Holiday

Just in time for the travel-heavy holiday season, the federal Department of Transportation is proposing a hike in the amount of compensation air passengers can get for being bumped from a flight. And not a moment too soon. Under current federal guidelines, people with reservations who get tossed off a flight because of overbooking are entitled to a ticket refund plus an additional sum up to $400 - an amount that hasn't changed since 1978. The proposed change would result in a healthy $1,248 in addition to the ticket price.

Dinner parties. Holiday fetes. Gifts, gifts and more gifts. With the holidays looming, it may be time to hone one budget-redeeming skill: Saying no. It may not exactly be in the spirit of giving. But learning how to decline some invitations now - and throughout the year - can be key to hanging onto cash for goals that are important to you. Consider the numbers: Some 40 percent of consumers have already started holiday shopping, according to the National Retail Federation, an industry trade association.

It's time to get moving for the holidays with this week's deals: The Radio City Christmas Spectacular is part of the Roosevelt Hotel's Radio City Christmas Show Package, with a one-night stay and two show tickets, for $467-$898, depending on the date chosen. Offer is available through Dec. 30. Call 800-694- 1812 or go to theroosevelt hotel.com and click on "Packages/Special Offers." Cezanne and van Gogh headline the MoMA Package at the Shoreham Hotel, where one night's accommodations and two tickets to the Museum of Modern Art and the Central Park Zoo start at $339, valid through Dec. 31. Call 800-553-3347 or go to shorehamhotel.

Teams of law-enforcement officials began patrolling transportation hubs yesterday in at least 10 cities, including Baltimore, as a visible deterrent over the holiday, Transportation Security Administration officials said. Units including canine officers, air marshals and officers trained to observe behavior, called VIPR teams, have been sent to support local transit police at airports and subway stations in cities along Interstate 95 such as Washington, Philadelphia, New York, Providence, R.I., and Boston.

The first Independence Day fell on Thursday, July 4, 1776 - proving the Founding Fathers knew how to set the stage for a four-day weekend. But 231 years later, the holiday falls on a Wednesday. This timing may have put a damper on 2007's beach parties, but it probably will save lives. With July 4 falling on Wednesday, safety authorities suggest that fewer Americans will be killed in car accidents. The number of fatalities will "likely be less than if July 4 was on a weekend or adjacent to a weekend," said Russ Rader, spokesman for the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety.

Just in time for Valentine's Day, this news: Romance is dead. If you get flowers, candy or a card tomorrow, it will be an act of rote. A habit, or somebody's idea of what to do to keep the peace. "It's not a nice picture out there," says Gerald Celente, founder of Trends Research and publisher of The Trends Journal. He keeps track of demographics and cultural behaviors. "It is everywhere we look," he said. "People aren't treating each other lovingly. Romance is off limits." What can you say about the nature of love in this country when "It's Hard Out Here for a Pimp" receives an Oscar for best song, he argues.

Giving the gift of alcohol can be tricky. You have to be reasonably certain that the recipients enjoy imbibing. You should have a rough idea of their tastes, and know that they are over 21 years old. Then there is the matter of money. How much do you want to spend on these people? I did a quick computer check of what the experts have to say about the etiquette of giving the gift of booze. Miss Manners reminded that it was rude to hand something over, brag about how expensive it was and then demand a swig of it. American Express cautioned that the gift should be appropriate.

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Shar?n Clark, a 45-year-old Prince George's County woman, took top honors at the Billie Holiday Vocal Competition yesterday. Clark, a professional singer who is a receptionist by day, impressed the judges with her rendition of "Secret Love" in the final round. The competition, now part of the Artscape festival, is a celebration of Holiday's life and music. "This is the emotion woman to me," said Clark, when asked what drew her to Holiday's singing. "I think she felt everything she sang.

When school board member Scott Stone proposed eliminating the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday in Carroll schools next year, he caught just about everybody off guard -- other board members, the public and school officials.Once the motion was on the table, the five-member board unanimously scrapped the holiday -- along with what Carroll educators call Presidents Day -- with little discussion. The latter holiday honors George Washington and Abraham Lincoln.It's that seeming element of surprise that has so angered and offended members of Carroll's small African-American community and prompted them to call for the board to reverse its decision.

In 1987, Maryland launched its "one and only" tax amnesty holiday for those who hadn't paid their state taxes. Shockingly, in 2001 it happened again, and yesterday Gov. Martin O'Malley and others were in Dundalk touting Maryland's third such effort in 22 years. What do all three events have in common? Here's a clue: It's all in the timing. At the time of each, Maryland was in the throes of an economic downturn, and elected officials desperately needed the cash to help balance a state budget awash in red ink. This year's effort may prove to be the most desperate yet. Unlike in 2001, the General Assembly approved the amnesty last spring without giving the state comptroller's office any money to manage, advertise or market it. And that's one reason why even the legislature's own analysts are assuming it will raise about $10 million compared with nearly four times that amount eight years ago. Tax amnesty is not necessarily a bad policy, at least not in moderation.

