Tag Archive for holiday

Interesting Juneteenth Facts

  1. ENSLAVED PEOPLE HAD ALREADY BEEN EMANCIPATED—THEY JUST DIDN’T KNOW IT.
  2. THERE ARE MANY THEORIES AS TO WHY THE EMANCIPATION PROCLAMATION WASN’T ENFORCED IN TEXAS.
  3. THE ANNOUNCEMENT ACTUALLY URGED FREEDMEN AND FREEDWOMEN TO STAY WITH THEIR FORMER OWNERS.
  4. WHAT FOLLOWED WAS KNOWN AS “THE SCATTER.”
  5. NOT ALL ENSLAVED PEOPLE WERE FREED INSTANTLY.
  6. FREEDOM CREATED OTHER PROBLEMS.
  7. THERE WERE LIMITED OPTIONS FOR CELEBRATING.
  8. JUNETEENTH CELEBRATIONS WANED FOR SEVERAL DECADES.
  9. TEXAS WAS THE FIRST STATE TO DECLARE JUNETEENTH A STATE HOLIDAY.
  10. JUNETEETHHAS BEEN A FEDERAL HOLIDAY FOR ONLY A FEW YEARS.
  11. THE JUNETEENTH FLAG IS FULL OF SYMBOLISM.
  12. JUNETEENTH TRADITIONS VARY ACROSS THE U.S.

Four Thoughts for the Fourth

To get us ready for tomorrow, I thought it appropriate to send you to the HufPost’s Four Thoughts  for the Fourth.  This short article points out what the day actually signifies, how our people have changed since 1776, how the 4th became a real holiday, and what the [blank] fireworks has to do with it!  I found it interesting and hope you do, too.

Happy Independence Day!

Why Presidents’ Day?

Presidents’ Day–What is it, how did it grow out of Washington’s Birthday, why do we celebrate it, and was George Washington really who the legends say he was? Find out at https://www.almanac.com/content/when-presidents-day.

Happy or Merry: the December Debate

We’re back to “Merry Christmas” vs “Happy Holidays.” Many Christians are enraged by “Happy Holidays.”  Apart from the fact that, to be reverent, we should take our greeting out of party mode (“merry”) and wish people a blessed Christmas, I invite everyone to consider this: There are at least a dozen religious holidays in December, not just Christmas. Three are purely Catholic (Immaculate Conception, Our Lady of Guadalupe, Feast of the Holy Family), others are for all Christians (St. Nicholas Day, Posadas Navidenas, Holy Innocents Day, and Christmas). Muslims celebrate Mawlid el-Nabi and Mawlid un-Nabi, Jews have Hanukkah, and Zoroastrians Zarathosht Diso and Yalda.  Right after New Year’s, when we all tell God that we will try to be better children for Him, comes the Buddhists’ Bodhi Day. Obviously, God in His infinite wisdom, not only made his children diverse but also nudges us toward Him in various ways. So, please don’t take offense if you hear me say “happy holidays.” If I don’t know if a person is Christian, I’ll respect God’s child and the way God is calling to him.

Pirating a Birth Day

Since today is my birthday, I was curious if maybe today wasn’t also a “National” or “Annual” day of celebration that I might participate in. I didn’t expect it to be International Talk Like a Pirate Day! Because I write a blog and edit people’s precious manuscripts, resumes, and Doctoral dissertations, I didn’t think it was such a good idea for me.  But it might be fun to try some year.
Here’s a   description of the day: “International Talk Like A Pirate Day is a parody holiday annually held on September 19. Celebrated for the first time in 1995, the fun holiday encourages people to talk and dress like the sea plunderers of yesteryears.” You can learn more about the day (and maybe be inspired to join in the fun) by going to Fun Holiday — International Talk Like a Pirate Day.

Ahoy, Matey!

 

Today: A Great Holiday to Observe

This morning I observed a holiday that occurs the second Monday in January.  Okay, okay.  So it isn’t official, but the fact that somebody obviously made it up is reason enough to observe National Clean Off Your Desk Day.  And the treasures I found!!!!!

I discovered 14 paperclips, 2 dried-out pens, the Christmas cookie I hid from a visiting child, rusty scissors, an expired Lowe’s credit card, a note to myself about a person who hasn’t yet paid me for an editing job I did for him, 5 pictures I meant to put into the family album I’m creating for my son, several books I’ve been meaning to read (how could I NOT have read Don’t Think of an Elephant, by George Lakoff?), an actual cassette tape, and, of course, a batch of papers I need to file.  Fascinating!

You may want to celebrate this day, too.  No telling how much your life will be enriched (past the three pennies I found).

Help for Holiday Horrors

We’re entering the season of get-togethers with family, friends, and co-workers. There’s always at least one person who wants to “celebrate” by using the occasion to fight political or personal battles.  All you want to do is relax and share good food, drink, and company.

Amy Keller Laird, editor-in-chief at Women’s Health Magazine, offered (December edition of the magazine) five ways to avoid conflict during holiday gatherings. I hope they make the next month or so more enjoyable for you.

  1. Agree to disagree. Not everything is a challenge of you personally. Walk away from the argument.
  2. Keep your emotions in check. As emotions rise in the other person, our own emotions rise in response. Keep yourself calm.
  3. Use humor.  Humor (not the sarcastic or demeaning kind) helps diffuse most prickly situations.
  4. Just say NO.  If someone asks you a personal question or tries to draw you into an uncomfortable conversation, simply tell them you don’t want to talk about it. That’s a perfectly okay thing to say.
  5. Remember what’s important, why you’re at the gathering to begin with.  Keep in mind what you want out of being where you are. Make HAPPY memories for yourself and your kids.

Yes, these are all steps that depend on you. But isn’t it nice that you actually do have the power to control the situation?

By the way, I think that these five suggestions are just as good for non-holidays too.

Go Forth with the Fourth

To get us ready for tomorrow, I thought it appropriate to send you to the HufPost’s Four Thoughts  for the Fourth.  This short article points out what the day actually signifies, how our people have changed since 1776, how the 4th became a real holiday, and what the [blank] fireworks has to do with it!  I found it interesting and hope you do, too.

Happy Independence Day!

 

 

“Meet Uncle Bob”

A 3+ minute video for your consideration, to prepare you for family gatherings this holiday season:

 

Your Holiday Guide to Dealing with Uncle Bob.

How will you cope with your right-wing relatives over the holidays? Check out our latest video for a survival guide.

Posted by Robert Reich on Thursday, December 17, 2015

 

Do You Waste Food in These Ways?

According to the USDA, each year we Americans throw away more than 30% of our groceries, which adds up to about $162 billion worth of food.  Much of that food is tossed out during the holidays, beginning with Thanksgiving.

We simply do it without thinking.

The article “7 Most Shameful Ways You Waste Food During the Holidays–and How to Cut it Out” points out habits all of us fall into and suggests ways to avoid them.