Easy & Free

When we think of costumes we typically think Halloween. A season of trick-or-treating, party’s and dances where many people are found wondering about in various forms of costumes. However, people need costumes year around for many different reasons. Consider all the other holidays we have throughout the year where some type of costume can be worn; President’s Day, St Patrick’s Day, Easter, Fourth of July, Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year’s just to name a few. So you see, even though more costumes are sold during the Halloween season, it isn’t the only holiday of the year that costumes are in high demand.

It’s great when people dress up as characters from the “other holidays” for Halloween. How cool would it be to open your door on Halloween night and see Santa standing there saying, “Ho, ho, ho trick-or-treat”! When my nephew was in the 3rd grade his school was having a big costume party with prizes for the top costumes. He went as a mini “Santa Claus” decked out in full-gear with the white beard, red velvet Santa suit and black boots. He won 1st place and all his buddies thought it was so cool. I remember it because that year on Halloween night it was a record low temperature and it started to snow while the kids were out trick-or-treating. His costume was perfect for the weather being that he was all bundled up with his white gloves and black boots. Every door he knocked on the person who answered would yell into the house for everyone to come to the door to see Santa. Boy, did he think he was cool.

But it’s not just an idea for kids, the holiday costumes work even better when adults wear them giving it a more realistic look. We all know Santa’s not really a child right? So this year if you’re tired of the same old witch, ghost and goblin costumes, you might want to think about hitting your next Halloween party or dance as Santa, Mrs. Claus or even the Easter Bunny! It’s a great idea too for couples and groups. How often do you see Santa, the Easter Bunny and the Tooth Fairy all in the same room? Everyone will love it!

Even better, you don’t have to pack away that “Santa” suit after Halloween, because you’ll be able to use it again in December for Christmas. That’s like getting two holidays for the price of one costume – you can’t beat it!

“I hope that while so many people are out smelling the flowers, someone is taking the time to plant some.” Herbert Rappaport

The first official day of spring doesn’t exactly bring with it the same anticipation as does, say, Christmas, or one of my kid’s birthdays. It’s not as though gifts need to arrive on time or one has cultural expectations or deadlines to meet. But a palpable angst about greeting it fully prepared meets me most every year. And this year was no different. I felt an overwhelming need to have all of my little duckies in a row before today. I wanted closets weeded, drawers re-organized, kitchen cabinets swiped. Winter stuff boxed up. And spring’s cheer to pervade each and every one of my living spaces.

I wanted fresh air, literally and metaphorically, to invade my mind, my family and my home. I longed to roll up my sleeves and wipe away cobwebs and crumbs. To donate outgrown clothing to a local charity. To go through my medicines and check expiration dates. Go though my business invoices and put them in chronological order. Clear out my files and discard un-interesting material. Delete months-old emails from my inbox, for crying out loud!

And all that my husband wanted was to see Kentucky beat UConn. He longed to lounge on the sofa in front of the tube—chips and salsa within immediate, easy reach—all weekend long, while I faced the daunting task of cleaning up my entire life.

Add to that the news that my mom was having some health concerns, and I felt particularly guided to drive the 150 mile trek to her home and spend all day Saturday visiting with her.

Motherhood brings with it a near-constant feeling of unsettled-ness. Of never really feeling like you’ve truly got it all together. Because just when you finally make it past one hurdle you’ve got another one staring you in the face. You watch your teen sail successfully through mid-terms only to sit through an unpleasant parent-teacher conference discussing her deficiencies. Or you get your whole family safely through flu season only to deal with each member contracting that dreaded stomach virus. You shovel out from underneath one last snowstorm only to get hit with high winds and hail. Or you finally breathe a sigh of relief that you’ve successfully battled the winter blahs only to find yourself emotionally unprepared for the perpetual cheerfulness of spring.

March madness.

I woke up Sunday morning feeling particularly unsettled. Having just returned home from a long day out-of-state visiting my mother and other family and friends, I looked around at my house and felt an overwhelming need to get my act together. Perhaps it was from dealing so personally with the realities of old age. Perhaps it was the lunchtime banter of aches and pains amongst the seventysomething set. Perhaps it was the long drive home giving me far too much time for introspection. But I returned feeling compelled to infuse a “Lysol moment” into my life. I craved cleanliness and orderliness. Freshness and vitality. Spring cheer.

