(NewsUSA) - As the holiday season approaches, more people are out shopping, searching crowded stores and online promotions for the best discounts, and using their credit cards to pay for it all. But beware the financial dangers of credit use — how you pay for these deals could safeguard your budget or lead to debt.

A CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER^™ professional can help you guard against costly credit mistakes, paving the way for a financially sound festive season and beyond. Learn more about how to use credit in a way that works for you with the insights below.

Choose Your Credit Card Wisely

Whether you’re shopping for holiday gifts or purchasing necessities like groceries, the credit card you use can make a big difference. There are several factors to consider:

• Interest Rates. Rates generally run from 21-33%. The standard bank card charges at the low end of the range, and retailer credit cards (those typically with the store’s name on them) charge as much as 33%.
• Cash Back. Among the best deals are bank cards that offer cash back ranging from 1-4% of your purchase.
• Rewards Points. Some cards have rewards programs where you earn points that you can redeem for products or services. They may seem attractive but are worthwhile only if you’re actually interested in the rewards offered.
• Cash Discounts. While retailer credit cards have the highest rates, some offer big cash discounts at the point of purchase. That may be the only time they’re worth using.

Improving Your Credit Score

Boosting your credit score can help you qualify for the lowest available interest rates on auto loans, personal loans and mortgages. If you can, pay the full balance when your credit card bill arrives. But most importantly, never miss a payment. Paying on time not only avoids late fees, but also is a key factor in improving your credit score. The easy way to ensure timely payment is to set up automatic online payments.

A CFP^® professional can help you develop other strategies to save money while improving your credit profile, including the following:

• Identifying which debt to pay down first.
• Switching to balance transfer cards that don’t charge interest for a year or longer.
• Converting high-interest debt with interest payments that are not tax-deductible to lower-interest debt whose interest payments are tax-deductible.

Establishing Credit

Lenders offer credit to people with a long and reliable credit history. Most young adults don’t have one. There are various ways to obtain credit, but steer clear of debit cards that claim they can help you build a credit history. When you consider the costs and requirements, they’re usually no bargain. You have better and cheaper options for establishing credit. Here are three of them:

• Get a secured credit card.
• If you have a student loan, make sure you’re up-to-date with payments.
• If you pay rent, ask your landlord to report your on-time payments to the credit bureaus.

The choices we make in managing credit can have a lasting impact on our financial journey. As you navigate the complex credit landscape, remember that CFP^® professionals can offer tailored guidance for your unique circumstances. Whether it's identifying strategic debt payments, exploring balance transfer options or establishing credit responsibly, a CFP^® professional can provide a roadmap for achieving your financial goals. Find a CFP^® professional today.

(NewsUSA) - November 15 is America Recycles Day – a day to celebrate recycling and encourage people to be mindful of what they consume and where and how to recycle. While it seems like an easy task, only 32 percent of waste is recycled, according to the EPA. Barriers to recycling include limited access to recycling bins, lack of recycling facilities and not knowing what can and can’t be recycled.

Regarding that last point, did you know that pet food cans, which are made from aluminum and steel, are recyclable? No need to peel off the label; just rinse the can and put the lid inside. However, recycling pet food cans is important because using recycled aluminum cans to make new aluminum cans takes 95 percent less energy than making new cans from raw materials.  

“Making a difference can be easy, and Purina has launched the #PurinaRecyclesChallenge to encourage pet owners to help make an impact by recycling their pet food cans,” says Gopi Sandhu, Vice President of Environmental Sustainability at Purina. “Aluminum and steel cans can be reused over and over when recycled, but we need pet owners’ help to get pet food cans into the recycling bin. We want to help create a healthier planet for pets and people for generations to come, and recycling pet food cans is a small step that we can take.”

To participate in the #PurinaRecyclesChallenge, pet owners can upload their best recycling trick shot video to Instagram and/or TikTok using the hashtag #PurinaRecyclesChallenge. Trick shots can be as simple as tossing a pet food can into the bin or as elaborate as the use of a Rube Goldberg machine. Through December 15, 2023, Purina will donate $10 for every original video posted using the hashtag and $1 for every engagement (like/share/comment) for a total donation of up to $100,000 to The Recycling Partnership to help increase access to recycling across the country.

Beyond participating in the challenge, keep these simple tips in mind to make a difference through recycling:

-Check the labels: Look on product packaging for specific recycling instructions. On Purina products, for example, look for the How2Recycle icon. Ask local waste haulers or community recycling centers to verify if a specific material is acceptable for single-stream recycling. 

