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 What are our top three reasons for loving Southwest Airlines? No hidden fees, no hidden fees, and no hidden fees. We also like how airfares just got lower with the "Wanna Get Away?" sale. Fly on Tuesday or Wednesday and you can snag fares for $49 to $99 one-way on select routes nationwide. Fly Thursday to Monday, and sale prices range from $59 to $159 one-way.
Book by January 19 and fly between January 15 and April 30 with a 14-day advance purchase.
 What's your New Year's resolution? Norwegian Cruise Line is hoping it will be to spend some of its money, with the help of its new "Freestyle Resolution" promo. Book a sailing by February 1, and you’ll get an onboard credit of anywhere from $30 to $500 per stateroom. The amount of credit is calculated on a sliding scale, based the length of the cruise and category of stateroom. For example, a family booking an inside stateroom for a three-day sailing would get a $30 credit. If you booked a suite for a six-day sailing, you would get $500 to spend as you like on the ship. Book online or by calling NCL at 866/234-5647, or go through a travel agent. Mention code PGWAVE.
 If you’ve ever thought about trying skiing or snowboarding, now might be the time. January is "Learn a Snow Sport Month" at alpine resorts, Nordic centers,
state and national parks all over the US. There are special or discounted learn-to-ski and learn-to-snowboard packages available in 23 states, including California, Colorado, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Maine, Michigan, Missouri, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Dakota, Northern Minnesota, Southern Minnesota, Ohio, Oregon, Pennsylvania, South Dakota, Utah, Vermont, Washington, and Wisconsin. The offers vary from state to state, so compare the programs in neighboring states before booking.
Vermont is offering one of the best deals out there. From January 4 to 11, first-time skiers and snowboarders can get free lessons, rentals and limited-lift tickets. The package is available at a dozen ski areas in the Green Mountain State including Bromley, Okemo (see our review), Smuggler’s Notch (see our review), and Stratton—where regular prices could easily run you $100 per person. This deal is for beginner, first-time skiers and snowboarders only, ages 6 and up, and is limited to one lesson per person. Registration just opened and spaces are very limited, so make tracks if you're interested.
Not interested in downhill? You can try out cross-country or snowshoeing for free on January 10, 2009 at one of more than 80 spots across the country. Now that's a breath of fresh air.
Grab your kids, your mittens, and your video camera. Smugglers' Notch, the ski resort perenially voted no. 1 for family programs by Ski magazine readers (see our review), is running a video contest on YouTube, and one lucky family will win a five-night/five-day winter vacation. To enter, create a homemade family fun video that explains what you think are the key ingredients to a fantastic winter family vacation, then share your masterpiece on YouTube. Click on the box for details.
 Nothing puts the happy in your holidays quite like a few well-chosen family outings. So all season long, we're turning for inspiration to ParentsConnect Local, whose jam-packed events calendar features hundreds of merry-and-bright happenings in 51 cities around the country. Here's a sample of what we found on the calendar for Kansas City:
Jazz Storytelling—Jam with Santa: Santa drops by the American Jazz Museum to jam with the band and hand out holiday goodies during a special jazz storytelling program. Free, but reservations are requested. Best for ages 3 and up. (December 12, 10am-11am; 816/474-8463.)
A Very Fifties Christmas: The Johnson County Museum of History’s All-Electric House is decorated for the holidays, so visitors can rock around the aluminum Christmas tree and learn how the holidays were celebrated in a 1950s suburban community. (Daily except Monday through December 28; Saturday 10am-4pm, other days 1pm-4pm; 913/715-2570; $2/adult, $1/child 12 and under.)
 Kansas City Southern Holiday Express: This special train pulls into Union Station with Santa and his sleigh and reindeer on a flatcar, a gingerbread boxcar, a snow-covered stall filled with model trains, the elves' workshop, and a little red caboose. Free for all ages. (December 20, 9:30am-5:30pm; December 21, noon-5:30pm; 816/460-2020.)
See more holiday events in Kansas City on ParentsConnect Local.