Perhaps your circumstances are dissimilar to mine but your goal is the same. Perhaps you, too, desire to greet spring with enthusiasm. With a fresh start. With energized focus. Here, then, is my formula for fighting March Madness fully-armed:

Be well-rested.

It’s hard to face organizational and creative challenges, not to mention a whole new season, deprived of sleep. Research tells us we need at least 6-7 hours a night. You should find yourself generally able to conquer the world if you get this one thing right.

Be strong.

Get plenty of aerobic exercise and strength training. Gliding through spring requires you to be in fighting shape. You need to be sure that the endorphins are swirling through your body, so make sure that you’re moving, lifting and sweating. Whether you’re already biking and hiking, or you’re inside swimming or doing Pilates, keep at it. You want to shed those extra seven pounds that winter inevitably brings (I picked them up, too) and get down to your best shape. (And bathing suit season is just around the corner.)

Be disciplined.

Be mindful of what you’re eating, what you’re reading and what you’re watching. Spring brings with it too many chores to allow sloppiness or laziness into your days. That can wait ‘til summer. There are gardens to tend, decorating projects to undertake and end-of-year school events to plan. Leave the self-indulgence for later, after spring’s demands are fully met head-on. Attack closets and cabinets with a vengeance now so that you might enjoy summer’s own rewards later.

Be helpful.

The sure-fire way to settle any feelings of unsettled-ness is to do something nice for someone else. My own quick trip to visit my family this weekend brought me deep-seated feelings of satisfaction. It did my heart good to see my mother looking as well as she did; it calmed any anxieties I faced about possible health concerns for her. The fastest lift out of the doldrums is service to others. So look around and see where you might fit in community service. Or of simply providing a meal to a neighbor or friend in need.

Be optimistic.

No other season spells optimism as does spring. New life bursts through both grass and eggs. The sun shines. Clouds disappear. Allow yourself to be liberated by its uplifting, energizing days. Take a walk around your neighborhood or a quick spin through your nearest mall. Enjoy the visual delights of spring: the yellows, purples, pinks and greens. Pick a flower. Grow wheatgrass for your kids’ Easter baskets. Plant some herbs. Think of ways in which you might introduce new life into this world.

I confess to not having met all of my goals for this first day of spring. There are still a few messy cabinets and sticky floors begging for attention. But I am focused on fighting this madness before the day is over. Fully-armed. And ever so thankful that spring is finally here!

Yahoo!

Word Relay

This game is good to help review vocabulary and spelling.

1) Split the class into two teams and have a player from each team come to the board.

2) Divide the board in two and write a word on each side.

3) The players begin the game by writing a word with the last letter of the previous word (i.e. snake ->elephant -> toys).

4) The players pass the marker to the next students and the word relay begins.

I usually assign more points for longer words or will not accept smaller words.

Do This Do That

This game is a variation of the popular game Simon Says. Instead of saying “Simon Says” the leader says “Do this” or “Do that”. When the leader says “Do this” the students should follow the action, however, when the leader says “Do that” students should not follow the action. The amount of actions is limitless and if the students need a workout the leader can perform more physical movements like jumping jacks or push ups. The game can be elimination format or team format.

Teacher Basketball

With March Madness basketball taking place in Canada and the U.S. this month, I thought this would be an appropriate game to share.

1) Find a small soft ball for the basketball and use your arms or an empty garbage can to create the basket.

2) Draw two lines on the floor with an erasable marker. Make one line closer to the hoop than the other.

3) Divide the class into two groups and begin play by choosing a player from each team and asking them each a question from the lesson.

4) After the players answer their questions have them play Rock, Paper, Scissor to see who will shoot from the closer line.

5) Give a point for each basket and the team with the most points at the end of the game wins.

To make the game more difficult move the basket back and forth as the player is shooting (I close my eyes to keep it fair).

To make the game more competitive give one question to the players and have the player that answers first shoot from the closer line.

If a team begins to pull away, increase the value of the points to give the other team a chance to comeback.

Just though i’d say happy st. patricks day..remember to wear green…god bless

If you are blessed to live in a country where there are rich natural resources such as lakes, mountain ranges, or ocean; then you do not have much of a problem. But that is when it comes to having an extra special Valentine’s Day celebration. Every Valentine’s Day, the common things people do are having a nice dinner, dance, and watch movies. They also give surprises such as flowers, Valentine’s Day sweets, jewels and so on.

