With nothing to lose but religious persecution, the original settlers of Plymouth, Mass., ventured boldly into the new world.

To those Pilgrims, we owe thanks for the yearly tradition that triggers trytophan comas and lively debates over second helpings of apple crisp. To those pioneers, for a day at least, we owe our complete attention to family.

Whether you’re spending the holiday in your hometown or a Cape Cod house rental, here’s hoping for a stress-free weekend surrounded by loved ones.

Happy Thanksgiving weekend from Check In, Check Out.

So maybe it’s not the first place on your radar for champagne, streamers and drunken versions of auld lang syne with 200 others in a hotel ballroom.

But Tennessee cabin rentals could be the answer to that nagging question of where to celebrate New Year’s Eve–especially now that you’re in the family way. Because somehow, unless they’ve struck gold on that night (meaning, a babysitter), parents get shafted on what’s supposed to be the most festive night of the year.

Let 2010 be the year of the house–make that vacation house–party.

The Gatlinburg cabin featured  is still open for New Year’s Eve week for $1,865 for a seven-night stay (and actually, all of November and December are good deals, what with the three nights, fourth-night free special for $165 a night). Wandering Cubs, an adorable property in Dollywood- and Smoky Mountains-land, is shindig ready with its space for eight guests, 65-inch high-def TV an surround-sound system, pool table, PlayStation 2 and large DVD collection. By morning, step out on the deck to enjoy glorious views of Mt. LeConte. By night, gather ’round the stone fireplace with hot whiskeys.

Before the season turns for the worst, enter the hot tub, which begs for hours of soakage.

Now that’s an idea that sounds a whole lot better than sipping Moet out of a plastic cup after you paid $150 for the ticket.

The Olympic cauldron lights up on Feb. 12, 2010, which leaves very little time for those of you procrastinators attending the games to secure housing.

And while you may have been lucky in the past to strike a last-minute deal, waiting too long could mean that family from Sweden laps you in the reservation line. The good thing is, perhaps that family hasn’t thought of Vancouver vacation rentals.

Traditionalists will opt for hotels, but savvy travelers seeking more space for their Canadian dollar will turn to Canada vacation homes to take advantage of cozy comforts like full kitchens, toys, hot tubs and access to off-the-radar neighborhoods. And while most hotel concierges will likely be bombarded with requests from the myriad of global travelers attending the games, you as a vacation home renter will have a distinct advantage in being able to contact the owner of your property for one-on-one recommendations on where to eat, drink and play before you arrive in February.

A spin around the Winter Olympics site focuses–naturally–on the sports side of the games, but for visitors, there’s little about accommodations. That’s where VacationHomeRentals.com comes in. Our site posts 16 listings in the Vancouver area.

Do any of you previous Olympics travelers have any insights on how visitors can maximize their games? What about you Vancouver folks? Do tell on Twitter @checkincheckout.

Paging all Civil War buffs: Your vacation haven awaits in Gettysburg, Pa.

The Beecher House, one of several Pennsylvania vacation rentals on our site, teases with a special winter rate of $695 a week for Dec. 11-17. The three-bedroom home, a pre-Civil War beauty outfitted with a country kitchen and tasteful furnishings, rests on more than one acre of gardens with views of the South Mountain range and apple orchards.

By day, hit the Gettysburg National Military Park, where 51,000 Confederate and Union soldiers waged war in what was considered the “High Water Mark of the Confederacy,” according to the U.S. National Park Service. Then spend time in Kreider Farms, a localvore’s food supply-come-true with its cage-free eggs, premium-batch churned ice cream and other dairy goods, which are sold at Amish markets throughout the area.

If you’re lucky, you may even run into a horse and buggy on the road.

Now that would be cool–even more so than staying in a historic home. Don’t forget your camera.

Sure, there’s Santa Claus, Ind., and Saint Nicholas, Pa., but who would have ever guessed that one of most festive yuletide towns in the U.S. exists in Branson, Mo.?

Branson vacation rentals owners should capitalize on the city’s host role to the Branson Area Festival of Lights, a six-week electricity extravaganza designed for oohing and aahing. Limousine tours wind through downtown Branson in style–complete with sparkling cider and Christmas tunes–but visitors are more than welcome to take their own vehicles along the 175 displays of twinkling Santas, reindeer and nativity scenes. (Note: The Branson Area Festival of Lights Drive-Through charges $10 for family vehicles, but the limo rides are offered by Branson Limo Service for $125-$360 depending on the style of car you reserve, whether that’s luxury sedan, stretch limo or shuttle bus.)

If you’re a landlord with a Missouri cabin rental, make sure to detail how close your property is to the sights and how it would make an attractive option for groups looking for a break from their usual holiday routine. Showcase large open spaces if you have them, like a supersized dining table or game room, where prospective renters can see themselves carving a turkey, sipping eggnog together and challenging the in-laws to a game of pool.

And besides “light-seeing,” don’t forget those other two holiday traditions: shopping and eating. Your listing should mention proximity to Branson Landing, the behemoth outdoor mall, the Tanger Outlet Center and the Branson Mill Craft Village, where artisans display their unique wares such as etched glassworks, wood carvings and stained glass.

