By Wendy Perrin

Sorry I've been gone awhile. My husband threatened that if he caught me blogging over the holidays he'd stuff me up the chimney with no earplugs. (Yes, the chimney next to the new drum set on which Doug's been banging out "Jingle Bells" nonstop since Christmas.)

A couple of weeks ago I wrote about the family with 4 kids who had to cancel their ski trip to Smugglers' Notch, VT--where there's little snow--and find an alternate resort with plenty of powder and last-minute availability. They ended up in Breckenridge, CO. Reader Kate224 wrote in:

"We're also thinking about a family ski trip this winter and are concerned about the lack of snow on the East Coast (we live in Boston). I have three small children and have been reading reviews of family-friendly ski resorts at WeJustGotBack.com. Based on its review of Copper Mountain in CO., I'm thinking of booking for early Feb. I would love to book Smugglers' Notch again (we went last year and loved it), but I would feel better if we got some snow first."

By Wendy Perrin

Yesterday I got a call from a friend of a friend.  She and her husband and four kids live in Washington, D.C., and were scheduled to fly today to Burlington, VT., for a family ski trip to Smuggler's Notch.  The problem: There's hardly any snow.  She wanted to cancel and switch to some other ski resort.  But it's the week before Christmas, so hardly anything's available.

Photo: Kusatsu Onsen Resort

By Wendy Perrin

Question from a reader:

"Do you know a travel agent who specializes in Japan?  I've been trying to find a list of accommodations near a ski resort that we want to go to."

Have you tried the Japan National Tourist Organization?  It has tons of great info about accommodations.  If all you need is a hotel room, there's no reason to use a travel agent.  But if you want a start-to-finish itinerary, the best person for the job is Nancy Craft of Esprit Travel & Tours.  I've heard nothing but raves about her from every Conde Nast Traveler reader I've sent her way. Bon voyage!