But if you want to do more than these things then use what Mother Nature has. This Valentine’s Day, take your loved one on a camping trip to any one of these breathtaking spots: mountains, lake, beach or river. Take your Valentine’s Day sweets, flowers and gifts with you and have a special day of hearts.

If you choose to spend this special day on the mountains then you have made a good decision. For one, you and your loved one can camp on a spot surrounded by the mystical trees and plants of the mountains. You can set up your tent, make a bonfire, and just soak in to the loveliness of the surroundings. At night, while keeping warm by the fire, you two can share stories or just talk and enjoy Valentine’s Day sweets.

You can also choose to go hiking during the day. Surely there are hiking trails on mountains that tourists favor. So pack up your back pack, bring along some water for re-hydration, and Valentine’s Day sweets for you to enjoy, then you can start your hiking adventure with a loved one. While hiking, you can enjoy the sights, challenge yourselves with the trails and so forth.

If there is a river nearby, why not try your rowing skills with white river rafting? This is definitely intense and an unforgettable activity. If you want a more relaxing and laid back fun, you can also try fishing. You can either rent a boat or set up by the bank. And while waiting for the fishes to bite, the two of you can enjoy good food, wine, and Valentine’s Day sweets.

While you may or may not want to be “wearing of the green” on St. Patrick’s Day, you may still bring the best of luck to you and yours with any type of celebration to welcome and open the door to Spring, which is part of the St. Pat’s Day festivities. It is just so enjoyable to go from the lackluster bland colors of Winter to the vibrant and enticing shades of green and Spring.

One of the staples of a St. Patrick’s Day dinner is Irish Soda Bread. There are so many different recipes available on the ‘net that you can pick and choose to your heart’s delight. This bread is so named because “baking soda” is the leavening agent and the “X” cut into the top of the loaf is a sure fire way to ward off any evil spirits that may be lurking around. Watching the St. Patrick’s Day parade from New York City is a relaxing way for family and friends to get into the “green” mode. Sipping cool and refreshing coolers or ice cream treats, or if you prefer a hot beverage, such as green tea with mint, Irish coffee for the adults, or even minty hot chocolate with whipped cream that has some “green mint” candies crushed into it just adds to the day. The “cockles of your heart” will be warmed and ready to have thoughts of corned beef and cabbage, and all the trimmings.

The first St. Patrick’s Day was celebrated in 1737. If you are into authenticity, then going to “Dublin” is easier than you think. You don’t have to cross an ocean, just go cross country. There is Dublin, CA., Dublin, OH., Dublin, N.H., Dublin, GA., and even Dublin, VA.

Hallmark proclaims that it sells over 12 million St. Patrick’s Day cards and greetings that are sent each year. Opening up an envelope with a wish, such as “May your neighbors respect you, troubles neglect you, angels protect you, and heaven accept you” makes for a great day indeed.

I grew up watching the Chicago river turn green each St. Patrick’s Day; okay, a nicer shade of green then the norm for that river. Using tons of vegetable dye, the ‘ol Chicago River becomes a “green” flowing river for a few days, which is a truly beautiful sight from the windows of some of the tall Chicago Loop buildings. It makes you want to turn to the person standing next to you and offering, “May the best day of your past, be the worse day of your future.” Kind of nice!!!

Kissing the Blarney Stone is a legend in Cork, Ireland. A good way to re-enact this tradition is to kiss the cook that makes home-made blarney stones for dessert. Using your favorite cupcake recipe, just follow the directions and bake. Cool the cupcakes and then frost with any snowy white frosting and cover the entire top with green tinted coconut. Just add 1 tbs. water to green food coloring till the green is the shade that suits you. Put the coconut in a jar, add the colored water, place a tight-fitting lid on top and start to shake that jar to some really hot Irish jigs. When the coconut is tinted evenly, dry on paper towels and then add to the top of your very own Blarney Stones.

Shamrocks and gold coins cut from shiny colored paper is a great decorating tip for tabletops. You can even place initials of your guests on the underside of the coins, and before setting the table with goodies, give everyone one minute to try and pick up as many of the coins with their initials on it. Then they can buy dessert items that they choose, that are just sitting on a side table waiting to be snatched up for the right price.

Corned beef and cabbage is a mainstay but with a bit of “green” imagination, any side dishes can be made that carry out the theme of the day. At the end of any meal, pass around a green bowler hat that you can make from construction paper and fill it with well wishes and blessings that are sure to please. Your family and friends will enjoy opening up their special notes with sayings such as, “May God bring good health to your enemies’ enemies” or “May you live to be a hundred years with one extra year to repent.” So toast St. Patrick’s Day and Slainte’ to you (pronounced Slan-cha and means “Health”).

