The symbolism of Labor Day has come a long way from its roots as a day to celebrate the contributions of the men and women who built American industry. For most of us, the day marks the end of summer. Ah, summer, the mythical season of endless days of relaxation.
Now that the flowers are in water, the brunches eaten, and the cards placed somewhere conspicuous, it might be fun to take a look at the history of the annual sentimental celebration called Mother’s Day. As far as I’m concerned, mothers are those women in our lives who nurture us,
The phrase “Fifth of May” doesn’t have much meaning, but translate it into Spanish, Cinco de Mayo, and it’s a celebration with parades, parties, and special food. But why is it celebrated? If you guessed a Mexican victory in battle occurred on May 5, you’re correct. If you know the
I subscribe to Darcy Pattison’s blog. Today’s entry announced that tomorrow, April 8, is Draw a Bird Day. Never heard of it? Neither had I. The day honors Dorie Cooper. In 1943 Dorie, aged 7, visited her wounded uncle in the hospital. Trying to cheer up a man who’d just
Ever had the urge to assemble of bowl of multi-colored glitter and just throw it in the air while you ran around the room? Ever curbed that urge by thinking about how you’d never get the glitter out of the carpet? If you answered yes to the first question, you
In case you missed the New Year Celebrations on December 31st, you have another opportunity on January 31, day of the lunar new year. Decorate with Red Chinese Lanterns. Gift your friends with red money envelopes. Welcome the Year of the Horse which, according to astrologer Susan Levitt, will be
Seems like the custom of lighting fireworks on New Year’s Eve is global. My son took the photo at right. New Year’s fireworks at Kailua Bay, Hawai`i. These colorful, artificial stars in the sky always make me smile in awe. Americans also have fireworks displays on the 4th of July,
I’m writing this on December 30 – exactly mid-way between Christmas Day and New Year’s Day. Time to take a deep breath before rushing to those New Year’s Eve parties – If you aren’t rushing already. Americans, especially the ones involved in retail, are always rushing. I’m picking a bit
Not everyone enjoys December holidays. For every memory of joyful family traditions, there are other memories. Life does not stop – which is why the holidays can never be as perfect as we imagine. Holidays are about the past. They remind us of something important to an individual, family, or
The year-end holiday season brings joy to children looking forward to school vacation and lots of “stuff.” Adults, drowning in a deluge of tasks, find joyful anticipation transforming into what I call “the season of eating and drinking” – all calorie free, of course. By this time, organized veterans of
For people who like to sing, the Christmas season provides ample opportunities. Many of us had our first experiences as children in nursery school pageants, singing our hearts out to an audience of long suffering parents waiting to see their personal child on the stage. The repertoire usually consisted (
When I was a child – sometime during the first Roosevelt Administration – the annual Christmas Tree was a truly strange thing. All year my mother tenaciously swept anything resembling nature out of the house. Then, without warning, there was a tree in the living room, usually accompanied by muttering
Once again we have arrived at the official Holiday Season. It is three days until Thanksgiving which this year also marks the first day of Hanukkah – a joint festival that no matter what year you were born, will not recur in our lifetime. In four days we celebrate the
Next Thursday Americans will celebrate Thanksgiving. Some will feast with Butterball turkeys; some will go vegan and create turkeys out of tofu. Some folks will skip the turkey and head straight for pie and football. But just for a moment, allow me to take you back to January 6, 1941
Halloween is a distinctly odd holiday – initially a day when the boundary between the living and the dead was more than a little blurred. How it became a celebration of costume, children, and candy treats … well, it seems a bit odd to me. Living humans are generally a
OLYMPIC HOTEL. When I was a high school student in a Seattle bedroom community on the other side of Lake Washington, those two words symbolized all that was posh and sophisticated. I never dreamed I could set foot inside such an illustrious palace, let alone stay there regularly. The
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