For dining, make recommendations on where to eat, as people will be too lazy to cook all of the days. Or, if your house boasts a kitchen built for grandma’s from-scratch recipes, place your renters there so they can smell it. Showcase the dining room table all dressed up for holiday dinner. Post pictures of the duel ovens. If you have images of previous tenants baking cookies, display them. A lively room speaks volumes.

That’s what the holidays are all about: spreading cheer.

Property owners, it’s time to take a good, hard look at your listing.

Is it stuck in the wrong season? Is your posting riddled with photos of people water skiing or golfing in shorts? Yep, it may be time for a makeover.

With the right “staging,” your lovely little getaway can be billed as the perfect ski bunnies’ retreat or Christmas cabin. Remember: Even Floridians need a break from 80 degrees.

To properly winterize, say, your California vacation rental, think like a prospective tenant.

What would you  associate with the season?

1. In cold-weather climates, tenants look for places to play in the snow. Think skiing, snowboarding and snowmobiling. If your property is near a ski resort, by all means, say specifically how close your home is, as the owner of the Big Bear Lake vacation rental does above.

2. If you have any photos of the property dressed up for the holidays, upload them. Who can resist a fully lit, 16-foot Fraser Fir in all its yuletide glory?

3. Show off that hot tub in photos. Folks who endure subzero temps will be grateful for the soothing jet action after taking their muscles to their limits on the slopes.

4. Ditto for fireplaces, and by all means, make sure there’s fire in the photos. A stone-surround fireplace is gorgeous and all, but even more brilliant when lit with logs. The only thing missing there is a family in reindeer sweaters sipping hot cocoa.

5. When the season is over, change the “linens” with new images that are appropriate to the time. Keeping the listing fresh reminds renters that you’re a conscientious business owner who tends to his properties and cares about the customer experience. An absentee landlord is like the neighbor who refuses to take down his Christmas lights–in February. Come on already.

To clarify, that’s the city of Steamboat Springs, whose city council is revisiting the regulation of vacation home rentals and property managers.

Known as “Ski Town USA,” Steamboat Springs has become a hotbed for second-home purchases thanks to its reliable snow drifts and luxe, roomy accommodations. On VacationHomeRentals.com, Steamboat Springs vacation rentals are stunners, where hot tubs with mountain views, private saunas and Viking appliances introduce skiers to the good life.

However, some vacation home owners argue that the regulations place undue burden on those who have been following the rules, The Steamboat Pilot & Today reported. Points of contention: fees associated with adhering to a city compliance, parking rules and an agreement that calls for private homeowners to sign off when their roads are used to access vacation home properties. City officials, meanwhile, claims that the rules are effective.

The debate prompts officials to review the ordinance and submit suggestions on next steps by the end of the year.

Have any vacation home owners–in Colorado or elsewhere–encountered similar issues? Talk to me on Twitter @checkincheckout or leave your comment here.

With Christmas less than two months away, you’d better believe that the retail blasts will be on, whether that’s your inbox, television or weekly circulars. But presents aside, what do the holidays mean to you?

For moi, it’s the lights, the tree, bundling up and stuffing my face, but I’m open to creating new traditions with my own family. Would that include travel? Maybe.

In my quest for a non-traditional idea for the holidays, I found the Alaska vacation rental above, quite possibly the most affordable vacation home I’ve stumbled across in 276 posts or so. The log cabin rents for just $375 a week until May 15, 2010. The adorable cottage sits on Cottonwood Lake, where rainbow trout are yours for the catching (or releasing, if you’re merely into the sport). It’s pretty cold now (28 degrees, teens at night), which is why the deal is so good, but for you tropical climate dwellers, a winter in Alaska may just be the novelty you need.

Everyone in Florida has seen a pink flamingo, but what about the Aurora Borealis, which dances across the sky in spearmint, indigo and fuchsia swirls? Or what about a real reindeer? (Nature geeks, I know they’re called caribou in the U.S.)

Ask Santa for a Patagonia coat for Christmas, and head up North. Now that’s going rogue.

Tonight’s tomfoolery–MJ, the Gosselins and Gaga oh my!–will have all of us thankful for that extra hour of sleep, but in some places, daylight savings time isn’t practiced.

In territories and states like Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands, Hawaii and Arizona, residents don’t need to turn their clocks back. If you’re spending Halloween in a Hawaii vacation rental, your location’s tropical latitude ensures plenty of daylight in whatever season.

Lucky Hawaiians.

What is it like to be spoiled with so much sun?

Southwest Airlines and American Airlines just sweetened the pot for winter travelers: Fares as low as $25 each way to U.S. cities like Houston, Los Angeles and Chicago. The caveat: You have to book by Thursday, Oct. 29.

The deals on both carriers are valid on travel from Dec. 2 to Dec. 16, and Jan. 5 through Feb. 10. Fifty- to $100-each way flights to tourist destinations like Orlando, Miami and Nashville also exist, but for my taste, a winter visit to a Texas vacation rental sounds right up my-soon-to-be-snow-clogged winter alley.

Think about it.

Why on earth would you want to fly from Chicago to St. Louis in January? That’s like going from one tundra to the other.

Give me brisket, a 10-gallon hat and live music. Who cares if it’s only 60-degrees? That’s probably 60 degrees warmer than the Windy City.

So quick. Book your tickets. Cure the winter blues before that first dusting of snow.