Wishing everyone the opportunity to celebrate St. Pat’s Day inexpensively and in fun ways. Remember – If you ever wonder what God thinks of money, just look at who he gives it to.”

Enjoy.
©March, 2010
Arleen M. Kaptur

Me and my dad played one last year…Im looking for a certain one but I cant find it. Can anyone find me this one or a fun march madness tournament betting with like points and all? My dad and I like to.
Like one where you pick all your teams before the touney and then you just watch and the computer does all the point stuff for you. It would be great of you could give me the link. Thanks.

I do a league offline in which every person drafts 5 players in march madness and whoever has the most points scored between all their players wins. Is there any website that offers this type of Fantasy league?

Most people have played bingo at some point in their lives. It’s an enjoyable game, and it’s so simple that even relatively young children can quickly learn how to play. The standard version of bingo that is most familiar is played using bingo cards containing a 5 by 5 grid of squares, with each square containing a number between 1 and 75 inclusive. Today, however customized versions of the game, played using bingo cards containing words, phrases, or even mathematical problems, are increasingly popular in schools and education, as well as at social and community events.

Although these themed versions of bingo are popular for teaching school subjects such as reading, English, foreign languages and math, perhaps the most popular variants of the game, are holiday themed bingo. In this case, the bingo cards are printed with words or phrases relating to the particular holiday, so in a game of Christmas bingo, the cards would contain words such as “Advent”, “Nativity” or “Santa Claus”, in a game of Valentine’s bingo, the cards would contain items such as “Love” and “Romance”, and in the case of Saint Patrick’s Day (the Irish national holiday which is celebrated on March 17th of each year), the cards would contain items chosen on a Irish theme, such as “Blarney Stone”, “Guinness” or “shamrock”, as well as the names of places in Ireland such as “Cork”, “Dublin” or “Limerick”.

Playing Saint Patrick’s Day bingo can be a whole lot of fun for people of all ages, but it does require a little bit of advance organization before the event. The main thing that you will need to play the game are appropriately themed bingo cards – you may be able to find ready-to-use printed bingo cards, but this can be expensive – or alternatively you could print the cards yourself using your computer and some bingo card maker software. One big advantage of using your computer is that you can use the software again and again, including to print bingo cards for other holidays and events.

St. Patrick (Latin: Patricius; Irish: Naomh Pádraig), along with St. Brigid of Kildare and St. Columba, is one of the patron Saints of Ireland. He was born in Roman Britain, kidnapped as a young man by Irish raiders and taken as a slave to Ireland, escaped and returned to Britain, and then later returned to Ireland as a Christian missionary. Many details of St. Patrick’s life and works remain obscure, even the dates of his birth and death, however there are many legends about him, including the claim that he banished the snakes of Ireland (there were in fact no snakes in Ireland since the Ice Age), and that he explained the concept of the trinity using the shamrock leaf (a 3 leaf clover).

St. Patrick’s Day, which falls on March 17th, is the Christian feast day which celebrates St. Patrick’s life. The day is a public holiday in both the Republic of Ireland and in Northern Ireland, as well as in Newfoundland and Labrador, but is also a day that Irish people around the world celebrate their roots and their culture. The day is usually marked by parades and other activities, including family and community gatherings. Of course, no such gathering would be complete without Irish-themed games and entertainment – and one such game that is ideal for the occasion is St. Patrick’s Day bingo.

St. Patrick’s Day bingo is played exactly likely the standard game of bingo, except that instead of using bingo cards containing numbered squares, each square on the bingo card instead contains a word or phrase on an Irish theme. The cards can easily be prepared in advance by the event organizer using some bingo card maker software, and the game itself is a lot of fun for people of all ages, as well providing an opportunity for younger players to learn about their culture.

Theoretically anyone can become an NBA player but in reality in order to become an NBA player you have to meet a whole lot of criteria, you have to be noticed by scouts and above all there has to be spot for you on the team.

In order to selected in NBA, you have to play at college level. You have to know the nuances of the game and of course, train very hard. Players keen to selected for NBA maintain a strict diet regimen, exercise very hard and ensure they sleep well to help their body recover. They also spend a lot of time practicing to improve their game and skills. They make sure that they learn and evolve continuously as players. Usually, basketball players have to be tall. However, if a player is not tall, he makes up for this lack by being quick and accurate with shots and passes. All basketball players need to excellent and outstanding maneuvering abilities.

