Showing posts with label Holidays. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Holidays. Show all posts
Birthdays Are InevitableWritten By: Christy Trent
They come around every year whether you want them to or not. Those pesky things called birthdays. I just celebrated mine. Next year I¹ll be reaching a milestone birthday, and I can tell you I'm not very happy about it! I plan on hiding out on the beach where no one knows me, that way I¹ll not have to endure any "Over the Hill" parties.
It's nice though to have people treat you special on that one day a year. At the library where I work, our staff enjoys celebrating heavily. The whole day is made special for the birthday person. Each year the party planners, two special ladies who love to throw parties, think of a different theme for each birthday person. The decorations, cake and food are all centered around the theme. Because of my recent foot surgery the theme for me was feet. It was hilarious. The food was all foot word related; foot long hot dogs, potatoes, Doritoes, Fritoes, and tomatoes. The decorations were mock ups of modified old movie posters. There was “Attack of the 50 foot Woman and her Feet!” The horror movie, “The Crawling Foot”, and my favorite, “Bravefeet”.
This year I received dozens of birthday greetings from all my Facebook Friends, and text messages from family and friends. Technology can sure make it easy to send greetings!
Over the years I have had many birthdays and birthday parties, but the best ones were when I was a kid. Back then each birthday was new and exciting, and you were actually eager to become a year older. One of the best things about our birthday was choosing what kind of cake mom would bake; with 4 siblings it was rare to every get something that was specifically for me. With all the choices I had, I always chose chocolate cake with chocolate icing. Matter of fact, that is still my cake of choice today. Sometimes mom would decorate the cake with our name, or candy rosettes, and then she would top it off with birthday candles. One for each year, and we would make a wish and blow them out.
There are many different ways to make a birthday special whether you are a child or an adult. The public library has countless books with hundreds of ideas from how to decorate a cake to how to make party invitations. The book, Big Birthdays: The party planner celebrates life¹s big milestones, by David Tutera, is full of imaginative and unique party ideas. This book shows ideas for those big birth dates; sweet sixteen, 25th, 30th , 50th , and so on.
Another good book is by Better Homes and Gardens with the title, Handmade Birthdays; 101 Gift, Cake & Card Ideas For Ages 1 to 101. Ideas, templates and recipes fill this handy book.
And to make the perfect cake for any birthday occasion, check out, The Ultimate Cake Book of Birthday Cakes. Learn how to make adorable cakes almost too cute to be eaten!
Birthdays are special and should be celebrated. Head over to your local library and check out these books and make your next birthday bash one the birthday boy or girl of any age will remember for the rest of their lives.
Written by: Jan Beedle
The years fly by faster as a person ages. How many times have I heard that from oldsters and overlooked it? With each passing Holiday Season, I am finding the statement to be truer than the last. Maybe it is because I go slower, but the world around me seems to be going faster…and faster. January is always time for renewal.
In “Fiddler on the Roof,” tradition means everything in keeping alive a culture and a family. According to Webster, tradition is a custom handed down from the past. During the prologue to the musical, the role of God’s law in maintaining balance in villagers’ lives is explained in “Traditon.” The song places an inner circle (the people) within an outer circle, which contains the lawmakers, the priest, rabbi, and others who rule the village. Without their traditions, the residents would be “as shaky as a fiddler on the roof.” When family values begin to unravel, so do loyalties – leading to dissolution of family.
Growing up and through adulthood, I may not have agreed or been comfortable with social or family special events, but I made myself grin and go on with the show. After all – I feel it is important for the matriarch to keep the family together. In a world of love, hate and feelings, there is always some issue to have to deal with – no wonder so many retirees find it necessary to escape to find solace with their own age group. Is it safety in numbers, other shoulders to cry on, or the need to avoid life as it becomes more difficult to face?
When I see the world population struggling for a drink of fresh water, medical care, or a scrap of food, I feel guilty about my own comfortable, orderly lifestyle. Each year, I resolve to cut down on extravagance to family and myself by giving more to the less fortunate. The smiles and gratitude of those who truly need the help would be my greatest benefit.
This time of the year is when I gather blankets and pillows for the Dayton area homeless, but I had my heart set on helping with the annual Elder Beerman’s Thanksgiving dinner this year too. If I could involve my family, we could form a new tradition…one that might mean so much more to each of us. Guess the rotten economy caught up with the tradition.
I want to change our family Christmas celebration for 2011 to a simpler format. Drawing names for the adults does not appear to be a bad idea. One gift per child would be a culture shock to the recipient, but facing reality of adulthood and the plight of those who have not might be a heart-warming experience. Besides, I no longer see or feel gratitude or appreciation for any gift. It is as though the words, “thank you,” were never invented. I only see great expectations of more in the eyes of the receivers. Besides, I’m asking myself, “How does the exorbitant gift-giving help the world?”
