As summer begins to wind down and the kiddos return to their booklearnin’, the holidays loom. Strange as it may be to picture snow covered hills and sleety streets, before you jingle those bells and string those lights, take your own holiday.

Balmy, breeze-tickled beaches beneath bending palms await – the islands of Sanibel and Captiva beckon. Believe it or not, paradise isn’t a world away.

While you still can, catch a ride, run, walk or fly to Florida’s Lee Island Coast. Though the pair of pretty places are barrier islands, the only thing they’ll bar is harsh reality. As they protect the mainland, so will they protect your sanity.

Powder-soft, white sand sprawls over the landscape devoid of metropolitan chaos and is thriving with preserved charm and, at times, whimsical wildlife.

Intimate seclusion is readily available, with the more remote Captiva Island boasting a charm all its own in quirky restaurants and shops. Sanibel touts leading initiatives in ecotourism with 25 winding wiles of “multi-use” paths for recreation; additionally, no building rises higher than the tallest palm tree on the island.

Snag some free time (or vacation time before the year’s end) or drop the kiddos off for a spoiler weekend at grandma’s. Your sanity (and hopeless romantic side) will thank you after a stroll on Sanibel’s famed pier to the historic lighthouse, or after basking in the soft, rosey peach glow of a “Captiva”ting sunset with your sweetheart.

Whether you drop into all the local sights to see or firmly plant yourself on the shell-strewn beaches for your entire trip, head home deeply touched (and relaxed) by natural beauty with your beloved.

The islands of Sanibel and Captiva rest southwest of Fort Myers, accessible by the three mile causeway over San Carlos Bay.