For those players who could not make it to the college team for some reason or the other, they should not feel disheartened. They always have the option of playing in Europe. However, you need to have good contacts. Players should find out how to get in touch with scouts. You can also get yourself an agent who will help you in all these matters.

Remember, if you are talented and top notch player, you will get noticed for the draft because of all the publicity you get. But this does not mean that you will be selected. There has to be an open slot in the team for you.

In order to part of the NBA, you would have to make basketball you life. You would be required to put in very long hours of training and practice. Plus take care of what you eat and drink as these are all connected to your fitness. You would have to build your focusing abilities so that during games you concentrate on the issue at hand rather than being distracted.

Once you have learned to do these things, it should be a lot easier to get selected for an NBA draft. Remember, commitment and perseverance will go a long way so start planning your NBA future today.

Though there are many ways to greet a friend or loved one during special occasions and holidays, one way to save time and money is to send an e-card. E-cards are the electronic version of printed greeting cards and are sent via e-mail. Printed greeting cards are still popular, but more people than ever are sending ecards today. In fact, an estimated 70 percent of greeting senders prefer E cards over traditional cards.

Many well known printed card companies offer e-cards as an addition to their regular services while some companies specialize in E cards particularly. With such busy lifestyles today, folks can log on to an e-card website, browse a few designs in their desired category and customize their card in moments. The ecard can be sent in a flash without ever leaving the home or office.

E-cards for any Occasion

Occasions such as birthdays, anniversaries, weddings, baby showers, bridal showers, graduations, awards ceremonies, and others are all great for sending a greeting or congratulations. There are always a variety of e-card designs for each occasion. For example, you can browse birthday e-cards until you find one that your friend or loved one will adore. If they love animals, there are hundreds of animal-themed ecard designs. If they enjoy a particular sport or hobby, there’s sure to be a perfect ecard themed with their favorite past time. If your friend has a favorite color, hairstyle, food or even a favorite saying or song, you can likely find an ecard that reflects their personality and likes.

E-cards are also perfect for Christmas holiday greetings, Valentine’s Day, Thanksgiving, Easter, Mother’s Day, Father’s Day, St. Patrick’s Day, Veteran’s Day, Halloween and other holidays. Christmas e-cards or X-mas e-cards come in various creations with lovely poems, bible verses or funny themes to spread holiday joy to your co-workers, close friends or relatives.

With e-cards you can also cheer a loved one when they’re feeling under the weather with a get well e-card greeting. Or, you can say “hi” to a distant loved one you haven’t seen in a while. Send a thank you ecard to someone that’s helped you recently, or surprise your spouse or lover with an ecard greeting along with an invite to a romantic dinner.

Greet Business Clients and Associates

If you own a business, e-cards provide an easy, affordable way to greet clients and employees. Many businesses today do most of their conversing through e-mail, so it’s logical that e-cards will fit right in with their modern communication methods. E-cards can also be used to congratulate employees for a job well done, to send updates to employees, or to spread company morale. And a great feature of ecards is they can be sent to anyone around the world by e-mail.

Whether you send e-cards for business or personal greetings, e-cards help promote a cleaner environment because they save on fuel, and no paper resources or factories are needed to manufacture them as with printed cards.

Go online today to start sending e-cards to friends, loved ones and business associates. There are many free ecard designs, but by paying a small membership fee at some websites, you’ll have a greater variety of ecards to choose from if you plan to send them often.

March madness is here yet again! Time for another exciting run for the national championship. This is where Cinderellas are born. Let me start off by saying, if you don’t know what a Cinderella team is you will know after this 2008 march + madness tournament. Cinderella teams are basically a team that’s a HUGE underdog that comes out of know where to make it to the final four and you would not expect in your final four bracket in a million years. The march madness bracket is the most exciting thing to watch out of all sports, hands down.

You can look at the NCAA tournament bracket history to help you decide on your 64 teams. Winning your local office pool because of expert basketball bracket picks is amazing and considering the history of the NCAA tournament bracket. It has been since 2001, that 3 out of 4 number one seeds made it to the final four bracket. It usually a wild ride and a number 2-6 seed takes it down the majority of the time. Remember Syracuse back in 2002? Of coarse you do…number 6 seed out of no where and a huge Cinderella sensation taking down the national championship. Gotta love it!

