800-SUN-HILL (800 786 4455)

Dear friends
Foliage season has whizzed by, with a flurry of activity as is normal with record business in October (thank you!), and a flurry of snow which dumped 6" on our ridge. Skiers and children loved it. I wasn't quite ready to dig out the snow shovels, though. Locals say winter will be early and snow plentiful this year.

Foliage is the time we traditionally host the "strangest guests of the year", and fend off some truly dumb questions (yes, there IS such a thing as a dumb question). In the lot of leafpeepers, there were truly no "toads" (our word for a memorably obnoxious guest) this fall. The dumb question of the season, however, is a classic: "How long does it take for the deer to turn into a moose?" Without batting an eyelash, Lon responded "About 6 months ma'am… "

Nonetheless, the season didn't escape without one truly dumb move. This time I claim the award for myself, with an action last week that may well go down in the annals of gross stupidity by an innkeeper. It all started when a guest left his credit card here. We put the card away knowing he would call eventually. A week or so later, I just finished two days of wonderful wedding planning with a lovely bride, her family, and fiancé - the type of wedding and family we just love - reasonable, able to make a decision, and very kind. "Fine people" as my mom would have said. You know the kind you really want to go the extra mile for. Dad presented his credit card to pay for their stay. Carolyn, our front desk manager, had gotten off the telephone at that moment with the gentleman who had left his credit card - he called to tell her to cut it up. Now, Carolyn is so orderly that I know she can get distracted when a lot is going on. There was the credit card sitting on the counter. I figured Carolyn had left it out by accident, so I calmly reached

over and cut it in half. The father of the bride, ever pleasant, mildly said (as his eyes got wide and his jaw dropped) "I think you just cut up my credit card". Ohmygosh. I gave him his pieces back, but he made me put the scissors away before he got out a different card to pay for his stay! I could have happily crawled under the rug. And yes, despite this, Katherine and Barron are still getting married here in June 2004.

Now the guests, like the leaves, are mostly gone (except for the very stubborn apple tree which this year has held its leaves and produced exactly three apples). We will have two weeks of quiet before the holidays start. Our fireplace is warmed up and burning merrily, hot cocoa and chai have replaced iced tea at the coffee station, and we're taking advantage of our few minutes of quiet time to ready the inn, and ourselves, for a big winter.

"The boys" - our great handymen Paul and Corey - have been out trimming the trails for skiing and snowshoeing. We got in 12 pairs of brand new Tubbs snowshoes for you not too long ago, to go with our Atomic skis. Still trying to find someone to offer sleigh rides here - apparently the insurance rate for this has skyrocketed, knocking many operators out of business. Nonetheless, we'll see if we can't find a way to bring jinglebells to the door.

Lon has been busy finishing a stable for Jezzie the horse - I joke it is a palace, fully insulated, electricity, unlimited access to hay… For some reason I think he prefers hammering to working indoors on paperwork. It seems when I say the "p" word, he suddenly has to do something outside! I think I trapped him, today, though. I hid all his work clothes, leaving only dress pants and shirts. He is now pretending to be cheerfully resigned to a day in the office. Time for me to go have a cup of cocoa with Lon and try out those two "new" antique parlor chair we have put right in front of that fire. After all, we have to plan our day!

We're both looking forward to welcoming you this holiday season. Read on for great specials.

Lon and Nancy Henderson
Still the Worlds Happiest Innkeepers

Holidays are our favorite time at Sunset. Beginning the day before Thanksgiving, and running through New Years, we welcome you home to Sunset with little treats like wine and cheese parties for those who help decorate the inn during Thanksgiving, or caroling bouts if we can find someone to play the piano, filled stockings from Santa on Christmas morning (even private Christmas trees for family celebrations), all culminating in the best party north of the Notch to ring in 2004. And of course, throughout the holidays, we run incredible specials.

The Perfect Tree  We for years have offered a tree hunt package, complete with tree, sleigh ride, lodging, and dinners. This year, we are offering the same package (almost), but at a nice cost savings to you. This year you're not limited to a small balsam - choose your favorite! Pay for it on site, and combine that day trip with our escape to the trees package (sounds suspiciously like our escape to the mountains package, doesn't it?) - two nights, champagne at arrival or a special tree ornament, and our 4-course gourmet dinner nightly. Last we heard, the sleigh ride is free to all comers at the Rocks estate (subject to availability, and best after 2 on Sundays). And they usually have a crafts fair ongoing as well. Now, the best part. Only $199pp. Fresh trees are about $30.

Christmas
Magical: The inn aglow, snow drifting down on the stone walls and mountains, the scent of balsam fir… Join our family for two very special nights, Christmas eve and Christmas day. We enjoy wine and cheese fireside, a traditional …Yankee swap… on Christmas morning, and Santa brings presents for good guests. Our sell-out Christmas day dinner is a favorite in the area. Iced jumbo shrimp. Prime rib. Roast Tom Turkey. Yorkshire pudding. All those things one should have -- perfectly prepared, and in abundance. We include all meals from Christmas eve dinner through Boxing day breakfast (the 26th), and promise a postcard New England holiday. $229ppdo.

Here at Sunset Hill House, there are benefits to holiday shopping. Did you know that for every gift certificate you purchase prior to December 15th, we will give YOU a gift certificate for lodging valued at 15% of your purchase, free??? AND since your recipient can use theirs for food, retail, lodging - whatever they like, you know they'll love it! Available in any amount, complete with personalized gift card.

