Now that Thanksgiving has come and gone, I too can get into the Christmas spirit. It begins with the annual decorating of the inside and outside of the house, which if you have kids, you quickly realize is one of the many highly anticipated events of the holiday season. Mine have been bugging me to trudge up into the attic and drag out the Christmas boxes ever since the turkey platter went cold on November 23rd. We were out of…
By federal decree (and officially established in 1894), the first Monday in September shall be recognized as Labor Day, a day to honor the American Labor Movement and to recognize the contributions made by workers towards the strength, prosperity, and well-being of the United States.[1] Some people view Labor Day weekend as the “unofficial” end of summer (although officially, summer still has three weeks left in the season). School starts back up in Maryland on Tuesday, and the weekend will…
There’s a long holiday weekend coming up. It’s the “unofficial” kick-off of another summer season. Memorial Day weekend will be marked around the country with cook-outs, the uncovering of swimming pools, and an extra day off from work to celebrate the impending warm weather ahead. Amidst all of the holiday hustle and bustle; however, I urge you to take a few moments to understand and remember what the holiday is really all about. Celebrated on the last Monday in May,…
While out and about driving recently, the constant barrage of Christmas songs on the radio yielded a version of “My Favorite Things”, made popular from the musical “The Sound of Music”. My youngest chimed in. “How is this a Christmas song?” “Well,” I said, trying to sound knowledgeable and Dad-like, “ – I guess it could remind you of the things you like for the holidays, or an inspiration to think about things you’d want for Christmas.” “Rain drops on…
I happened to be out and about on Interstate 81 while running errands yesterday (in the rain), and it was once again confirmed to me that I-81 is without a doubt the worst stretch of local highway in the four-state area (and no, I’m not including the I-270 corridor from Frederick to Washington, D.C., which is its own transportation journey into madness). I-81 in Maryland is only a little over 12 miles, but it’s easy to age twelve years behind…
With just less than three weeks to go until Thanksgiving, you might very well wonder where all of the traditions and trappings we follow here in the United States came from. Well fear not, turkey fans, for I am here to provide you with all of the useless knowledge that will make you the conversation specialist at this year’s holiday table. Thanksgiving – the Date Thanksgiving was actually celebrated on different dates in different states in the early 1800’s. …