Over the years I’ve written a bunch of blogs dedicated to my favorite holiday season. This year will be no different as I always manage to uncover more fun facts, history, recipes, and carols to highlight. In the days ahead leading up to Christmas Day more entertaining and educational blogs...
Thanksgiving is the holiday of peace, the celebration of work and the simple life…a true folk-festival that speaks the poetry of the turn of the seasons,the beauty of seedtime and harvest, the ripe product of the year— and the deep, deep connection of all these things with God.~ Ray Stannard...
Way back in 2015 I wrote a series of three blogs on random Thanksgiving related trivia. While facts of the past do not change (usually), trivia related to statistics can. I figured it was time to peruse the internet for any fun-facts I might have missed previously and to update...
In many ways New York City invented the Christmas season as we celebrate it here in the United States. From NYC artists creating our version of Santa Claus to the commercialization of shopping for presents to massive trees erected in town squares, New York deserves the credit for cementing the...
Turkeys are so indelibly linked to Thanksgiving that it is natural to imagine the delicious birds have been the main dish since the Pilgrims and Wampanoag feasted together in 1621. As revealed in my blog on The Pilgrims and the First Thanksgiving last week, turkey was not recorded as part...
Practically from birth, American children are taught the story of the Pilgrims’ arrival on the Mayflower in Plymouth Harbor in November 1620. I’ve covered this historical event and the aftermath in yesterday’s blog: The Pilgrims and the First Thanksgiving. Stories of the Pilgrims and the first Thanksgiving are certain to...
On September 16 in 1620, the Mayflower left Plymouth, England. The ship’s 102 passengers and around 30 crew members were comprised of religious separatists known as Puritans who were seeking a new home where they could freely practice their faith, and other individuals lured by the promise of prosperity and...
“I am an American; free born and free bred, where I acknowledge no man as my superior, except for his own worth, or as my inferior, except for his own demerit.” ~President Theodore Roosevelt “Duty, honor, country. Those three hallowed words reverently dictate what you ought to be, what you...
They found the stone rolled away from the tomb, but when they went in, they didn’t find the body of the Lord Jesus. ~Luke 24: 2-3 Christ the Lord is risen today, sons of men and angels say. Raise your joys and triumphs high; sing, ye heavens and earth reply.~Charles...
Credit for the EASTER BONNET in American culture is given to the song “Easter Parade” written in 1933 by Irving Berlin. More on this in a moment, but it must be noted that while partially true, special bonnets or hats for Easter pre-date Mr. Berlin by a long mile and...
The original molded CHOCOLATE EASTER EGG was the product of candy company competition and one man’s dedication to the Quaker philosophy of helping the community. In 1824, John Cadbury opened a small shop in Birmingham, England, specializing in a variety of drinks, including tea, coffee, and drinking chocolate. He was...
The incredible, edible egg! Contrary to rumors of strictly pagan origins, eggs have been associated with Judaism and Christianity for centuries. For example, at the Passover Seder a hard-boiled egg dipped in salt water symbolizes both new life and the Passover sacrifice offered at the Temple in Jerusalem. The truth...
Simnel cake is a light and airy fruitcake widely eaten in the United Kingdom, Ireland and other countries with patterns of migration from them, associated with Lent and Easter. It is distinguished by layers of almond paste or marzipan, typically one in the middle and one on top, and a set of eleven balls made of the same...
How about an Easter Week quiz? How about TWO quizzes? All in good fun, as the answers are in spoiler boxes directly below each quiz. How well do YOU know your Easter trivia? Give it a go! The first quiz is on general Easter topics. For the second quiz I...