Celebrate the New Year   A year and a half ago, we booked the best band around to welcome 2004 -- and started to take reservations for the best party north of the notch. Our New Years Eve includes a phenomenal dinner in the Restaurant at Sunset Hill, followed by our late evening "neverending chocolate extravaganza" and other little goodies. Champagne flows at midnight. It is a party you won't want to miss. Of course, we offer a late breakfast on the 1st. $299ppdo for two nights (31st and 1st) or $349ppdo (30th and 31st). Add a third night with dinner $119ppdo. Extra person (6 and up) $99/night. Upgrade to a room with a fireplace or jacuzzi for two: $99/night. Junior suite with jacuzzi and fireplace $149/night. Master suite $199/night.

Look at the weather report to decide where you wish to go, then head out for a great day's adventure. We include your lift ticket every day (live from the inn, so you can go right to the lifts) or on the weekends, a 1 hour snowmobiling tour (shared sled). Sunday through Thursday nights, including breakfast, lodging and ticket from $69ppdo. OR, weekends and holidays including our 4-course gourmet dinner, lodging, breakfast and lift ticket from $129ppdo.

Presidents Day weekend is the same weekend as Valentines day this year, which guarantees that we'll be sold out early. Guarantee your own romantic getaway, by booking our Victorian Valentines & President's Day Getaway now. Three nights at our welcoming inn, where we'll greet you with a full bottle of champagne. You'll enjoy our fabulous 4-course candle lit dinner nightly, including our very special "Valentines Dinner for Two" if you'd like, when all ladies receive a small gift. Don't forget our full breakfast each morning, warm fires for warming your toes, and hot cider for warding off the chill. $229/night traditional, 3 night minimum if stay includes Saturday, else 2 night minimum stay.

Upgrade
our packages (except NYE) to a room with a fireplace or jacuzzi, $45/night. Junior suite with fireplace and jacuzzi, add $75/night. Master suites add $159/night. Extra person (6 and up) $99.

One day this fall we got a call from a local non-profit asking us to participate in their annual chili cookoff. In a fit of insanity, I agreed. I scribbled a note to my chef "need a big pot of some sort of chili for the cookoff", and left it at that. Three weeks later I walk in to see four cooks staring into the bottom of a very very large pot, surrounded by an array of spices, several bottles of Tabasco, a bunch of cut up veggies and two empty bottles of Sam Adams beer. There are times as an innkeeper you don't ask why there are empty beer bottles littering the kitchen at 9am. The smells coming from the pot were so strong, eyes were watering, but all four looked happy about their experiment. As the day wore on, every now and then a chef would walk by the pot, give it a stir and a taste, grumble something, and throw something else in. By the next day, we had something they all agreed was not too bad, and we sent it to town for the festival. I should add here that we personally were short of time and long on guests that Saturday morning, so when local police officer Dave came by with a question, and we found out he was heading to town, we impressed him into delivering it for us. After all, we reasoned, he wouldn't have any trouble finding a parking space…

Two days later a neighbor came in to say congratulations. Seems as if the chili had won - upsetting neighboring inn and good friends who had held the title for two years. We're glad to share our recipe for "awesome sunset" chili with you - as best we can piece it together after-the-fact…

Did you know that Sunset Hill House has three private event rooms, able to accommodate everything from board meetings to full corporate retreats? Groups from 5-100? Small Market Meeting News deemed us "ready and able to accommodate this sector". Our complete meeting package includes everything from AV equipment to meals and lodging - we even provide you our conference box filled with all those things you may forget, like post it notes and markers. And we can arrange for team building activities and guided tours and recreation as well. Call our meeting planners today for an information package and free quote.

Best of all, he (or she) who books a corporate getaway here receives a free two-night vacation for two at Sunset…

Makes a great big potful, so invite company! Come try our chili - this recipe and several others - in the NH tavern at Sunset Hill. We'll have it available all winter. Perfect for after-ski toe-warming.

5lbs hangar steak
5 lbs lean ground chuck
2 bunches scallions
3 large onions
2 yellow or orange peppers
5 red bell peppers
5 green bell peppers
5 ears of fresh NH corn
5 fresh chile peppers
5 dried chipotle peppers
10 vine ripe tomatoes
1 #10 can red kidney beans
2 big cans tomato juice
2 bottles Sam Adams

Seasonings
2 Cups cumin, then to taste
1 ½ Cup fresh chopped cilantro
1 Cup chopped garlic
¾ Cup Salt, then to taste
½ Cup coarse ground black pepper
¼ - ½ Cup cayenne
2 Bottles Tobasco
¼ c smoke oil
Dry Rub
¼ cup ground coriander
¼ cup cayenne
¼ cup salt
¼ cup pepper
¼ cup cumin

Dice the hangar steak and mix with the dry rub to coat. Heat pan with smoke oil and cook til brown, about 10 minutes. Then add ground chuck and cook another 5 minutes. Put everything in a great big pot, stir well, season to taste, and let simmer at least 2hours, preferably more.

We serve this at the inn with lots of fresh tortilla chips, cool sour cream, and fresh chopped scallions on top. Beer is the natural accompaniment with this, of course. If you want to be "gourmet" about it, you could try Sam Adams as it has Sam in it, but then again, with all those other spices, I'm not sure it matters much. Enjoy!