What do you think of winter in Michigan?

The goal of this week's poll question is to seek out who loves and who loathes winter in Michigan. I don't always enjoy the cold, but I really enjoy hiking, sledding with the kids, and other outdoor activities in the winter. It's also a great excuse to warm up with a big mug of hot cocoa and a book. [poll id="10"]

Also, if you enjoy winter camping there are 10 Michigan State Parks that are open all winter long.

Here they are:

• Mitchell (bonus - heated restrooms!)
• Traverse City (bonus - heated restrooms!)
• Algonac
• Bay City State Park
• Fort Custer
• Ludington
• North Higgins Lake State Park
• Rifle River Recreation Area
• Tahquamenon Falls
• Waterloo Recreation Area-Portage campground

Head over to Michigan.gov/dnr for a list of the current events going on at state parks and recreation areas.

2009 Banished Words List

Once again, Lake Superior State University has delivered their annual Banished Words List. With 2008 being an election year there were a plethora of words available to choose for the 2009 list.

• Green - as in "green" technology, etc.
• Carbon Footprint or Carbon Offsetting
• Maverick
• First Dude
• Bailout
• Wall Street/Main Street
• Monkey - I guess it's popular to add "monkey" to a word for amusement, I missed out on this one evidently.
• <3 - resembles a heart so you can use even less effort to say "I love you"
• Icon or Iconic
• Game Changer
• Staycation - it's like a vacation only you don't go anywhere - ugh.
• Desperate Search
• Not So Much
• Winner of Five Nominations - as in Academy Awards, etc.
• It's That Time of Year Again

Submit your nomination for the 2010 list. Read all of the comments and leave comments for this list at www.lssu.edu/banished.

Reminder that we shut down from 12/24 until 1/5/09

Just a quick reminder that we are shutting down Christmas Eve through January 5, 2009. It gives us a chance to catch our breath, re-supply all of our spent inventory, and generally enjoy time with family and friends. We'll also be installing an entirely new shopping cart system that will be a major improvement over the current setup. I really tried to get this done before the Christmas rush, but as with technology - things don't always go as planned. The new shopping cart will be full of features and options that just weren't possible under the current cart and I think it will make your gift giving experience many times better.

Have a Very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

Sincerely,

Andrew Norton, Owner Gift Baskets From Michigan LLC

Everything has been shipped - tracking info is being emailed

Just a quick note as many are asking. We have shipped out all of the orders. We're way behind on sending out the shipment tracking information and I apologize for that. Tracking info is being emailed this afternoon. For those who ordered before 5pm December 18th, your packages will all get to the addresses provided by Christmas.

Thanks for your patience. We're doing the best we can.

You must order by 5pm today for Christmas delivery

Just a quick reminder here. Orders that are to ship tomorrow, December 19th, must be placed by 5pm today, December 18th. This gives us a chance to get everything boxed up and on the truck tomorrow morning. Remember, we do not guarantee a Christmas delivery for baskets shipped after December 19th.

Also, when a product is marked Sold Out it really is sold out. Just because you can add it to your shopping cart and pay for it doesn't mean we have it in stock. We are upgrading our shopping cart software after Christmas to allow us features that will still let our products show up marked "sold out" when they are sold out, but not allow you to add it to your cart.

One last programming note. A lot of our excellent customers have called or emailed regarding the availability of the Tastes of Michigan, Very Cherry, and Michigan's Best gift crates that we build. I had hoped to have enough time to get more built than what already needs to go out the door, but that is not going to happen.

After cutting, sanding, and nailing literally hundreds of these just in the last two weeks my shoulder is hurting quite a bit. I'm getting the last batch built last night and today through gritted teeth, Motrin, and coffee. Then, I'm going to need a break from the woodshop to heal up my shoulder.

We're also working feverishly to get everything out today that we possibly can as a rather sever winter storm is racing our way bringing up to half an inch of ice on top of 6-12 inches of snow. It's awfully hard to process orders and ship items out when we don't have power ;).

Take care everybody and have a Great Day!

~ Andrew Norton, Owner Gift Baskets From Michigan LLC

Quick note on shipping our Michigan gift baskets

We are shipping out the Very Cherry, Tastes of Michigan, and Michigan's Best gift baskets as quickly as we build them. 17 hour days are the norm at this time of the year and we are doing our best to get these out as quickly as possible. If we get far enough ahead where we have a surplus of those three baskets we will have them available for sale again later this week. For those of you that didn't realize it, we make the Very Cherry, Tastes of Michigan, and Michigan's Best gift baskets right here in the woodshop. They aren't outsourced somewhere - they're made right here in Michigan.

Thanks for all of these orders. I am in shock at the response this year. With the down economy we never expected a record Christmas season, but it has been and I tip my hat to our customers in thanks.

Another upside? We have even more money to give to the Food Bank Council of Michigan. I'm sure they need it during these tough times.

Have a Great Day!

- Andrew