Christmas Card Day

picture from www.webdesignerdepot.com 
 

In 1843, Sir Henry Cole, of England, created the first commercialized Christmas card. Now each year, December 9 recognizes him and becomes a popular day to send out cards to friends and family. Whether you and your family have a tradition of sending a funny rundown of what your past year was like, an aww-worthy photo, or a nice holiday message, you will definitely put a smile on someone's face by taking part in this day. If that doesn't really sound like your thing, consider drawing or printing out homemade cards and deliver them to a local hospital or nursing home.

Citations: http://www.holidayinsights.com/moreholidays/December/christmascardday.htm

Pearl Harbor Rememberance Day

photo from http://www.timeanddate.com/holidays/us/pearl-harbor-remembrance-day

72 years ago today, over 2,000 Americans were killed and more than 1,000 were injured at the American Army and Navy base in Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. The attack by the Imperial Japanese Navy during World War II came as a surprise to us, and the United States declared war on Japan shortly after the invasion.


photo from www.examiner.com 

 

Today, Americans continue to observe December 7 and keep in mind all of the lives lost as well as the effects of the attack on Pearl Harbor.

Citations: http://www.timeanddate.com/holidays/us/pearl-harbor-remembrance-day?starty=1900

St. Nicholas Day

picture from acelebrationofwomen.org 

Did you leave out a shoe or stocking last night and wake up with treats in them? That is a popular tradition associated with today. St. Nicholas Day is celebrated on December 6 each year in countries all over the world.
So who is this Nicholas anyway, and why does he have a day to celebrate him? Well, over the years, many stories and legends have been passed down about this selfless man. One of the very common ones is about a poor man in Myra, a town in what is now Turkey, who had three daughters. Eventually, the three daughters were ready to be married; however, their poor father could not afford the dowry that would raise the girls' chances of being married. With their financial circumstances, the daughters would most likely have to be sold into slavery. News of this family's situation reached Nicholas, who, touched by the story, anonymously snuck three bags of gold (one for each daughter) into their house over a fairly small period of time. Some legends have it that when he threw in the bags of gold through a window, they just so happened to land in a shoe. Later on, he would leave gifts for families while they were asleep in return for hay. Thus, the tradition was born. St. Nicholas became known as a gift giver, and people hopefully awaited presents from him. That hope still lives on today, particularly with children.

St. Nicholas VS Santa Claus
Many people are confused about what the difference between St. Nicholas and Santa Claus is, if there even is a difference! Hopefully ideas will be clarified if you keep reading below!
After stories of Nicholas's anonymous acts of kindness and generosity spread, families who lived in countries around the Middle East began to practice the "shoe tradition." When Dutch settlers went to New Amsterdam, they told tales of St. Nicholas, who they called Sinterklaas, and explained their traditions. The name Sinterklaas transformed into Santa Claus, who is now known to bring presents to children for Christmas.
Dr. Clement Clarke Moore, who wrote "The Night Before Christmas" in 1822, is the first person to


gif from www.sodahead.com 

introduce the image often times associated with Santa Claus that is a sleigh and eight reindeer. Over the years, Santa Claus and Christmas has become more and more commercialized. He is also an image that is associated with childhood, and sometimes with greed and entitlement or happiness and innocence.
St. Nicholas is viewed as more of a timeless figure and great example. He lived his life to help others, and he represents what the true meaning of Christmas should be all about.

Citations: http://www.stnicholascenter.org/pages/who-is-st-nicholas/, http://paganwiccan.about.com/od/yulethelongestnight/p/Santa_Claus.htm,
http://www.dummies.com/how-to/content/the-origins-of-santa-claus.html

Black Friday or Buy Nothing Day

There are two types of people in this world....


