How could it be December once again? Capt. Tuttle never ceases to wonder at the rapid passing of the months and years. Logic tells him not to be surprised, but he's easily baffled and this happens every year, just as every year he faithfully has watched Samantha intrepidly approaching winter, first investigating vacation homes, then the pleasures of Hawaii, next great hotels and spas, freezing but most musical and uplifting Salzburg and Vienna and other Alpine places, not so snowy Latin America (until she hit the Andes), and some rather strange weekends. So wherever you may be headed this December, Sam, I hope you will be greeted by warmth within, if maybe not without, and much happiness everywhere you go.

Again, I'm not so sure that this can be correctly classified as an actual bottle, although it evidently is a message (in its second paragraph, no less) of holiday wishes for everyone who might be wandering by, and most assuredly for Sam. Maybe it's a virtual wassail bowl (although I think it would take several more paragraphs to make one of those). Tuttle doesn't have much else to say right now, but in the past here he's said more than enough, and matters do tend to even out somehow. But it is December, once again, time to reflect, time to send the greetings of the season, and in particular here, time to say Happy Holidays, Samantha,

Capt. Tuttle

It wouldn't be the first of the month without hearing from Capt.Tuttle. How I look forward to it, especially now that the old guard has practically vanished from the forum. Things just ain't the same anymore. We hardly ever hear from Samantha. She used to visit us from time to time. But, alas, she too has other priorities.I do love the holiday season, especially the music. Take care and enjoy the time of year.

On the road again! Although this was a Charles Kuralt program, I'm living it, or at least so it appears these days. In St Louis today, Chicago soon, Dallas thereafter, then home, then LA, then London. All in the next 10 days or so. Welcome to my world.

I'll be looking for you in the Admiral's Club, Sam! Have a terrific holiday season.

Intl Doc

I thought "On the Road Again" was by Willie Nelson. Anywho, have a good trip and keep in touch.

Good to hear from you, Capt! I agree, it wouldn't be the first of the month without a message from you. Just as it isn't the first of the month without saying "Rabbit rabbit" to people (does anyone else do this? It brings you good luck on the first of the month if you say it to someone before they say it to you).

Also thanks to you for these threads that bring the old forum group together. No one else really gets it, and it's a nice way to reunite when there's nothing else to talk about.

It's freezing here in Chicago, about 25 degrees, but the snow is pretty, though already turning to slush. I hope wherever Sam is, she's safe and warm.

I too enjoy these monthly posts, even if to just read them and never comment. But in spirit of the holidays, I'd like to take my brief moment and say thanks. Thanks to those who post great information, and to those who post thought provoking comments.

Much joy to you all this holiday season, and to happy travels ahead!

- Misty

p.s. cruiseluver, since you already said "rabbit, rabbit" does that mean I already missed out on the good luck? Darn!

I'm glad you joined this time, Mistyleann. As you see it's easy to do, and I certainly don't need to be here to start a thread like this. But I know a lot of people are busy now (IntlDoc evidently is one of them) and there seemed to be a shocking shortage of best wishes for Samantha here, particularly at this time of year, in the event she might be cheered by them if she pauses in her own December and Winter's Tale to read them. It's a simple act that we can do for her, and like all good gifts, the satisfaction comes in merely sending them. I happened to be home around noon today and ran into Vienna's Passport yet again, one of my absolute favorites, and it's always a little holiday gift from Samantha whether she reaizes it or not to see that one again, and see her waltz. These posts are mere attempts to give something back to her (but maybe not in 3/4 time).

I'd always heard, Kelsey, that you're supposed to say "White Rabbit, white rabbit" before you do anything else the first day of the month, for good luck. I never remember to, of course, and although I am not a superstitious man, that may in fact be the reason for the absolutely crushing stock market day today. No travelling for Tuttle for yet another year, I guess... But there's always hope somehow, and yes, Kelsey, I hope Sam's safe and warm now too.

Good morning my fellow travelers. It's certainly true that the number of posters here on the forum has diminished and the "older" fans are still kicking around. I'm surprised that no new Weekend shows have aired since the new Fall season began.