-Check the dates: Know the recyclable collection days in your neighborhood and note that holidays may affect these days and times. For updated information, visit your local recycling programs’ website.

-Shop sustainably: Many brands use recycled materials in their packaging or design packaging with recycling in mind. Currently, nearly 90 percent of Purina’s plastic packages are designed for recycling. In addition, nearly half of Purina’s Tidy Cats litter jugs are made with 60 percent post-consumer resin.

-Share and simplify: Keep recycling bins visible during gatherings, especially for guests; this makes recycling easy and encourages others to recycle at home.

For more information, visit https://www.purina.com/about/recycling/recycling-challenge.

(NewsUSA) - Creating a healthier planet for pets and people starts with us and recycling is one act that makes a positive impact. While it seems like an easy task, only 32 percent of waste is recycled, according to the EPA. Barriers to recycling include limited access to recycling bins, lack of recycling facilities and not knowing what can and can’t be recycled.

Regarding that last point, did you know that pet food cans, which are made from aluminum and steel, are recyclable? No need to peel off the label; just rinse the can and put the lid inside. However, recycling pet food cans is important because using recycled aluminum cans to make new aluminum cans takes 95 percent less energy than making new cans from raw materials.  

“Making a difference can be easy, and Purina has launched the #PurinaRecyclesChallenge to encourage pet owners to help make an impact by recycling their pet food cans,” says Gopi Sandhu, Vice President of Environmental Sustainability at Purina. “Aluminum and steel cans can be reused over and over when recycled, but we need pet owners’ help to get pet food cans into the recycling bin. We want to help create a healthier planet for pets and people for generations to come, and recycling pet food cans is a small step that we can take.”

To participate in the #PurinaRecyclesChallenge, pet owners can upload their best recycling trick shot video to Instagram and/or TikTok using the hashtag #PurinaRecyclesChallenge. Trick shots can be as simple as tossing a pet food can into the bin or as elaborate as the use of a Rube Goldberg machine. Through December 15, 2023, Purina will donate $10 for every original video posted using the hashtag and $1 for every engagement (like/share/comment) for a total donation of up to $100,000 to The Recycling Partnership to help increase access to recycling across the country.

Beyond participating in the challenge, keep these simple tips in mind to make a difference through recycling:

-Check the labels: Look on product packaging for specific recycling instructions. On Purina products, for example, look for the How2Recycle icon. Ask local waste haulers or community recycling centers to verify if a specific material is acceptable for single-stream recycling. 

-Check the dates: Know the recyclable collection days in your neighborhood and note that holidays may affect these days and times. For updated information, visit your local recycling programs’ website.

-Shop sustainably: Many brands use recycled materials in their packaging or design packaging with recycling in mind. Currently, nearly 90 percent of Purina’s plastic packages are designed for recycling. In addition, nearly half of Purina’s Tidy Cats litter jugs are made with 60 percent post-consumer resin.

-Share and simplify: Keep recycling bins visible during gatherings, especially for guests; this makes recycling easy and encourages others to recycle at home.

For more information, visit https://www.purina.com/about/recycling/recycling-challenge.

(NewsUSA) - “My name is Tigress and I am immortal. This is my story.”

Michael Crichton meets Bruce Lee in THE GIRL FROM WUDANG (Tuttle Publishing), a gripping story for fans of legendary cyberpunk novels and gritty sci-fi thrillers. Author PJ Caldas, an Emmy Award winning advertising executive and martial artist with 40 years of experience, gives us a cinematic and thought-provoking technothriller shrouded in immortality. Through his unique storytelling prowess, Caldas, named by the Dictionary of Brazilian Literature as one of the most important writers of the twenty-first century, brings the essence of old kung fu movies that inspired generations into the new world of modern fighting, artificial intelligence, and neuroscience in a timely story that will stick with you long after you reach the end. 

Headstrong, untameable—a beast—Yinyin defies the warnings of her late shifu, her martial arts master, and carries her ferocity from the kung fu school in the mountains of Wudang to the mixed martial arts fighting cages of California. There, surrounded for the first time by Western technology, she ignores voices of reason when offered an implant that could end her crippling headaches. It could end her pain. It could even make her . . . more. All she has to do is allow the doctors to implant tiny, super intelligent nanobots directly into her brain.

