Today’s CottageDaily is written by guest blogger, Heather Bayer.

Thanksgiving has always been a bit of a curiosity for me because we never celebrated it in England. Autumn in the old country has a motley mix of notable dates none of which include any significant amount of eating.

There’s ‘harvest festivals’, which are church services held in September to celebrate bringing in the crops; Guy Fawkes night on November 5^th in recognition of a 16^th century terrorist whose Gunpowder Plot almost blew up the Houses of Parliament; and more recently as a nod to north American marketing,

Halloween seems to have grown in popularity. But there’s nothing this side of Christmas remotely resembling the lavish eating orgy my Canadian and American friends have delighted me with since my arrival on these shores.

This year we’ll be spending Thanksgiving at a cottage enjoying the beautiful Ontario countryside in its fall splendour. I can’t think of anything nicer than following up that big meal with a long country walk, kicking leaves and throwing sticks for the dog, and coming back to cosy up in front of a wood burning stove. Then to top it all, wrapping up warm to sit around a campfire under the stars, to end a perfect day.

If this is your idea of paradise too, renting a lakefront cottage could be just the antidote to any thoughts of the approaching winter. Even at this short notice, there’s still plenty of properties available if you know where to look. CottageLINK Rental Management has a selection of cottages listed for the long weekend, some with open fireplaces or wood burning stoves. But before you start looking and anticipating your country break, there’s a few things to remember.

• Don’t exceed the maximum number the cottage will accommodate. Before you start asking all your friends to come to this great cottage you’ve booked, make sure you know how many can be accommodated. The listing will show the maximum amount of people allowed and you must not exceed this number. The neighbours will probably be up at the cottage for the holidays too, and they won’t hesitate to let the owner know if any overcrowding occurs.

• When you book a rental cottage, particularly for a celebratory event, remember to take along any special cooking utensils that you just couldn’t be without. Most cottage kitchens, although they will be adequately equipped, may not have the complete range of cookware you have at home. So if you plan on having seven different types of veggies and want a separate serving dish for each, you’ll need to take some with you.

• Pack your favourite tableware, napkins and candles as well, if having these match is important to you. Some cottages will provide nothing more than a set of plastic table mats each depicting a different view of Niagara Falls, and a few paper serviettes – which may not line up with your vision of the perfect Thanksgiving table…

If you like the idea of renting a cottage for your next summer vacation, this is a great opportunity to check it out and see if it works for you. Enjoy your Thanksgiving and have a great long weekend.

Heather Bayer has vacationed in many rental properties in Canada, UK and the US, and now owns and rents out her own lakefront cottage in Ontario. Her blog Cottage News, is a source of hints, tips and recommendations for anyone considering renting a cottage for a vacation.

This entry was posted on Tuesday, September 25th, 2007 at 5:05 pm and is filed under Road Trips. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.