s How Best to Avoid Them This Season

CENTRESTAGEFILMS — Thu, 01 Dec 2022 18:30:16 +0000

The holidays are once again upon us and, while they’re billed in a seasonal chestnut as “the most wonderful time of year,” most adults realize that sentiment needs to be taken with a hefty grain of salt. The crush of the crowds, the budget-busting cost of gifts, the extra labor involved in hosting holiday events – there’s nothing wonderful about all that.

Indeed, the holidays trigger just the opposite of joy for many people, as seasonal stress and the expectations of others foster feelings of inadequacy and depression. With more emphasis than ever post-pandemic on supporting social-emotional health, there can be no better time to pass on some basic steps people can take in the coming weeks to alleviate holiday-rooted anxiety and depression.

No Ghosts of Christmas Past: American society is notorious for placing all sorts of unrealistic expectations on us and these are often magnified by loved one’s during the holiday season. Don’t fall into that trip; instead, acknowledge that the holidays do not have to be perfect or even just like that last year, that as families change and grow their traditions and rituals must adapt.

Don’t Break the Bank: The most significant change in the American economy from last holiday season to this is skyrocketing prices, as the nation deals with inflation rates it hasn’t seen in four decades. Consumers must recognize the fact the dollar is simply not going to go as far this year and plan accordingly. Decide how much money you can spend this holiday season and stick to that budget. Don’t try to buy happiness with an avalanche of gifts.

Plan Ahead: Knowing when you’re doing what you’re doing is valuable year-round but never more so than during the holidays. Set aside specific days for shopping, baking, connecting with friends and other activities. Plan your menus and make your shopping lists in order to avoid last-minute scrambling for forgotten ingredients. And make sure to enlist some help when it’s time for meal preparation and cleanup.

Stay Healthy: For many, overindulgence is as much a part of the holidays as opening presents. There are, however, plenty of reasons not to give in to that myriad of temptations, not the least being they can foster a sense of stress and guilt that only deepens your holiday depression. Strengthen your ability to shun overindulging by eating a healthy snack before holiday meals to avoid going overboard on sweets, cheese or drinks; get plenty of sleep and regular physical activity; and try deep-breathing exercises, meditation or yoga to enhance your sense of mindfulness.

Acknowledge Your Feelings: If you do find yourself at a low emotional point, the first step is to recognize and accept those feelings, to understand it’s OK to take time to cry or express yourself. Perhaps these are the first holidays since the death of a loved one or economic conditions are preventing you from visiting family. You can’t force yourself to feel happy just because it’s December.

At Harmony Communities, we feel strongly that each resident has a sense of home. That they come home from work and feel pride in their environment and in their place in the greater community. That families are comfortable raising children in our neighborhoods, and that couples and singles know that they belong to something bigger than their four walls. In other words, we seek to create harmony within each community, making our communities not just passable, but peaceful, safe, functional, and beautiful.

The post The Holiday Blues Are Everywhere: Here’s How Best to Avoid Them This Season appeared first on Other CMS.

Lost Luggage: Tips to Minimize the Risk, Receive Proper Compensation

CENTRESTAGEFILMS — Thu, 10 Nov 2022 22:14:49 +0000

It feels like air travel has never been as fraught as it today, with the end of pandemic restrictions inspiring more Americans to fly than ever before. The conditions they’ve encountered, however, have been challenging – high ticket prices, short-staffed airlines and even in-flight confrontations among passengers and between passengers and crew. The friendly skies can sometimes seem anything but.

These conditions also have led to a sharp increase in the rate of lost luggage, with media reports regularly featuring images of mounds of mis-routed suitcases and lots of frustrated customers. Fortunately, there are steps you can take to reduce the chances your bag will go missing or, absent that, will receive just compensation for your luggage and its contents.

Minimize the Risk: There are things you can do to avoid lost luggage besides the most obvious strategy of not checking a bag at all. You can prioritize nonstop flights, avoid flying with multiple airlines, get to the airport extra early and take a photo of your bag. That way, if it does end up getting lost, you’ll have photographic proof of any important contents that you’ll want to later claim compensation for.

Take the Initiative: Consumers must always act as their own best advocates when dealing with corporate America and the airlines are no different. The moment you realize your bag has not arrived, go directly to the airline’s baggage desk and have the customer service representatives see if they can locate it. After all, your luggage might have been delayed but will arrive on a later flight or perhaps arrived early and was placed in a separate holding area. Always get the facts first.