The other thing you can do is find a great professional handicapper that will deliver you expert NCAA basketball picks for a low cost. There are many professional handicappers out there but they will charge you a huge rate, some even $100.00 a pick which is outrageous. What you need to look for in a professional handicapper is a one time monthly charge, guaranteed wins or your money back, and willing to answer any questions 24/7. If you can find this you will be rolling in the dough and for sure to win your local NCAA bracket office pool.

There is no better feeling to walk into your office the day after the national championship and winning your office pool. No matter how much money you win, it is more of pride. There is no better feeling than predicting the winner and it being right! With a lot of research such as analyzing the conference strengths, taking a look at the team’s records, past bracket history, you could very well do the impossible…pick all 64 teams correctly!

This is definitely one of the most impossible feats and many online sports sites will even offer you over a million dollars if you do. It is called the million dollar bracket challenge all free of charge. Another tip when choosing your NCAA basketball picks is to look for key injuries to players on high seeded teams and also look for teams that are playing horrible going into the march + madness tournament. If a key player goes down on a high seeded team, more times than not they will drop in the first few rounds.

Taking into consideration a lot of factors will put you over the top. Especially finding a professional handicapper for an affordable price.

Labor Day, celebrated on the first Monday of September commemorates the American Labor Movement. It’s an acknowledgement of the important role that laborers had in building up the nations with all its glories and achievements. Needless to say it’s an holiday to honor and pay tribute to those workers of strength and perseverance whose selfless efforts have added to the growth and prosperity of the American nation.

Labor Day is celebrated in different states of the US with much pomp and gaiety. Different states have their own unique way of celebrating this day that come alive with the solemn feeling of the history of Labor Day and the euphoria associated with it. Let’s take a look at some of the unique ways in which Labor day is celebrated across the nation.

Mackinac Bridge Walk – (Michigan) – In Michigan people walk the length of the Mackinac Bridge on Labor Day, a tradition that started in 1958. Around 50,000 to 65,000 people participate in this parade in an average year which is traditionally led by the Governor of Michigan. The participation in this walk increased in certain years when this was made a part of political events for gubernatorial or presidential elections.

Boomsday – (Tennessee) – Boomsday is the annual fireworks that is organized in Knoxville, Tennessee on Labor Day. The fireworks are choreographed to music. It is held as the nations largest Labor Day fireworks show that attracts more than 325,000 spectators every year. The event is sponsored by the Knoxville Tourism and Sports Corporation in conjunction with local radio stations of Journal Broadcast Group Pre-fireworks fun includes food, exhibitor tents, live music and entertainment! Fireworks are set off from the Henley St. bridge and spectators view the show from the riverfront, hillsides, or on boats from the Tennessee River.

Louisiana Shrimp and Petroleum Festival – (Louisiana ) – The Louisiana Shrimp and Petroleum Festival in the Louisiana State is a traditional Labor Day festival born during the 1930′s. The Gulf Coast Seafood Producers & Trappers Association organized this for the first time, to honor the ocean workers–shrimpers, oystermen, crab fishermen to frog and alligator hunters and dock workers. Louisiana comes alive every year with water events, arts and crafts exhibitions, fireworks and culinary shows.

Bumbershoot – (Seattle, Washington) – The Labor Day weekend in Seattle, Washington, is animated by the Bumbershoot Art Festival. Since its golden days in the 1970′s, the place is a conglomeration of artists from around the world–writers, poets, dancers, musicians, actors and even acrobats take the center stage on the occasion of Labor Day. The event is held at the Seattle Center which spans 74 acres and which was built for the 1962 World’s Fair. With over 20 stages spread across the Center, the Labor Day celebration in Seattle definitely takes a creative edge over the rest!

Sweet and Hot Jazz Festival – (Los Angeles, California) – The Sweet and Hot Jazz festival is held every year on Labor Day in Los Angeles, California. Here Labor Day is celebrated with Jazz – the most popular form of music in the country. It’s a forum for the past and the present of Jazz music to come together with the latter paying tribute to the former. It’s a unique way to celebrate Labor Day and the idea is to honor the tradition of labor through music.

Since its early beginnings the Celtic Christian Church drew inspiration on the pagan traditions of the past. Many of our present day customs have their roots in the druidic or Wiccan rites of long ago. 

