Looking for a way to say “Happy Holidays” that won’t break the bank? Then we have the deal you’ve been looking for at the High Pointe Inn, a Cape Cod bed and breakfast inn.

SAVE 20% on all High Pointe Inn Gift Certificates purchased Friday, 11/26 through Monday, 11/29/2020. Get in on the savings NOW! Purchase a gift certificate in ANY amount and SAVE 20%. That’s right, purchase a gift certificate worth $100 and pay just $80; purchase one for $500 and pay just $400! Buy one for yourself and treat yourself to a relaxing Cape Cod vacation later, or give one to your friends and family members for the holidays.

Just click on the “Gift Certificates” link on our website to purchase online or call toll free 888-362-4441. Please mention the “Black Friday/Cyber Monday” sale to receive the discount.

Sale ends at MIDNIGHT 11/29/2020.

Rich and I just returned from a marvelous 2-week trip to the Big Island of Hawaii. To say we had perfect weather would be an understatement. 83 degrees and sunny or mostly sunny for 14 days straight, with light winds, little humidity, and acres of blue sky and azure sea. It was heaven. It seems, however, that was not what our friends and colleagues were experiencing here on Cape Cod in our absence. We’ve learned, from just about everybody we talked to since our return, that the Cape experienced a nor’easter of sorts that hung around for nearly four days. High winds, rain, and even some early snow squalls accompanied this early winter storm.

Our first indication that Cape Cod had experienced some foul weather while we were away was the pile of wood stacked on the farmer‘s porch of our Cape Cod bed and breakfast. The wood came from the arbor that spans our walkway and supports a tulip vine, which has intertwined itself in latticework of the trellis. The winds were fierce enough to tear some of the lattice away from the arbor and the twisted branches of the tulip vine. Our gardener thoughtfully collected the scattered pieces from the front yard and neatly stacked them on the deck.

Once inside, we noticed a screen that our housekeeper left in the kitchen. It seems that it tore free from one of the second floor gable windows during the storm and she rescued it from the front garden. These two discoveries prodded us to do a more through examination to assess further damage from the storm, as the hilltop location and north facing windows of our Inn insures that the backside  takes a severe beating in a nor’easter. Alas, we thankfully found nothing more awry.

We did however, discover that other parts of the Cape had taken a pretty good dusting from the storm, as evidenced in an article in the Cape Cod Times on Thursday, November 18th revealing that the storm had uncovered yet another shipwreck on Nauset Beach. Approximately 50 feet of timbers were exposed, projecting less than a foot above the sand. Spotted by a local about a half-mile south of the patrolled beach, the wreck is located in an area that routinely gets washed over during big storms.

More than 3,500 ships foundered and went down off the coast of Cape Cod between 2020 and 2020. Most of those wrecks occurred in the late 19th century. According to the paper “the wreck appears to be resting on its side” and it is “unclear whether more of the ship is buried in the sand or if what’s visible is all that remains.”

“The wreck,” explains the Cape Cod Times reporter, “is similar in construction to a shipwreck that was found on Newcomb Hollow Beach almost two years ago, which was thought to be a late 2020s- to early 2020s-era schooner of the type that often plied the coastal waters delivering coal, lumber or other coal goods, this recent wreck.”

At any rate, its clear to us that the storm we missed while we were in Hawaii was a doosey. We can’t wait to get down to Nauset to see it for ourselves and we suggest any of you other shipwreck hunters interested in taking a peek get down here soon. Who knows when the next storm will come and erase all evidence of it again?

To see a video of the wreck, click here.

What could be more fun at this time of year, than revisiting old traditions and discovering new ones? A traditionalist at heart, I love recreating holiday rites from my childhood, but as the explorer and adventurer I aspire to be, I never shy away from trying something new. When the days grow shorter, and darkness seems to shroud the landscape, having a new adventure to look forward to always lifts my spirits. So I’m delighted to have some annual Cape Cod holiday events to return to this year, and will make an effort to sample some new venues as time and inspiration allow. Come visit Cape Cod for the holidays…we always have a room for you at our Cape Cod Bed and Breakfast Inn, the  High Pointe Inn in West Barnstable, MA. See event details below.

Heritage Museum & Gardens’ annual celebration of lights, Gardens Aglow, will be held each Friday, Saturday and Sunday from 5 to 9 p.m. beginning on November 26th and concluding on December 19th. During that time, the grounds will be sparkling with lights, the auto and art museums will be adorned for the season and feature a Gingerbread Exhibit created by the area’s most talented bakers. There will also be holiday performers, drop-in craft activities, and visits from Santa. On December 16th, Heritage will host a cocktail party and light viewing prior to a special performance of the Chatham Choral Chamber Singers.

The Church of the Transfiguration at Rock Harbor in Orleans invites all to the annual celebration of the Advent Service of Lessons and Carols on November 27th and 28th. This candle-lit service opens the season of Advent, with Scripture readings, prayers, and music sung by Gloriae Dei Cantores at the Church of the Transfiguration. The celebration on Saturday, November 27th will be at 7:30 pm; the celebration on Sunday, November 28th will be at 3 p.m. Doors open one hour prior to each service.

Cape Cod Symphony Orchestra will host its annual Holiday Pops Spectacular from December 3-5 at the Barnstable Performing Arts Center on West Main Street. Rekindle fond memories of the holidays with a merry medley of old favorites including “Winter Wonderland,” “I’ll Be Home for Christmas,” and “Little Drummer Boy.” The December 3rd concerts will be held at 4 and 8 PM and the December 4th concert will be at 3 PM .

Christmas Holly Days in Sandwich begins Friday, December 3 and continues through Sunday, December 5. Special events include the north Pole Express, a magical train ride to see Santa and his elves at the North pole; plus an opportunity to tour beautifully decorated homes in a pristine New England Village.

25th Annual Christmas Stroll in Yarmouthport. Stroll along Route 6A in the village of Yarmouth Port, Sunday, December 5th, from 1:00 to 4:00 p.m. The businesses, restaurants, bed & breakfasts and museums welcome the public with holiday decorations, food and music of the season along with Santa arriving on a horse-drawn hay wagon.

The Coonamesset Inn in Falmouth will host an Elizabethan Yuletide Madrigal Feast on December 14. Mastersingers will recreate the magic of an Elizabethan feasting hall with a sumptuous meal, gorgeous period costumes, plus music and entertainment.