Hello Friends,

Can you believe it's already the middle of November? The year has flown by, as they all pretty much seem to do these days. It's our sincere hope that your holidays are happy, healthy and bright. And, if the next few weeks have you coming down to see us, we're thrilled to have you as our guest during this very special season. If you have other plans, just remember that 2008 spring & summer vacationing is just around the corner! Hope to see you soon.

Happy Holidays,

The Grande Shores Family

Grande Shores News & Happenings

     For those of you that are coming to visit us between now and Thanksgiving, we'd like to mention a special endeavor taking place at Grande Shores.

Keeping in mind our loved ones serving overseas this holiday season, Grande Shores has 'adopted' a soldier for the holidays. In this case, the soldier's actually asking that instead of sending items for her, that we send items she believes will help, and lift the spirits of, those she's serving in Iraq. So, this month, we'd like to dedicate this section to the 785th Medical Company out of Minneapolis Minnesota---one of the Combat Stress Teams stationed in Iraq. Please click here to read Holli A.'s letter explaining her team's mission and purpose in helping soldiers deal with the heavy mental and emotional strains of the war.

As she mentions in her note, there are a few items they'd love to have sent over from us here in the United States to distribute to the mentally and physically wounded soldiers she and her team are helping in their clinic:

"Some of the things that we do need in our clinic would be flip flops to use in the showers and t-shirts. So many of our soldiers come straight from the hospital, and often because of wounds their uniforms had to be cut off, so they have no clothing. Another item that is nice is stationary. Cereal is another one. We are fed well, but the variety isn't always the greatest…. And of course, chocolate! We love healthy snacks, but now that the weather is cooling down, chocolate can be sent in the mail without melting." (~Holli A.)

If you'd like to make a donation of any of these items, please feel free to drop them off at the front desk. We'd also love to include any cards and letters you feel moved to write, too.

Thank you all, sincerely, in advance for your gifts and donations to our beloved soldiers.

Thanks!

To the following groups that stayed with us in October/November: 94 CASL Force Boys Soccer Team; AIGRM Transportation Group Retreat; Bennett Baptist Church Retreat; Carolina Thrashers Baseball Tournament; Shooting Stars Soccer Tournament; CCPDA Annual Beach Retreat; Circle of Friends Group; Fort Jackson Marriage Retreat; National Cartoonist Society; PDE District Women's Retreat; Piedmont Goldwings Annual Bike Retreat; South Carolina Fraternal Congress Annual Meeting; Signature Golf Group; Trinity United Methodist Church Senior Beach Trip; Happy Trails Group; and the Schlieper Bus & Tours

Grande Shores Packages

Alabama Theatre's "The South's Grandest Christmas Show" It's the big Christmas show people return to watch year-after-year--revamped with new surprises that promise to surpass all your expectations! Bring your family and settle in for a fun, heart-warming tour of everything winter, holiday, fun and family. Click Here for more package details.

CHALLENGE YOUR GAME with the North Shore Package. Three distinctly designed courses by top-name PGA Professionals, geared for you to enjoy nature at its best. Thistle offers a Scottish-links design with generous fairways and large greens. Rivers Edge has three of the best closing holes in golf, bordered by marsh. And Crow Creek offers perfect playing conditions year-round with Bermuda grass fairways and bentgrass greens. For more package details click here

Around Town

Dec. 1
North Myrtle Beach Christmas Parade
Main Street North Myrtle Beach
5:30-9pm. Free.

Dec. 1
Myrtle Beach Holiday Parade
Broadway @ the Beach
10am-12pm. Free.

Dec. 6
Christmas Towne
Myrtle Beach Convention Center
4-7pm. Free.
Family event with Santa, face painting, inflatable rides & games.

Dec. 8
Conway Christmas Parade
10am-12pm. Free.
Festival of floats, marching bands, beauty queens & more.

Dec. 8
Surfside Beach Christmas Parade
Ocean Boulevard beginning at 10th Ave S. to 16th Ave S.
2pm. Free.

Dec. 8
Murrells Inlet Christmas on the Creek Holiday Home Tour
10am-4pm. $25 per ticket.
Ten beautiful Murrell Inlet homes open for a limited-sale tour.
visit www.murrellsinletsc.com for tickets

Dec. 15
Carolina Master Choral Concert "A Christmas Garland"
Trinity Episcopal Church North Myrtle Beach
$16 per person.

Dec. 20
Vocal Edition Holiday Celebration
Main Street Theatre Downtown Conway
8-10:30pm.
Celebrating many holiday music favorites.

Everything here was nice. The staff was great, the room was clean, and it is nice to have a parking garage near the room. A TripAdvisor.com Comment, Guest CDickers from Virginia

My family stayed at the property and we couldn't be any happier! Very clean, and fresh-smelling rooms. Everything was great! Number 1+ was lounge and restaurant located downstairs!! Staff was extremely helpful and nice as they could be. We felt very WELCOME. A TripAdvisor.com Comment, Guest MrsSmith96 from North Carolina

Four sisters getting away from it all, together. We walked into a welcoming, sparkling clean, breath-of-fresh-air getaway. We had an oceanfront 3 bm/2 bath and the view from our balcony was breathtaking! The staff was professional and nice, and the housekeeping staff was very efficient. Every day the rooms looked like they did the first day we walked in. Grande Shores is also located in a prime location. Not cramped in between other hotels. Easy parking & getting out onto Ocean Boulevard. A TripAdvisor.com Comment, Guest TeeKae from Virginia

This is the 3rd year we've stayed at this property for our annual men's golf retreat. We have received nothing but the best of service. Rooms clean and large, restaurant food top-shelf, and the staff always go out of their way to make our stay all it's meant to be. Paula Davis is always ready to meet any need we may have. No other place at the beach is better. A TripAdvisor Comment, Guest Birdieman1 from North Carolina

Holiday Fun Facts

The winter solstice occurs around December 21, and is the shortest day and longest night of the year.

Thanks to all the different time zones around the world, Santa would have to deliver gifts to 832 homes each second to deliver during the 31-hour time frame.

In early England, the head of a pig served with mustard was the traditional Christmas dinner.

The middle candle, called the shamash, of the menorah is used to light the other eight candles.

The most popular Hanukkah foods are potato cakes called latkes, and donuts filled with jelly, called sufganiyot; both fried in oil.

The Kwanzaa main feast, referred to as karamu, is held on December 31.

For good luck, people in Yorkshire say, "Black rabbits, black rabbits, black rabbits," in the last few seconds of the year, and "white rabbits, white rabbits, white rabbits," in the first seconds of the new year.