Making her mark as an MMA fighter in California, Yinyin is poised to become part of something big. But what that “big” turns out to be is beyond her imagining when the scientific experiment she participated in makes her—unbeatable.

It feels like a dream, but nothing comes without a price. This experimental neuro-connection could give others access to family secrets buried deep within her mind—secrets Yinyin has sworn to protect. Secrets that, in the wrong hands, could be very dangerous.

The key brain tech described in THE GIRL FROM WUDANG is inspired by real studies reportedly being developed in labs at companies like Google and Elon Musk’s Neuralink, and studies originally proposed by scientists like Ray Kurzweil, cofounder of Singularity University. According to researchers, connected brains are still 30 years from being a reality, but they are coming.

Fans of the legendary cyberpunk novels and gritty sci-fi thrillers of William Gibson and Stieg Larsson will be captivated by this new techno-thriller--a fast-paced blend of action, neuroscience, spirituality and martial arts.

The book is receiving high accolades:

"An interdisciplinary brewing of ideas and imagination, packed with futuristic brain science tech, martial arts action, and Asian culture,” says Professor Paul Li, faculty and author in Cognitive Science at UC Berkeley.

Monica Rector, professor emeritus of Literature, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, calls the book “unpredictable, disorienting and wonderfully absorbing. A meditation on life, consciousness and letting go, in the form of a book you can't stop reading.”
Eduardo Capeluto, third degree black belt in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, calls the book “a mosaic full of bright colors and vivid details, a voyage into the imaginary that will keep you looking forward to the next page."

In short, THE GIRL FROM WUDANG is one of the year’s most addictive new thrillers.

Visit www.pjcaldas.com.

(NewsUSA) - There’s something about hosting family and friends for the holidays — it creates space for joy and togetherness, laying the foundation for new memories and stories for a lifetime to come. However, all hosts know — putting together the perfect holiday does not come without the stress of planning.

Fortunately, no host must prepare alone, especially with a trusted source in homestyle cooking and hospitality in their back pocket. Cracker Barrel has just the right tips for you to prepare a warm, comforting meal, that will leave your guests feeling like they’re right at home.   

Preset the Table. First thing’s first, preset your table the night before to allow more time for day-of preparations. Simple table settings are beautiful, elegant and won’t get in the way of the food platters. If your table needs a little something extra, shop Cracker Barrel’s retail store online to pick out this year’s festive setting and have décor shipped directly to you.

Make a Playlist. Music is the key to setting your holiday ambiance. Create a playlist ahead of time to ensure your guests are in the holiday spirit. Need inspiration? Cracker Barrel’s online music section has all the new and classic holiday albums.

Simplify the Apps. You know your guests are coming hungry, so keep your appetizers quick and simple! Opt for starters like chips and salsa, cheese and crackers, popcorn or nuts. Or, cater Cracker Barrel and choose from a menu of shareable sides and appetizers that are sure to provide the “wow” factor in no time.

Let Someone Else Do the Heavy Lifting. Let’s face it, holiday meal prep is a lot of work. Ordering a prepared Thanksgiving meal — complete with turkey and all the best sides — can allow you to spend quality time with family and friends. Consider Cracker Barrel’s Thanksgiving Heat n’ Serve Meals as a time-saving, stress-free option this year. Available in two sizes, these full meals go from oven to table in just 2-3 hours.

With these simple tips, hosts can spend extra time making memories with loved ones. Whether setting up on the front porch for family portraits, or sitting and connecting over conversation, just as many memories are made on the front porch as at the dinner table.

This season, members of Cracker Barrel’s new rewards program, Cracker Barrel Rewards™, can make their holiday hosting moments even more special with a custom rocking chair co-designed with Dolly Parton. To celebrate the launch of the new program, the brand is teaming up with Dolly on a “Rewards That Rock” campaign and giving rewards members a chance to win one of 667 limited-edition rockers now through December 4, currently showcased on Cracker Barrel front porches nationwide.

Sign up for Cracker Barrel Rewards in-store, online or through the app to start earning rewards that can help make this year’s gathering the best yet. Not only is Cracker Barrel your home away from home, it can also help you make your house a home this holiday season.

(NewsUSA) - Clara’s Secret by Stephan R. Frenkel

This critically acclaimed Amazon Bestseller begins with the captivating story of Clara Prinz, a remarkable woman forced to leave her native Berlin in 1939. As Clara embarks alone on a voyage into the unknown, she turns to memories of her adolescence during LaBelle Époque – the Beautiful Era filled with optimism and cultural transformation at the dawn of the twentieth century.