Compensation: If your bag is missing, it’s time to file a claim. Filing a claim starts the clock for when you’ll be able to claim compensation. If your luggage has been missing for between five to 14 days, you’re entitled to reimbursement of the missing bag and its contents, up to $3,800 for domestic flights and $1,780 for international flights.

Insurance at a Premium: If you purchased travel insurance, read through all the terms regarding luggage. After you have filed a claim with the airline, always double check for any additional claims that can be made on your insurance.

Keep Those Receipt: Lost luggage not only disrupts vacation plans by stranding people without their belongings, but it also forces travelers to spend money on new things. The good news is you may be entitled to reimbursement for those items as long as your purchases are reasonable. Thus it is imperative you keep receipts for any purchases you had to make as a result of the missing bag, including clothes and toiletries.

Be Vigilant: If the airline is dragging its feet on providing compensation for a missing bag, don’t be afraid to file a complaint with the federal Department of Transportation. The agency’s Air Travel Service Complaint or Comment Form allows travelers to flag bad airline service as it relates to baggage, as well as other issues, like refund practices, discrimination, overbooking, family seating and more. You might also try getting the airline’s attention through social media.

At Harmony Communities, we feel strongly that each resident has a sense of home. That they come home from work and feel pride in their environment and in their place in the greater community. That families are comfortable raising children in our neighborhoods, and that couples and singles know that they belong to something bigger than their four walls. In other words, we seek to create harmony within each community, making our communities not just passable, but peaceful, safe, functional, and beautiful.

The post Lost Luggage: Tips to Minimize the Risk, Receive Proper Compensation appeared first on Other CMS.

Preparing Your Manufactured Home for the Holidays

CENTRESTAGEFILMS — Fri, 14 Oct 2022 18:32:02 +0000

Fall’s arrival brings with it the realization that the trio of holidays that close the year will soon be upon us. Time flies in these months – it feels like you no sooner have the house decorated for Halloween than you must swap out October’s frights for November’s family festiveness and then turn on a dime again to prepare for the Christmas season.

Making sure your décor keeps up with the calendar can be a particularly tricky proposition for owners of manufactured homes. After all, given such units’ smaller confines, just a few misplaced or ill-chosen items can make your home look cluttered rather than welcoming. The solution lies in considering both atmosphere and function as you approach holiday decorating, a strategy that enables you to enhance the overall environment of your home while also caring for its basic systems. The results will please both you and your guests in the last festive months of 2022.

Clean and Organize: Spring cleaning has its place, but the fall variety bring with it the opportunity to clear out all that needless clutter in advance of the holidays. Cast a critical eye around your home to determine what needs to be tossed and what needs to be more efficiently stored.

Be Prepared: Cooler weather means you will be spending more time indoors, so now is the time to catch up on all that basic maintenance you let slide in the heat of summer. You can improve the indoor air quality by having you filters and ducts checked and cleaned. Also inspect your appliance, septic system and HVAC to make sure they are operating a full efficiency and prepare for that holiday foot traffic by repairing any walkways that might trip up a visitor.

Bring the Outdoors In: Once those function strategies are complete, we can look toward how best to enhance your manufactured home’s atmosphere as we proceed toward the end of the year. One favorite is to bring selective outdoors elements into you home. Pumpkins and Indian corn are November staples; consider natural branches or logs to augment December’s wintry vibe.

Let There Be Lights: Additional lighting can certainly augment that cozy holiday feeling we all desire this time of year. When it comes to natural lighting, a few well-placed candles will do the trick. You also might want to consider stringing lights over doors and around entryways to add a dash of drama and warmth.

Quality Over Quantity: A little bit goes a long way in smaller spaces, so do not go overboard with the decorations. Skip the bulky centerpieces, for example, as they might tend to make your home look stuffy, in addition to eating up needed table space you will need when holiday company comes to call.

Trim the List: Now that you have created a welcoming environment, you will want to share it with others. Given the limited space, owners of manufactured homes are advised to invite wisely. After all, more is now always merrier.

At Harmony Communities, we feel strongly that each resident has a sense of home. That they come home from work and feel pride in their environment and in their place in the greater community. That families are comfortable raising children in our neighborhoods, and that couples and singles know that they belong to something bigger than their four walls. In other words, we seek to create harmony within each community, making our communities not just passable, but peaceful, safe, functional, and beautiful.

The post Preparing Your Manufactured Home for the Holidays appeared first on Other CMS.