I'll be jetting off for a working vacation very soon and then a birthday trip in March. I need to cut back on my travels since my paycheck has been cutback for a full year now.

I wish you all a warm, happy, and healthy holiday season and new year.

I'm always on the lookout for oxymorrons. "Working Vacation" is certainly a good one. Thanks. My favorite is "Turned up missing". Let's hope that nobody turns up missing this holiday season, especially you Samantha. Cheers!

It is so nice to Read all your wonderful greetings. Merry Christmas,and Happy Holidays To you all.Thank you Capt.tuttle for your very much enjoyed message.Have safe travels intl-doc.Samantha I would love to know how you are doing. God Bless you now, and always. Love Mary.

And so very nice to have your holiday greetings, Mary Of L! It's always a pleasure to see you here, and Leia87, a valued and trusted ally here as well (but I'm sure Samantha would greatly enjoy hearing from new posters too, should she be reading her forum on occasion).

Being cold and dark by 5 p.m., it truly is beginning to feel like the holidays now. Tuttle Manor doesn't actually do very much along the lines of decorating. My butler, valet, gardener and general help, all, strangely, looking exactly like me, will eventually put up the wreath on the front door and clip some holly from my massive hedge to the north side of the manor, which is loaded with berries this year, and I toss some of that on the mantlepiece. But that's about it for me.

I hope everyone is helping The Economy by still buying presents for the holidays. Samantha would be particularly pleased, I can't help but sense, if some of you would buy your loved ones a Buick or two so that she can keep her endorsements from cheerful GM. I'd rather buy a car on Samantha's advice than from Tiger Woods' anyway. What does he know about cars, after all? Has he ever driven a vintage Fiat around their rooftop test course? Has he been rocketed around the Grand Prix of Monaco course at 20 m.p.h. in a stodgy van? I greatly doubt it.

Tuttle, a bit more reduced in funds (a lot more reduced, actually) tends to buy books or videos as gifts. Guiltily, he often does now not from independent local bookstores but from that massive internet behemoth I will not name here. I've greatly missed not being able to nose about London's bookstores this last year, which I so love doing, or in the provincial cathedral cities more afield, but admittedly they are not what they once were either, as the way of selling books everywhere is changing now, and we are further removed than ever from a Charles Dickens world of bookshops and Christmases - maybe that's all not so bad.

But Tuttle still strongly believes in reading, and in being mental travellers (and that Travel Bookshop from the movie 'Notting Hill' really does still exist just off the Portobello Rd., although Hugh Grant is not inside of it, or wasn't when I accidentally fell into it a few years back. Julia Roberts wasn't either - I looked), and that, Tuttle feels, is what the Travel Channel should be fostering right now (instead of showing fat goobers seeing how much random food they can shove into their bovine faces, which seems their stock in trade these days).

As mentioned somewhere else on this forum, I was very pleased to see Samantha showing off the Shakespeare English bookshop in her Paris weekend, maybe the only time this entire year an international bookshop actually made it on to the Travel Channel, rather an astonishing fact, if you think about it. If we are not travelling as often these days, or not to the more exotic locations anyway, how better to fill that missing niche in our lives than by the vicarious life of the Travel Channel? Of course they would have to show actual travel shows first. At least we've had Samantha the past few years. Thanks once more, Sam.

I'm like a little kid at Christmas. I like to decorate, but not prior to Halloween as some stores do now. I take great pride in my tree trimming. I like to give consumable gifts, homemade cookies, fruitcake and vintage bottles of wine and champagne. For the kids, they get art stuff, crayons, pens, markers, paints and lots of construction paper. NO video games. Most of all I love the music. Singing traditional hymns on Christmas Eve is a must. "Happy Christmas to all; and to all a goodnight."(Clement Clark Moore)

P.S.
I forgot to say Happy Jetting, Leia.

Mother Orange is relishing the extra time provided by today’s second Snow Day of the season! I’m happy to plunge into Tuttle’s wassail bowl rather than shovel my steps again. I’ll toss in some central New York ice cubes, as well as salutations of the season that are as warm as can be for all Brownheads, mod ben, and also to you and yours, Samantha.