The Center Club was decked out in garlands, wreaths and holiday lights. Everywhere you looked, there were candy canes, Santa figurines, decorated trees and gifts galore. A holiday spirit prevailed as some 300 guests merrily greeted each other. However, it wasn't Dec. 25. It was exactly six months later, at the "St. Nick and You" party, which benefits Mercy Medical Center's Neonatal Intensive Care Unit. "Every year, we do [an event that's] a play on words," explained Mercy's executive chair, Sister Helen Amos.

Like the rest of America, the Easter Bunny is scaling back. Spending on chocolate bunnies, Easter outfits, flowers and other holiday fare is projected to fall about 14 percent this year after holding steady in 2008, according to the National Retail Federation. Shoppers expect to spend an average of $116.59 for the Easter holiday, down from $135.03 a year ago, according to a survey conducted by BIGresearch for the retail trade group. The largest expense will be Easter dinner, with the average person expected to spend $37.67 on food, down from $41.09 last year, the survey found.

Every spring, Susan Schnerb and her husband leave New York City for a food-centric week in, of all places, Reisterstown. The couple swears the meals are so delicious and so modern at the Pearlstone Conference and Retreat Center, they almost forget it's Passover, which begins Wednesday night - a beloved Jewish holiday but, with its ban on things like leavened bread, cake and pasta, not one widely praised for haute cuisine. "You always hear, 'It's Passover, and I can't have this and I can't have that,' " says Schnerb, a Baltimore native.

Last year was the first Valentine's Day for me and my boyfriend. Never one to fuss over the holiday - it's purely a commercial holiday, in my mind - I casually mentioned to him that I didn't want a big deal made over Valentine's. He agreed, and not another word was said of it. But my casual attitude turned out to be easier said than kept. Since I was covering Valentine's Day for Baltamour, the Baltimore Sun's dating and relationships blog, it was all Cupid, all the time. As I crafted gift guides and picked out card suggestions for those who chose to celebrate the holiday, I fell under its spell.

Holiday with kids is never too long We have truly reached a new low in our society when a two-week holiday vacation from school is seen as a source of parental stress rather than joy and happiness ("Too-long-holiday blues," Jan. 3). But, first, let's get the whole 14 days off thing straight. Eight of the days were holidays or weekend days. That leaves six "extra" days that the parents had to spend with their children. As a parent of three school-age boys, I found many things to do over this wonderful break.

Keturah Stovall, 9, turned to a small mirror and admired the African-inspired pink and orange designs freshly painted on her face. "I like my face," she said softly to her mother, Monique Fitzgerald of Baltimore. "It's beautiful." Stovall and her mother were among those yesterday who visited the Reginald F. Lewis Museum of Maryland African American History and Culture for its fourth annual Kwanzaa celebration. Organizers said they expected 1,000 people for the daylong event. Yesterday was the second day of Kwanzaa, a seven-day holiday that honors African-American people, history and culture.

For many people, spreading holiday cheer includes making donations to charity. But county consumer protection officials are warning residents to be wary of telephone and e-mail solicitations, particularly during a holiday season riddled with economic woes. "Certainly the holiday season brings out people who want to take advantage of people's generosity," said Rebecca Bowman, Office of Consumer Affairs administrator. "And I think in hard economic times, it's not uncommon to see solicitations aimed at people who may be in trouble."

Christmas on the Potomac Where:: The Gaylord National Resort & Convention Center in National Harbor, a 300-acre waterfront resort in Prince George's County. When:: Runs through Dec. 30. What:: "Christmas on the Potomac" is a celebration of the holidays. Highlights include a 60-foot-tall "Tree of Light," 50- to 150-foot sparkling icicles and a miniature train village. There also will be performances of holiday music by regional high school choirs and gospel groups, a Christmas market, a Christmas Day buffet and a tribute to Hanukkah and Kwanzaa.

Most years, as fall slowly slips into winter, many of us feel the need to update our wardrobes with something appropriately "holiday." But with the economy about as bad as a re-gifted fruitcake, fashion followers will be happy to know that this holiday season, all that autumn-appropriate gear you bought two months ago - knitwear and tweed and faux-fur vests - still will work for most holiday parties. "You'll see knitwear in everything for the holiday season," said Toni James, owner of Katwalk, a fashion-forward boutique on Read Street.