A month before Christmas I heard a bold statement from a seventeen-year-old, “I only want money for Christmas. I am saving for a car.” Now they are telling the givers what they want and the expectation is out in the open. Someday she may have to face the fact that she may have to work for it, same as most. Do ya’ think? I have my own name for this generation – the Gottahaveitallrightnow Kids.
Since I am now the family matriarch, I suppose the entire change is up to me. We could still enjoy the shopping excursions, but instead buy for the needy. Rather than RVing to Florida, I will hang around here and plan a new year with a revised strategy of giving. I wonder if the revived Thanksgiving Day gala can stand two or more servers, or four, or nine? I have always been optimistic. I hope that I can save the holidays and we can remain together as a family for next Thanksgiving and Christmas.
As Tevye from “Fiddler…” sang, “What words of wisdom can I give them? How can I help to ease their way? Now they must learn from one another day by day. “One season following another laden with happiness and tears.” We could all become as “shaky as a fiddler on the roof,” or we could form new worthwhile traditions together.
Happy 2010. Won’t you join me in my pursuit of a lasting happiness? This could be a turning point for you too. It takes everyone to change the world.
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“Christmas in October”
By Jan Beedle
Santa Claus, Indiana, is a nippy name that brings thoughts of snowflakes, snowmen, little elves and lots of toy making. I suppose it is not too early to ponder cards, because it takes so long to get them ready and send them.
Trying to cut down on the card list is not an easy chore. There have been years when I bypassed the duty and expense altogether, but the guilt will not evaporate from my conscience. The following year I made up for it by sending lengthy notes from a lengthier list. Then, there were the form letters…
Having worked in retail in one capacity or another for years, I guess it was natural that I managed the first Christmas shop at the Elder Beerman Budget Store in Middletown sometime in the mid-1970s. It was fun at the time, because I decorated three large trees, put together window displays and used the Beerman budget to accomplish it – no wonder it was so much fun.
Not starting the decorating until after Thanksgiving was soon enough to get ready for the busy holidays. It gave us time to reap the benefits of the harvest season without rushing through it. Presently, Christmas decorations and cards are everywhere. Halloween and Thanksgiving were barely celebrated, but I would enjoy Christmas music and Hallmark Hall of Fame movies. I was ready for “Over the river and through the woods…” a bit longer, before I hear “Jingle Bells.” Do not get me wrong – I love Christmas, but I want to enjoy all the fall festivities first.
Santa Claus, Indiana, was originally Santa Fe, but since there was already a Santa Fe, Indiana, listed by the United States Postal Service, the townsfolk had to think of a new name. Several unique stories circulate about how the people settled on Santa Claus. The best story tells that the town leaders were sitting around a warm stove in a little log church. All of a sudden – a puff of cold wind blew the doors open. Sleigh bells could be heard in the distance. One of the children in the room exclaimed, “Santa Claus.” Residents agreed to the name. The year was 1852. The name stuck and it is the only town in the world with a Santa Claus postmark.
If you want to send a letter, the zip code is 47579. As far as I know, all letters receive an answer by Santa’s busy elves. I plan to send one this year to see what the reply might be. Sometimes I am naughty and sometimes I am nice, so I could get opera creams or a bundle of switches. I already got the lumps of coal years ago, but used them for Frosty’s eyes.
A giant Santa Claus statue marks the entrance to the unusual town. Eight other large Santa statues dot the community. Across town is Santa Claus Cemetery. I definitely need to check out the tombstones – bet they are interesting.
A housing development, Holiday Village, has New Year’s Eve St., Good Friday Blvd. and Easter Circle. These names take the mystique out of Santa Claus. Streets in the old town carry the names of Christmas Blvd., Candy Cane Lane, and Mistletoe Drive. Christmas Lake Village continues the tradition, but hides behind security gates.
According to roadsideamerica.com and the Spencer County, Indiana archives, Santa Claus Land, built in 1946, was the world’s first theme park. I question the validity of the information because I researched the old LeSourdsville Lake Park, which had been around since 1922. My sister and others remember visiting it as a theme park in 1945. I know that Cedar Point has been a park since the 1940s. Earlier this year, I researched the old Myrtle Beach Pavilion and found it to be much earlier. Disneyland opened nine years after Santa Claus Land.
I don’t know how any festival of lights could compare to the beauty and wonder of Niagara Falls Festival of Lights. Hubby and I took the trip five years ago. It was spectacular, but the extravaganza is no longer available. The festival in Santa Claus offers twelve lighted neighborhoods in Christmas Lake Village. We could relish Breakfast with Santa, musicals, crafts, and a jubilant Christmas parade. At least I have plenty of time to plan. Think I would like to find out if I can catch the holiday spirit… won’t you join me?
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