The winter solace starts on the 21st of December and is the shortest day in the year. Pagans believed in holding a festival of the sun to encourage its return and bring good fortune and bountiful crop with it. Accompanying this were a number of practices still very much in evidence today over the festive season.

1. The Yule log that we all have on our mantelpiece is reminiscent of the time when an oak log was burnt for twelve hours using the remnants of the previous years to light it. Once it had been burnt the log was decorated and kept throughout the year and its ashes were spread on the fields to encourage a good harvest.

2. Decorating your house with holly and ivy is very much a druidic tradition. They believed that these evergreens along with their blood red berries were a sign of fertility and rebirth. It was placed around doors and windows, so as to capture evil spirits before they entered the house in its spiky leaves. Echoes of this are in today’s practice of placing holly wreaths on front doors.

3. The same is true of mistletoe which grows in the boughs of the oak tree. Druids would cut it down with a golden sickle making sure that it did not touch the ground. Meeting beneath a sprig of mistletoe was considered fortunate and a sign of goodwill; hence nowadays at Christmas we suspend it above doorways and exchange kisses if we meet beneath it.

4. Advent wreaths again have their roots in Celtic traditions. The countdown to the celebrations was marked with an evergreen holly wreath or a Celtic rope knot to hold four or five candles. One was lit each week in the lead up to Christmas. Traditionally there were 24 candles, the last of which was lit on the winter solace, bringing most light at the time when the world outside is at its darkest.

5. Place a lit candle in your window to welcome Mary and Joseph should they be passing.

6. Catching the Wren, traditionally an Irish feast celebrated on St Stephen’s Day, December 26th, where participants would try to catch a wren, bringing them good luck. Now it is considered more as a time for going door to door, carol singing and passing around the hat.

7. Hogmanay, the Scottish four day festival of the New Year, is when the streets come alive with singing, dancing and partying. These include eating of haggis, a mince, potato and onion based filling put into a sheep stomach.

8. January 6th is the day to celebrate Little Christmas. Here traditionally women have the day off housework and the Christmas decorations are taken down. It is considered bad luck to take them down before or leave them up after this date.

9. The Celtic knot is a prime example symbolizing the life force, as in its never ending circle it weaves its path. These can be used in a variety of decorative ways, as place settings, Christmas cards or wreaths for your front door.

10. Christmas cake, Christmas pudding/ Plum Pudding or Figgy Pudding contain a rich mix of dried fruit, nuts and brandy. You start making them at the end of harvest and leave them to mature in time for Christmas. A cake of plenty made in the deep midst of winter.

11. In Scotland they have the tradition of First Footing, where at the stroke of midnight neighbors visit each other with a small gift, fruit cake or shortbread in return for a wee dram of whiskey. In other parts it is lucky for the first person to enter the house on New Years Day to bring a piece of coal as good luck for the coming year. Tall dark handsome men are thought to be the luckiest, while red headed women are sadly the least lucky ones to have knock on your door.

The Christmas greetings you will hear throughout both Wales and Ireland in the traditional Celtic languages are in Welsh “Nadolig Llawn” and in Gaelic “Nollaig Shona duit”. However you choose to say it, have a Happy Christmas. 

Halloween originated thousands of years ago, making it one of the oldest holidays. The Halloween that we celebrated today, has had many influences from many cultures over the years, such as the Roman’s Pomona Day, Celtic festival of Samhain, and the Christian holidays of All Saints and All Souls Days.

Hundreds of years ago the Celts lived, in what we now Great Britain and Northern France. They worshipped nature and had many gods, the sun god being their favorite. This was the god that dictated their work and their rest schedules. He was also known for making the earth beautiful and the crops grow plentiful .

Celtic New Year was on November 1st. Every year, the Celts celebrated, with a festival and marking the end of summer, (the season of the sun) and the beginning of winter (the season of darkness and cold.)

On October 31st once all the crops were harvested and stored away for the long winter, they would extinguish the cooking fires in the homes. The Celtic priests, also called Druids, would gather in the dark oak forest (oak trees were considered sacred) upon the hilltop. Here they would make new fires and offer sacrifices consisting of crops and animals. They would then begin to dance around the fires. It was at this ceremony the season of the sun would pass and the season of darkness would begin.

In the morning the Druids took an ember from their fires and gave it to each of the families. They would take the ember home and start new cooking fires. These fires would keep the homes warm and free from evil spirits, until the season of sun returned.