 If you've been thinking about taking your family on a Disney cruise, you'll want to know about a fantastic new deal. Kids age 12 and under can sail free on most three-night Bahamian cruises from January 22 to
May 28, 2009, when traveling with two full-fare guests in the same stateroom. The offer covers a variety of stateroom categories, ranging from deluxe family staterooms
with verandahs to standard inside staterooms. Act fast: There are a limited
number of staterooms available for this special offer. Book online or call 800/951-3532 or contact a travel agent. Be sure to use the booking code FREE.
Note: Our own review of a three-night Disney cruise aboard the Disney Wonder is coming next month.
 Set alongside the rugged beauty of Lake Superior’s North Shore, Lutsen Resort has roots dating back to the late 19th century. Minnesota’s oldest resort is a perennial favorite family destination because there’s so much to do, from swimming and kayaking in the summer to night hikes and guided snowshoe tours in the winter. And let's not forget the downhill skiing. Nearby Lutsen Mountain has the highest vertical drop in the midwest and plenty of long, sweeping runs (it also boasts the region's only gondola). The resort is a classic winter playground, complete with the après-ski reward: at the end of the day, you and the kids can warm up next to a roaring fire in the Swedish-style hewn pine timber lodge.
Now you can head to Lutsen for less with their “January 3 for 2” package, which lets you get a third night of lodging and a third day of lift tickets for free from January 2 to 31, 2009. Lodging options range from a double in the main lodge for $129 a night or a two-bedroom log cabin for $299 a night, all the way to a three-bedroom condo with a loft for $499 a night. The 3-for-2 deal on lift tickets means a family of four (two adults and two kids under 12) can ski for three days for a total of $480—a savings of $212 off the regular cost of lift tickets. Plus, you’ll get free equipment rental for the kids. This deal is based on availability so it makes sense to book as soon as possible. Blackout dates are January 16-19, 2009.
Nothing decks your halls like a few well-chosen family holiday outings. So all season long, we're turning for inspiration to ParentsConnect Local, whose superduper events calendar features hundreds of merry-and-bright happenings in 51 cities around the country. Here's a sample of what we found on the calendar for Chicago:
 CTA Holiday Train: Families can ride on the six-car Holiday Train, decorated with thousands of multi-colored lights and featuring a flat car in the middle carrying Santa and his reindeer. Car interiors are decked out with bows, garland, red and green lighting, and hand poles wrapped to look like candy canes. (Through December 23, see CTA website for schedules; free with CTA fare.)
Winter Solstice Festival: Celebrate the winter solstice at North Park Village Nature Center by tasting chestnuts roasted on the open fire, making edible ornaments for preserve animals, listening to seasonal music, and taking a walk along luminary-lit trails. The evening ends with an original shadow play as a bonfire illuminates characters on a 50-foot screen. Free for all ages. (December 13, 6pm-9pm; 312/744-5472.)
ZooLights Festival: Lincoln Park Zoo glows with more than one million lights shaped like animals, and special events like ice carving add sparkle to the night. (December 13 through January 4, 2009, 5pm-9pm; 312/742-2000.)
See more holiday events in Chicago on ParentsConnect Local.
 'Tis the season for spending quality time with the Big Man in the Red Suit, and the web is full of expert advice on where to find him. ABC News dished about 10 great places to see Santa, and we just love the idea of hitching a ride on one of the special Christmas trains operating this time of year. Feel like a longer getaway? Cookie magazine's Going Places blog has found some terrific Christmas packages at family-friendly resorts around the country.
 Want to slip a vacation under the Christmas tree? Nothing gives us that Santa feeling like an airfare sale. Yesterday we told you about JetBlue's airfare sale, which ends tomorrow. And today, Virgin America (another airlines that gives every passenger her own TV) announced its own fabulous airfare blowout, with one-way fares ranging from $59 to $149 between these six destinations:
- Las Vegas
- Los Angeles
- New York
- San Diego
- San Francisco
- Seattle
- Washington, DC
To nab the sale fares, you need to book by next Thursday, December 11, and travel between January 6 and March 1, 2009.
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