No questions for me to answer around here lately, yet I continue to lurk, as many do.
It’s hard to know where everyone has gone. Facebook Brownheads have been piling up by the thousands, hopefully proving to the Travel Channel that Samantha is and always has been one big reason why all sorts of people keep watching.

Many wonder what the future holds for our long, cold winter armchair traveling and beyond. Personally, I’d love to see a Passport to Great Islands series. Who doesn’t love the idea of traveling to an island? Who didn’t love Sam in Hawaii and the Greek Islands, Mallorca, Venice, and at Little Palm? There are so many that have been mentioned on this forum, from Mackinac to Malta, from the Canaries to the Caribbean, Java to Japan. I’d love to see Samantha visit Maine’s Mount Desert Island, Canada’s Prince Edward Island, and the San Juans in the Pacific Northwest. Scotland’s Orkneys and the Isle of Skye are among my favorite places on Earth, not to mention the oddly named Rum, Canna, Muck and Eigg. But alas, it is not my job to decide such things, and perhaps Samantha is growing weary of it all. Perhaps she is just plain sick of people telling her where to go.

For those who fondly recall the many Passport segments in which Samantha took us to see artworks around the world, (and for those of you like nunesy who give art supplies as presents) I highly recommend that you check out a new show on the Travel Channel called Art Attack, hosted by Lee Sandstead. It has that rare quality of making you feel smarter, and the host has the passion, knowledge and masculine perkiness to make museum visits work. In the absence of new Samanthan programming, I think it is a very entertaining new addition to the Sunday morning fare.

Last Friday, when I was treated to my first Snow Day of the year, I had the rare opportunity to bake cookies and watch daytime TV in my PJs. I agree with Captain Tuttle that re-watching many of the classic Samantha episodes is like a gift, and on that day it was Hidden Venice, an absolute gem. I also got a chuckle out of seeing Martha Stewart embellish a holiday wreath with an impressive selection of wine corks, which seemed like a perfect crafty pursuit for Samantha. It made me wonder if Samantha might ever have the time these days to get crafty, as she did with Mr. Orsoni in Venice. I’m sure we all wish that this season grants her time to have many solitary pursuits, as well as happy times with family and friends. Surely this past year has been a very busy and public one for her. In the Santa Fe episode, I believe we learned that “ there is a lot going on in Sam’s house. “ With luck, the Travel Channel will dare not ignore the message from that drum spirit when it was kind enough to send its medicine, even while being filmed. My wish is that the future will provide rewarding opportunities for Samantha to fulfill that elusive higher purpose of linking people up to help them understand what they have in common. She has certainly woven people together here over the years. I’ll end this by thanking you once more, Sam, for all you do.

As always,
Mother O.

It’s so good to hear from you Mother O. I also watched the Hidden Venice episode last Friday, as it was one of the Fridays I have off from work due to our 9/80 work schedule. I think Samantha’s closing remarks for that episode are the best of many fine efforts she put forth in the PTE series. It’s a shame that episode isn’t on any of the DVDs. Merry Christmas Samantha, Mother O, and everyone else out there.

Hard to believe another year has come and gone. It’s nice to see that, like Santa with his bulging bag of toys, some of the old faithful continue to arrive on their appointed rounds to thank Samantha for taking us along on her travels and to wish her, and each other, the happiest of holiday seasons.

Sam has received the success and happiness that have always been at the heart of our wishes for her over the years. Her growing visibility and still-recent marriage bring many rewards, but tend to rob her of some of her tiny chunks of free time. If she is anything like me, she’s extremely protective of her down time. If Samantha has long been absent from these boards, well, why not? But let there be no mistake that the sentiments directed to her from this place are no less heartfelt and sincere.