November 1st was the festival called Samhain (pronounced “sow-en”). This festival lasted for 3 days. People would parade around in costumes made from the skins and heads of animals. It was this festival that became the first Halloween

During the first century that the Romans invaded Britain, they brought many of their festivals and customs, with them. One of these was Pomona Day, named for their goddess of fruits and gardens. This festival was also celebrated around November 1st. After hundreds of years of Romans, the Celtic’s Samhain festival became mixed with the Roman’s Pomona Day creating one major fall holiday.

The next influence came about when the new Christian religion spread throughout Europe and Britain. In the year 835 AD the Roman Catholic Church made November 1st a church holiday honoring all the saints. This day was called All Saint’s Day, Hallowmas, or All Hallows. Years later, the church called November 2nd, All Souls Day, to honor the dead. It was celebrated with big bonfires, parades, and people dressing up as saints, angels and devils.

The spread of Christianity did not make people forget their customs. People continued to celebrate the festivals of Samhain and Pomona Day on October 31st. Over the years all customs from these holidays mixed. October 31st was All Hallow Even, later All Hallow’s Eve, Hallowe’en and then Halloween, as we know it today.

Halloween as we know it, includes all of these influences, Pomona Day’s apples, nuts, and harvest, the Festival of Samhain’s black cats, magic, evil spirits and death, All Saint’s Day and All Soul’s Day, ghosts, skeletons and skulls.

Ancient Rome is riddled with unique traditions. None can be more strange than the beginnings of St. Valentine’s Day. Though it was not named a holiday at the time, once a year, for a teenage male to reach his rights of passage (to the God Lupercus) he had to choose a name from a box. In the box were the names of all the teenage girls in the village. She was his for a year. Not until 800 years later did the church terminate this ceremony. It turned out it was a celebration of a man named Christian Priest named Valentine.

For eight centuries, the practice later known as Valentine’s Day was a cruel Roman ritual, actually a lottery of sorts. It all started in the 4th Century B.C.. A post-puberty young man’s right to passage was to the God Lupercus. Names of teenage women were drawn from a box by the young men and they were assigned the woman for a year to do with as he pleased, within the restraints of Roman culture which were rather lax at the time. Finally in 4 A.D the early church leaders stopped the cruel practice after an evaluation of how it had been created in the first place.

The event turned out to be a celebration of a good man, a priest and bishop named Valentine who lived near Rome in the mid to late second century. During this time Emporer Claudius 11 had outlawed marriage as he felt it made his soldiers weak, and he needed the strongest men available. After all, Rome was crumbling.

Secret hidden weddings had been performed by St. Valentine after he noticed the pain and suffering experienced by young lovers wanting to unite. He was soon caught and executed but not before Claudius tried to convert him, to save him from being terminated, to believe in the Roman gods, which Valentine would not change his Christian beliefs.

Valentine’s execution date was February 24th, 270.

While Valentine was in prison awaiting his fate, he came in contact with his jailer, Asterius. The jailer had a blind daughter. Asterius requested him to heal his daughter. Through his faith he miraculously restored the sight of Asterius’ daughter. Just before his execution, he asked for a pen and paper from his jailer, and signed a farewell message to her “From Your Valentine,” a phrase that lived ever after.

Valentine was later named a Patron Saint, and spiritual overseer of an annual festival. The festival involved young Romans offering women they admired, and wished to court, handwritten greetings of affection on February 14. The greeting cards acquired St.Valentine’s name.

As Christianity grew, so did the popularity of the Valentine’s Day card, and is now Valentine’s Day celebrated worldwide. Of course is a nonsectarian holiday celebrated by almost all faiths, and people of none. One of the earliest Valentine’s cards was sent in 1415 by Charles, Duke of Orleans, to his wife while he was a prisoner in the Tower of London. The card is displayed at the British Museum.

I only found out the origins of Valentine’s Day today, and found it quite interesting. So what I decided to do was add a “Sex, Love, & Relationship” section to my main gift shop, and mark everything down up to 80% just through Valentine’s day, just to make the Patron Saint proud. It can include a gift card and the customer does not have to sign it “From Your Valentine” but can if he/she wishes.

Cartoonist and history buff Rick London has marked down to 80% all his sex, love, and relationship gifts just for Valentines Day. He owns Funny Gift Shops My Funny Valentine Gifts, and http://www.LTSuperstore.com.