picture from silvereaglegroup.com 

 VS

picture from parentables.howstuffworks.com 



Sometimes up to a few days before Black Friday, or the day after Thanksgiving, you can find eager bargain shoppers camping outside of a store to score a great deal on majorly discounted products. Since the 1980s this day has been very popular for people buying Christmas presents. Many argue, however, that the sometimes craziness, greed, fights, and intensity of this day can interfere with the true meaning of Thanksgiving and Christmas
On the other side of the spectrum, Buy Nothing Day is also an increasingly popular day in Canada, the United States, and a few European countries. It was started in 1992 by Adbusters and is intended to focus on the meaning behind Thanksgiving and Christmas as well as abstaining from buying anything.
I decided to participate in Buy Nothing Day by not purchasing anything. Instead of using money, I thought it would be funny to count the change in my piggy banks that I have been saving for a rainy day that is still TBD. :)

Original photo; Abby Durante

Citations: http://www.holidayinsights.com/moreholidays/November/buynothingday.htm and http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation-now/2013/11/26/thanksgiving-traditions-history/3709209/

Happy Thanksgiving!

Cartoon by Dave Granlund from www.davegranlund.com 
 

As we get further into the month of November and closer to December, families all over the world start breaking out tradition from past years to celebrate the holidays. Thanksgiving is a day known to bring people together and focus on family, tradition, and what they are grateful for. Although this popular day did not begin being celebrated annually until Abraham Lincoln named it a national holiday that was to be celebrated each November since 1863, its origin goes back before then.

A year after Pilgrims arrived in the colonies from Plymouth, England via the Mayflower, the new settlers had successfully been able to harvest corn. That November in 1863, their governor, William Bradford, planned a feast to recognize the success. He invited Native American allies to join the feast as well, and that three day long celebration is now considered to be the first Thanksgiving. After several conflicts and disagreements, in 1941 Thanksgiving was officially stated to be celebrated on the fourth Thursday of each November.

Individual families may have their own traditions that are unique to them, but there are several common traditions celebrated widely throughout America. Since 1924, Macy's department store has been putting on its famous Thanksgiving Day Parade. It takes place in New York City, and the original one even included animals from Central Park's zoo. Sports fans can usually be found gathered around a TV on Thanksgiving to cheer on their choice football team. This dates back to 1934 when the Lions played the Bears and had a surprisingly large show up of fans. Football has continued to annually be played on Thanksgiving since 1945. Last but not least, who could ever forget all the mashed potatoes, turkey, and pies?

Many people decide to give back to the community or donate their time around the holidays. For this Thanksgiving, I went to my local Soup Kitchen and helped organize canned, boxed, and jarred foods for about three hours. The job was not very difficult and did not take up much of my day, but it turned out to be a lot of fun and my help was needed and appreciated. Below is a before and after picture of all of the food.

Original photos; Abby Durante

It may not seem like a noticeable difference in the pictures, but we reorganized everything. Boxes off to the side are filled with food that is expired and its contents are either being pitched or given to farmers to feed to their animals (depending on how old it is and what type of food.) Boxes on the ground are filled with food that either very recently expired or are about to expire, but is still edible. These boxes are being delivered to local families in need. The shelves have been reorganized to have items expiring at the end of 2013 or 2014 in the front and things that have a year or so in the back. This is so that minimal items are wasted.
If you are interested in donating food or helping out with the Soup Bus or Soup Kitchen, contact a church near you to get further instructions! It is always needed and makes a world of difference!


Citations: http://www.history.com/topics/thanksgiving and http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation-now/2013/11/26/thanksgiving-traditions-history/3709209/ and http://www.businessinsider.com/why-thanksgiving-is-the-fourththursday-in-november-2013-11

Great American Smokeout Day

picture from up4health.org 

 

Celebrated on the third Thursday of November since 1977, the American Cancer Society created this day to make people more aware of the dangers of smoking and assist people in kicking their habit to the curb. Their goal is to someday not even need to have this day because they hope that it will be eliminated all together. For more information on the dangers of smoking or how you could stop smoking, visit:  http://www.cancer.org/healthy/stayawayfromtobacco/guidetoquittingsmoking/


Citations: http://www.holidayinsights.com/moreholidays/November/greatamericansmokeout.htm

Book Worms

picture from www.clipartlord.com 

I would imagine that many of you are still recovering from all of the fun activities and sugar rushes involved with Halloween! If you're seeking a nice and quiet day, National Book Lovers Day may do the trick. This day is celebrated on the first Saturday of every November. Pick up your favorite read and dive right in, enjoy!