I’ve been reflecting on the years and the changes they’ve wrought. Ashley Kristen might be approaching her final collegiate semester, and is, no doubt, preparing to set the world on fire. It’s hard to believe that we came to know her when she had reached the tender age of 16. And speaking of college, cruiseluver has finished her first semester of Latin and may finally know the meaning of “Suos Cultores Scientia Coronat.” She may have even located the Spooky Coke Machine by now. How long has it been since julietravels stopped by to grace us with her unique brand of unintentional freeform travel poetry? Where have you ventured these last few years, julietravels, while failing to weave your reality into our imaginations? Our beloved maryoflakewood no longer lives in Lakewood. What’s up with that? Is she now, unbeknownst to us, maryofalbuquerque? Our hearts have gone out to ambitiousduck as he’s ventured down his northwestern road awaiting a signed picture that was, perhaps, hijacked by his mail carrier. What of chicagoboy? Has he become chicagoman? Is he perhaps engaged, even now, in a desperate attempt to replace Barack Obama as the junior Senator from Illinois? While I’m wandering aimlessly down memory lane, let me not forget ferretpossum and his girlfriend in far off Edinburgh. As far as I know, his girlfriend is the only viewer of this forum who actually scored an appearance on Passport to Europe. Edinburgh episode, right near the end, in the traditional music pub. It’s just a glancing look, but hey, the rest of us haven’t been there! And while I’m in the British Isles, I must mention intldoc and Captain Tuttle. As the British would say, they are true “one-offs.,” as are, of course, Samantha and my own Mother O. There are so many others, deserving of mention here, who have contributed their own sage observations, humorous anecdotes, and heartwarming stories, and have kept this an interesting place to be.

Let us celebrate the fact that Samantha brought this unique community together through her wit, charm, observations and smile. It has always attracted an interesting cast of characters. She has been a true Internet pioneer. Even today, how many TV hosts have fostered such a sense of community? In an age of constant diversion, this community, oddly and improbably, continues. This too is worth celebrating during the festive season.

Sam, if you are listening, Mother O and I watched the recent rerun of your Portsmouth episode. Thank you again for the Flo’s segment. It is the cutest, most genuine, heartwarming, funny, charming, off-the-beaten-path, and real thing I think I’ve ever seen on television. It provides some of my favorite moments from any of your shows. Just watching it brings back the delicious taste of those unique dogs. For me, they are a welcome taste of summer in the midst of the bleak, dark, Syracuse winter.

Merry Christmas to you and Kevin, Sam. We’ve written out our Christmas lists, and have included on them, a wish for many years of your continued travel adventures.

Father Orange

Good evening everyone, perhaps Samantha as well. Back at Tuttle Manor again after some very pleasant holiday travelling (no snow and ice where I am). No mice have been stirring around here either, it would seem, other than the most welcome and informative Oranges. For quite a few holiday seasons now, two recessions as well, some stalwart fans of Sam like the loyal O's have been sending their season's greetings to Sam on her dedicated site. Most have moved on, as must be expected through the passing of time and the twists and turns of surreal cable network life. But we've all of us enjoyed our brushes with Samantha here, and for old times' sake I'll send out my annual message as well as this December Message and month rounds to a close. So a very happy New Year to all, and to Sam, above all, a good night.
Capt. Tuttle

Hello Everyone,

Holiday Greetings from the long silent hummingbirdlady. I am taking full advantage of a rare commodity for me, free time, to stop by and see who among the friends of Samantha are still around. It is reassuring to see familiar names and reading the posts from you all brings back such warm memories of the truly active days of the forum. Like the rest of you, I wax nostalgic as I watch old episodes that I recorded. I fear they may never get deleted to free space on the DVR for other programs, much to the chagrin of my husband. Of the Passport to Europe series, the Vienna and Venice episodes rank right at the top and similarly to Father Orange, I have a soft spot for the Portsmouth, Maine episode of Passport to Weekends. Each viewing unveils some small detail I overlooked in the past and makes me appreciate the wonderful, unique, and charming hostess that is Samantha Brown.

I hope Samantha and Kevin enjoyed a wonderful second anniversary in October at some romantic destination, even if that happened to be their new home in Brooklyn.

A very Happy New Year to one and all!
Hummingbird Lady