As Clara’s recollections unfold, readers are transported to a time of elegance and grandeur immersed in the vibrant atmosphere of the Prussian capital and invited to witness the pivotal moments that shaped Clara’s life. Through Clara’s encounters with luminaries from Mark Twain to Theodore Roosevelt, Clara’s Secret weaves an unforgettable tapestry of historical events.

Clara’s Secret is ultimately a compelling story of the advancement of humankind and the survival of its decline. Described by Kirkus as “a tender personality-centered biography of golden age Berlin.”  Purchase at https://bit.ly/3LyN81z

Blind Faith by Patrick Girondi

In another riveting tale by entertainer and eccentric author and CEO Patrick Girondi, greed and desperation drive brother to challenge sister's competency. Believers line up against non-believers in the circuit court in Chicago to decide if there is a God. 

Aaron needs Trish’s inheritance. As a blue blood, he knows the damage created when important resources are not held by the cream of society. Trish taught retarded kids. When her boyfriend, Hat, dies in a car accident, she reverts to her hermit-like self. Who better to assist Aaron than Sebastian Sherwin, a famously unscrupulous, atheist attorney?
Judge Cohen is up for re-election. There is zero public appeal gained by declaring a young woman incompetent. Unfortunately, the story is picked up by a blog and gains national attention. Overnight, his courtroom turns into an unruly zoo with believers and non-believers. Purchase at https://bit.ly/3NKUnos.

Nightweaver by R.M. Gray

Set in an alternate world that combines the Gilded Age with the Golden Age of Piracy, where what remains of humankind has been driven out to sea, Nightweaver tells the story of 17-year-old Violet Oberon, a cursed pirate with a mysterious past. After a lifetime of hiding from bloodthirsty monsters, Violet is captured and forced to team up with the notorious Nightweaver, Will Castor, a magic-wielding lord and the heir to the estate where Violet and her family are hired into service.

Together, Violet and Will set out to hunt her eldest brother’s killer, a shadow creature known as an Underling. But when strange things start happening at Bludgrave Manor, Violet discovers the killer is already hunting her—and it’s leaving a trail of bodies in its wake. Learn more at www.rmgraybooks.com/nightweaver.

The Pillars of Legacy by Joginder Singh Kalsi

There are some who live extraordinary lives, not necessarily because they set out to become remarkable, but because of the choices they make and by the way they live their lives. Jogi Kalsi is one of those people.

The incredible life he’s built is a result of the decisions he’s made and the values that have guided him on his journey. From his early family life in Pakistan and India to a relocation to the U.S., he’s found success and abundance by always remembering the legacy he wants to leave behind.

Now he shares that legacy, focusing on the pillars of education, faith, and positivity and how these factors have influenced his life. Through his real-life example, he shows others how to create a meaningful legacy of their own, with gratitude and love at the forefront. Purchase at https://a.co/d/bVn68pP.

(Kim Norris, LCFA President) - Veterans who have selflessly served our country face a higher risk of developing lung cancer because of their exposure to environmental hazards such as asbestos and burn pits during their time in service and combat zones. Also, many Veterans enter occupations with a higher risk of exposure to hazardous chemicals and materials when they leave the military. 

Fortunately, the Veterans Administration Health System, Medicare, and most private insurance companies now pay for annual lung cancer screening. Early detection and improved access to advanced diagnostic tools and treatments are essential to saving more Veterans’ lives. If caught early, the 5-year survival rate for lung cancer is approximately 60%, according to Lung Cancer Foundation of America (LCFA).

Jim Pantelas is one of those warriors, and he has been living with lung cancer for 18 years. He says that lung cancer screening is one of the easiest screenings you can get.

“It's a whole lot easier than an endoscopy or colon cancer screening. It takes less than two minutes, and you’re done. It's probably the least invasive of the screenings that I'm aware of.”

To call attention to the high rates of lung cancer among Veterans and to honor their service, LCFA has launched a new campaign called Breath of Honor: Lung Cancer Screening for Veterans during Lung Cancer Awareness Month this November.

The Breath of Honor campaign identifies seven lung cancer risk factors that Veterans should know. “Understanding the unique lung cancer risks for military personnel is crucial. Military warriors know the value of prior planning and early detection improves outcomes,” according to the LCFA. The risk factors are radon exposure, asbestos exposure, air pollution, family history of lung cancer, previous lung disease, smoking, and secondhand smoke, and for Veterans, you can add unique environmental risk factors.

