Paint your Pumpkins for Halloween using these Designs

Paint your Pumpkins for Halloween using these Designs

Get ready for Halloween with these fun ideas to paint your pumpkins.  Carving is not for everybody, if you do not like the mess the seeds and carving does, you can easily have a fun and creative pumpkin.  Simply get some paint, some newspaper for the mess and get painting!!

Let your kids do it themselves, use these ideas as examples and let the creativity flow!

Have fun!!  Happy Halloween!

History of Memorial Day

History of Memorial Day
Memorial Day, an American holiday observed on the last Monday of May, honors men and women who died while serving in the U.S. military. Originally known as Decoration Day, it originated in the years following the Civil War and became an official federal holiday in 1971. Many Americans observe Memorial Day by visiting cemeteries or memorials, holding family gatherings and participating in parades. Unofficially, at least, it marks the beginning of summer.

Early Observances of Memorial Day 
The Civil War claimed more lives than any conflict in U.S. history, requiring the establishment of the country’s first national cemeteries. By the late 1860s Americans in various towns and cities had begun holding springtime tributes to these countless fallen soldiers, decorating their graves with flowers and reciting prayers.


It is unclear where exactly this tradition originated; numerous different communities may have independently initiated the memorial gatherings. Nevertheless, in 1966 the federal government declared Waterloo, New York, the official birthplace of Memorial Day. Waterloo—which had first celebrated the day on May 5, 1866—was chosen because it hosted an annual, community-wide event, during which businesses closed and residents decorated the graves of soldiers with flowers and flags.

Decoration Day 
On May 5, 1862, General John A. Logan, leader of an organization for Northern Civil War veterans, called for a nationwide day of remembrance later that month. “The 30th of May, 1868, is designated for the purpose of strewing with flowers, or otherwise decorating the graves of comrades who died in defense of their country during the late rebellion, and whose bodies now lie in almost every city, village and hamlet churchyard in the land,” he proclaimed. The date of Decoration Day, as he called it, was chosen because it wasn’t the anniversary of any particular battle.


On the first Decoration Day, General James Garfield made a speech at Arlington National Cemetery, and 5,000 participants decorated the graves of the 20,000 Union and Confederate soldiers buried there. Many Northern states held similar commemorative events and reprised the tradition in subsequent years; by 1890 each one had made Decoration Day an official state holiday. Many Southern states, on the other hand, continued to honor their dead on separate days until after World War I.

Evolution of Memorial Day
Memorial Day, as Decoration Day gradually came to be known, originally honored only those lost while fighting in the Civil War. But during World War I the United States found itself embroiled in another major conflict, and the holiday evolved to commemorate American military personnel who died in all wars.


For decades, Memorial Day continued to be observed on May 30, the date Logan had selected for the first Decoration Day. But in 1968 Congress passed the Uniform Monday Holiday Act, which established Memorial Day as the last Monday in May in order to create a three-day weekend for federal employees; the change went into effect in 1971. The same law also declared Memorial Day a federal holiday.

Memorial Day Traditions 
Cities and towns across the United States host Memorial Day parades each year, often incorporating military personnel and members of veterans’ organizations. Some of the largest parades take place in Chicago, New York and Washington, D.C. Americans also observe Memorial Day by visiting cemeteries and memorials. On a less somber note, many people throw parties and barbecues on the holiday, perhaps because it unofficially marks the beginning of summer.


Source:  History

What is a Good Hanukkah Gift?

What is a Good Hanukkah Gift?

Hanukkah is a Jewish holiday also known as the Festival of Lights that lasts for eight days and is usually celebrated by giving gifts. So what is a good Hanukkah gift? Traditionally a menorah or Hanukkah gelt would be a wonderful first Hanukkah gift. A menorah is a nine armed candlestick and one candle is lit each night until finally all eight candles are lit by the eighth night. The extra or ninth candle are a Shamash, which is "guard" in Hebrew. This candle is lit to light the other candles with.

Hanukkah gelt is the gift of some type of money for Hanukkah . This can be real money i.e., a savings bond, cash, check, or even pretend money like chocolate coins. What child do you know that doesn't like chocolate? Or better yet doesn't like money? Hanukkah gelt has been a traditional Hanukkah gift and is important to children in teaching the tradition of Hanukkah, which is to increase charity and good deeds, by giving.

It may seem a little like bribery to give Hanukkah gelt, but only because it is! Giving Hanukkah gelt as a Hanukkah gift is an important component of the process of educating. Until a child has reached a sufficient age and fully appreciates the Torah, then incentives such as Hanukkah gelt are typically used to gain attention. Once the true meaning is understood other items are typically given as gifts. This is a smart approach to obtain the attention from a child.

The giving of Hanukkah gifts is equally important and is typically a very well thought out an organized event. Hanukkah gifts are given each night over the eight days, and in some families, Hanukkah gelt is given each night too. However usually as Hanukkah gifts are given out on the fourth or fifth night, the monetary Hanukkah gifts are increased to larger amounts.
Other traditional Hanukkah gifts such as the dreidl are well known throughout the world. A dreidl is a four sided spinning top and has a letter from the Hebrew alphabet on each side. It is used for a gambling game called Teetotum, and each letter has a different meaning. Traditionally a dreidl is given with a roll of pennies for gambling with. The letters on the dreidl form an acronym, "Nes Gadol Haya Sham" which means "A great miracle happened here. The statement refers to the miracle that occurred in Israel. Another popular gift is a gift of generosity, where children are often taught to "give" themselves by taking gifts to homeless shelter or giving gifts to their family members.

As with any other holiday there are traditional and non traditional gifts, and Hanukkah gifts are no exception. Whether you give Chanukah gelt as a Hanukkah gift, or you give a sweater, there is no wrong Hanukkah gift to give, since it comes from the heart. When your gift is well thought out and given with genuine love, then the gift is always perfect.