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Another Blue Holiday Shopping Season Predicted Tuesday, October 06, 2009 By Teresa F. Lindeman, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette After last year's sickening 3.4 percent drop in holiday retail sales, a mere 1 percent slide this season may not seem so bad. Retailers already have pared their inventory in preparation for a season dominated by list-checking, deal-hunting, practical shoppers. The shopping forecast comes from the National Retail Federation, a Washington, D.C.-based trade group that calculates spending in the months of November and December -- excluding cars, gas and restaurants -- should hit $437.6 billion. That compares to $441.97 billion in holiday 2008 and...

Adding to the Survivalist and Self-Reliant work of to nw_arizona_granny; Delawhere and so many others, I would like to start a decorations and gift thread ideas for these folks' benefit (and all comers). Please add to this list.

What makes a holiday a holiday? Or, what makes a holiday worthy of a celebratory logo on the world’s most popular website like Google? This question recently prompted me to talk with Michael Lopez, Google’s lead logo designer, to find an answer.September 19, for instance, is Rosh Hashanah. You’ll see synagogues celebrating the Jewish New Year and you’ll hear the “Shana tova!” greeting on the streets of New York. But if Google is true to form, you won’t find it a special Google logo marking the day. In the past, however, you will have found Google celebrations of both the...

The Iowa State Register praised Nebraska's innovation, calling Arbor Day a holiday "devoted to pleasurable business and happy usefulness." What a contrast to preachy Earth Day with its anti-business overtones and message of guilt and limits.

RIYADH, Saudi Arabia – Just days before Valentine's Day, a young Saudi woman desperately searched for a red teddy bear to buy for her boyfriend. But all Nof Faisal could find were blue and white ones, minus the "I love you" she wanted hers to declare. It's not because the store couldn't keep up with demand. It is because fear of the religious police forced the store's owner to strip the shelves of all red items, including the hottest-selling item: heart-festooned red plastic handcuffs inscribed, "Take me, I'm yours." As Feb. 14 approaches, the police begin inspecting gift shops for...

In Florida, an atheist created a case against the upcoming Easter and Passover Holy days. He hired an attorney to bring a discrimination case against Christians, Jews and observances of their holy days. The argument was that it was unfair that atheists had no such recognized days. The case was brought before a judge. After listening to the passionate Presentation by the lawyer, the judge banged his gavel declaring,"Case Dismissed!" The lawyer immediately stood objecting to the ruling saying, "Your honor, How can you possibly dismiss this case? The Christians have Christmas, Easter and others. The Jews have Passover, Yom...

A woman was recently fired for refusing to say "Happy Holidays," because she felt it was a violation of her religious right to say "Merry Christmas" (see the article below). What is this world coming to? I swear, right has become wrong, and wrong is right. This whole liberal policy of everyone being treated exactly the same, and stepping on egg shells so no one is offended, is simply out of hand. If someone wished me a Happy Kwanzaa, or a Happy Hanukkah, I would not be the LEAST bit offended, in fact, I would return the good wishes without...

12/24/2008 - BAGRAM AIRFIELD, Afghanistan (AFNS) -- An Airman here came up with two specials ways to help deployed Airmen connect with their families during the holiday season. Senior Airman Marco Palacios, a services technician deployed from Beale Air Force Base, Calif., offered to videotape holiday greetings and readings of "A Night Before Christmas" for Airmen at Bagram Airfield. He turned these recordings into a DVD for Airmen to mail home. He also took photos of Airmen with Santa and created e-cards for them to send to their friends and family. "One of the things I wanted to emphasize is...

Once upon a time, not too long ago, in a land where each of us has often been, there lived a very strange, yet vaguely familiar-looking character. He was not too big, but not too small. Not too short, but not too tall. He had big, over-sized hands, a terribly undersized heart, and, I’m afraid, a very sour-puss face. Yes, it was true. He was one of those terribly rude, often crude, rarely good creatures known as a Gimme.

Bad economy threatens traditional redneck Christmas.It’s a Christmas tradition. For the past 12 years, Leonard Pottsel, of Bellwood, would sneak into the glass jar that his old lady used as a makeshift Christmas fund and steal the hastily-collected money. Pottsel would then spend the money trying to wildly pick up local hoochies at neighborhood dives on Christmas Eve. He would also gamble wildly on sports and soap opera trivia. Pottsel is now worried that the poor economy will spoil yet another one of his family’s special holiday traditions. “It breaks my heart when I look at that painfully shallow jar...

(Hawaii – 12/23/08) – In informal discussions today with reporters during his holiday in Hawaii, Barack Obama said that people having to work during Christmas week is yet another example in a long line of failed Bush policies. “I find it hard to believe, during the week of the biggest holiday during the year, people have to actually continue working in order to afford the things they want. According to reports, this has been the worst Christmas season in years, and the problem is, you know, people can’t get to stores because they have to work. It’s a testament to...

Christmas is almost upon us, and this is the time of the year when Hollywood typically offers up the best of what its produced. Then again...

Black Friday has come and gone but the virtual version of Black Friday - known as Cyber Monday - is tomorrow, December 1st, 2008. Cyber Monday is when online retailers offer coupons, discounts and free shipping offers. It's a good day for consumers who can get some holiday shopping done and save some money at the same time. There will continue to be deals throughout December but they generally aren't quite as good as the offers you can find on Cyber Monday. Here are some Cyber Monday highlights. * The National Retail Federation says nearly 84% of all online retailers...