“Nearly 8,000 Veterans are diagnosed and treated by the Veterans Administration for lung cancer each year, but that is only a fraction of the estimated 1.5M who are eligible for lung screening with annual low-dose chest CT scans,” says Dr. Drew Moghanaki, Chief of Thoracic Oncology in the UCLA Department of Radiation Oncology and Co-Director of the Greater Los Angeles VA Lung Precision Oncology Program. These scans are simple, painless, and effective; they have shown to be the most effective way to detect lung cancer at a time when it is most easily treated.”

Pantelas says getting the word out about screening as well as research is key to improving the lives of Veterans living with lung cancer.

“It is about the next guy. I mean, you don't get people functioning in a war zone because they want to be there. You get them functioning in the war zone because they want to make sure somebody else doesn't have to.” Jim Pantelas, a veteran and lung cancer patient.

Don’t wait—ask your doctor to get screened today!  For more information go to ScreenAVet.org or LCFAmerica.org.

(NewsUSA) - The 7 Pillars of Successful Caregiving by Dr. Ebony Ivory Green

Here’s an important tool to help navigate the complexities of caregiving with expert insights and compassionate advice.

This deeply authentic handbook provides practical guidance and emotional support to frontline and family caregivers, with a mix of actionable exercises, checklists, insights, and self-care strategies to avoid stress and burnout. The author, a seasoned healthcare professional and founder of Caregiver Support Services, provides an essential overview of the seven pillars behind successful caregiving.

Exploring how caregivers can work through their emotional challenges, readers will learn how they can help their loved one or client work through anxiety, anger, depression, and loneliness. Tips for coping with guilt and grief are also shared. Other highlights include guided meditation sessions and journaling exercises that empower caregivers to maintain their emotional and mental well-being. Purchase at https://bit.ly/3SX8KbJ.

The Dream Life Blueprint by Ferron S. Johnson

Have you ever caught yourself daydreaming about a life that feels out of reach, yet completely perfect in every way? A life where you wake up every morning feeling excited and fulfilled, where you have the freedom to pursue your passions and the resources to make your wildest dreams come true.

The concept of a dream life is not just a fantasy or wishful thinking. It is a powerful vision that can drive you to create the life you truly desire. By envisioning and defining your dream life, you set the stage for a journey of self-discovery, growth, and fulfillment.  Whether you're just starting to envision your dream life or looking to make significant changes in your current lifestyle, this ebook will provide you with the tools and inspiration to take action and turn your dreams into reality. Purchase at http://www.nglivebeyond.com/.

Agents of Karma: Debt to Pay by Alex Smith

Axel Drake was not a people person. He didn’t hate people, but he wasn’t particularly fond of them. He decided he needed a change, so when his uncle suggested he move into an old manor in New Orleans, he decided to take the opportunity. Unbeknownst to Axel, however, the manor has a few secrets hidden away. Luckily for him, so does he.

Now he finds himself brought into a world he never knew existed, and the possibilities are endless. Axel always was a man to take an opportunity given to him. A quick and entertaining read for ages 13-15, with thrills, twists and turns and characters that really come to life. A great read for the entire family. Purchase at https://bit.ly/3WTSWIM.

Scenes from a Misbegotten Life by Victoria Maiden

What if your whole life was like a badly written play? Would you leave the theater or stay, hoping it would get better?

This is the kind of decision our protagonist must make as she chronicles her messy and lopsided life, from preadolescence to senior citizen, in a captivating memoir. It features fascinating characters, bizarre events, impossible situations, even a bit of suspense. It takes the reader from Greenwich Village to the Greek Isles, from Hollywood Boulevard to the ancient ruins of Rome.

This is a ruthlessly candid case history of a woman whose life has been marred by mental illness in various and surprising ways. It pulls back the curtain and offers a vivid glimpse of what it looks like and feels like to wrestle with this condition on a daily basis. Purchase at https://bit.ly/3YICg8v.

(NewsUSA) - Generative artificial intelligence (GenAI) is converging with other fields in ways that will change the nature of innovation and promote a stronger, more general form of AI, according to experts at the Special Competitive Studies Project (SCSP), a bipartisan nonprofit organization. Mastering GenAI will be critical in the technology competition and the United States should adopt measures to organize, drive, and ensure it has the fuel and resources to sustain America’s role as the world’s leading innovation power.

In a new report, SCSP explains how GenAI acts like an “innovation flywheel” and outlines some steps the U.S. could take to translate this innovative power into greater national security.

The flywheel includes four stages, the SCSP report explains.

1) GenAI is converging with other strategic technology sectors (biotech, energy, advanced manufacturing).

2) The resulting innovations are changing how the world works, and illustrating the immense opportunities of AI.

3) These opportunities are driving organizations – from governments to startups – to reprioritize their strategies to adapt and leverage the value of GenAI.

4) This reprioritization fuels changes in the foundational technology inputs that make GenAI work: computing hardware, algorithms, data, and talent.

For the U.S. to become a world leader in GenAI, SCSP outlines eight bold goals:

●Establish a Technology Competitiveness Council, Office of Global Competition Analysis, and a U.S. Advanced Technology Forum to execute technology strategy.

●Develop a top-down counterpart to a Digital Service Academy; this academy would teach government leaders about the latest developments in GenAI, inspired by the Senate’s AI Insight Forums.

●Scale a new model of public-private partnerships within the U.S. national laboratory system to focus on GenAI and other AI applications.

●Cooperate on national security-focused, government-led moonshots to address national security challenges and spur the innovation that leads to positions of advantage in strategic technologies.

●Get back to basic research in areas where GenAI converges with other scientific fields and tech sectors.

●Expand overall federal funding for research & development, starting with increases to federal non-defense AI, that would jumpstart GenAI’s potential to accelerate innovation itself.

●Start a GenAI-enabled rapid grant program

●Establish an annual technology innovation fund to support investment in strategic technology targets.

“The current GenAI moment is an opportunity to get federal R&D spending – the lifeblood of innovation – back on track,” according to SCSP.

For more information, visit scsp.ai.

(NewsUSA) - North Texas City Serves Up Festive Décor, Shopping and More

It will soon be the season when friends and families can enjoy some time off to get festive or just chill. There’s no better place to do both than Plano, Texas, a city that brims with holiday fun for everyone from shopping enthusiasts to sports fans. Conveniently located near Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport and an easy drive from many major Texas cities, Plano is the perfect destination for a quick escape.

For sparkle seekers:  Come December, the entire city of Plano is aglow. And the twinkle is next level in the Deerfield neighborhood, where homes and yards are festooned with elaborate light installations. Drive, walk, or for a special treat, book a carriage ride. Another newer tradition, Lights on the Farm, transforms Plano’s Heritage Farmstead Museum into a wonderland of bedazzled and animated displays. Don’t miss a visit with Santa or the chance to make your own S’mores.

For shoppers:  A getaway to Plano is always fun and festive. But it’s also productive thanks to beautiful outdoor, walkable shopping enclaves full of gifts for everyone on your “nice” list. At The Shops at Willow Bend, The Crayola Experience has a great selection of stocking stuffers. At Legacy West, shop for everything from upscale athletic wear to Teslas. Once you’ve checked all the boxes, check in at the Renaissance Dallas at Plano Legacy West Hotel. The property features a lively bar, luxurious guest rooms with a “cowboy meets Samurai” theme, and a rooftop deck with a pool and cabanas.

For the shop-a-phobic:  If shopping isn’t your idea of a “sport,” there’s a new game in town. It’s called “fowling,” rhymes with bowling and combines the latter with football at the only Texas location of The Fowling Warehouse. You don’t have to be Tom Brady to excel at this new hybrid sport which is quickly becoming all the rage.

After dominating the “fowling” lanes, you may be ready to relax and watch a game on TV. But don’t settle for any ordinary sofa. Head over to the Dallas/Plano Marriott at Legacy Town Center and catch an English Premier League soccer match on the “Seat of Dreams.” Straight from the venerable home of Manchester United -- Old Trafford Stadium -- this sofa is the same spot where celebrity and VIP fans have watched historic matches across the pond.

Food, fun and festivities:  Plano boasts more restaurants per capita than some of the U.S.’ biggest foodie cities, and Legacy Hall, a European-style food hall + beer garden at Legacy West puts several of them under one roof, serving up a world of tastes. In December, the venue hosts “Hall-i-days at Legacy Hall” a series of not-so-ordinary holiday events including an “Elf” movie trivia night, Stories with Santa, and a Hall-i-day Sip ‘N Shop.

For specific dates, hours, ticket prices (where applicable) and additional help planning a holiday visit to Plano, please go to visitplano.com.