HOFFMAN ESTATES, Ill., Oct. 30, 2008 – The deadline is tomorrow for servicemembers to apply for the Sears “Heroes at Home Wish Registry.” In consultation with the Defense Department, Sears has expanded the popular program, enabling America to fulfill holiday wishes for up to 20,000 servicemembers and their families. Military personnel can log on to www.sears.com/wish through tomorrow to apply for the Wish Registry. Between Nov. 2 and Dec. 25, Sears will invite America to help fulfill their wishes with a Sears gift card. “Since 1916, Sears has been committed to America’s servicemen and women with programs to employ...

Posted on Wed, Oct 22, 2008 Operation Santa-USMC mails holiday cheer to Iraq By Joan Schultz; Correspondent Buckingham mom Katie M keeps a three-foot Christmas tree in the corner of her dining room all year long. It is covered with yellow ribbons, one for each day her son, Kyle, spent in Iraq during his second deployment."Every day he was gone, I said a prayer and tied a ribbon," she said. "Now, it reminds me of the service he gave as a Marine to this country, and it makes me grateful that he came home." The M's, like so many other...

For nearly two years, designers at Mattel Inc.'s Fisher-Price toiled to hide a maze of copper wires and microchips under the plush red fur of the company's newest Elmo toy. The resulting "Elmo Live" is its most advanced ever, able to cross its legs, flap its arms and fluidly mimic the famous television Muppet. All that wizardry, however, comes at a steep price. When Elmo Live arrives in stores on Tuesday, it will cost $60 -- about a third more than last year's model, and above the $50 tag that once was the high-water mark for most toys. Elmo Live...

A Proclamation by the President of the United States of America From our rugged peaks and mountains to our shining seas, our Nation is blessed with remarkable natural treasures. These magnificent landscapes are places where families and friends can create lasting memories and enjoy the outdoors. On National Hunting and Fishing Day, our country honors the many contributions of America's hunters and anglers, who add to our heritage and keep our wildlife populations healthy and strong. Our Nation's sportsmen and women are among our foremost conservationists. They care deeply about our wildlife habitats, and they have contributed billions of dollars...

Labor Day Still Recognized at Tyson Foods Union Contract Provision only at Shelbyville, TN Plant Springdale, Arkansas – August 4, 2008 – Contrary to recent reports, Labor Day is still a holiday at Tyson Foods. This issue concerns only the plant at Shelbyville, TN. The majority of employees at the Tyson plant in Shelbyville, TN, are represented by the Retail, Wholesale and Department Stores Union (RWDSU), an American union that asked for and received Eid al-Fitr, as one of their eight paid holidays, in place of Labor Day. This applies only to the Shelbyville plant and resulted as part of...

Millions of Americans spent May 26 observing this year’s federally approved date for Memorial Day by chugging beers, burning meat, and participating in a host of other activities that had absolutely nothing to do with commemorating our nation’s war dead. Meantime, thousands of school children spent the day in classrooms, much to the dismay of some parents and talk-radio hosts. Although Memorial Day is a national holiday, it is not a federally mandated observance. At least not in the sense that states or public entities run the risk of losing federal funding or getting a wagging finger from Uncle Sam...

'French take most holidays in the world' By Henry Samuel in Paris Last Updated: 3:25am BST 18/04/2008 The scale of President Nicolas Sarkozy's challenge to "get France back to work" was underlined yesterday by a poll crowning the French world champions for the amount of annual holiday they take. The average working Frenchman spends 37 days en vacances, with Italy in second place on 33 days, according to Harris Interactive, the American polling institute. Britain trails with 26 days holiday per year - a rise of two days in two years. America comes last (or first depending on one's view)...

Mayor Bloomberg is rejecting calls from lawmakers to make two Muslim holy days official school holidays, saying students cannot afford more days off. "The truth of the matter is we need more children in school," Mr. Bloomberg said yesterday. "More, not less." Council Member Robert Jackson of Manhattan, who is Muslim, and 12 co-sponsors introduced a resolution this year calling on the state to require that New York City students be given days off for the Muslim holidays of Eid Ul-Fitr, typically in October, and Eid Ul-Adha, which falls in December this year. "Parents have had to make a decision...

Seasons Greetings for both Liberals and ConservativesForwarded from an unknown source -------------------- 1. For Our Liberal Friends: Please accept with no obligation, implied or implicit, our best wishes For an environmentally conscious, socially responsible, low- stress, non-addictive, gender-neutral celebration of the winter solstice holiday, practiced within the most enjoyable traditions of the religious persuasion of your choice, or secular practices of your choice, with respect for the religious/secular persuasion and/or traditions of others, or their choice not to practice religious or secular traditions at all. We also wish you a fiscally successful, personally fulfilling and medically uncomplicated recognition of the...

While shopping for Christmas presents in the past week alone I have been hit with approximately 257 “Happy Holidays” and a grand total of zero “Merry Christmas” greetings. Although I managed enough politeness to resist the burning temptation to reply with “What holidays might these be?” I could only in good conscience wish others a Merry Christmas when I was the one initiating the goodbyes.

Mark Steyn’s review of the candidate’s Christmas campaign messages is a must-read today because it’s likely to be the funniest thing you’ll see all day. Here’s a taste: John Edwards’s message is the usual Dickensian affair about the two Americas. I forget the details, but the upshot is that one America is a land of spindly emaciated Tiny Tims with barely three farthings to rub together for their next cup of gruel, while the other’s a marshmallow world where Dick Cheney, high on wassail, shoots a brace of turducken out of season, and then chows down as the Radio City...

FORT HOOD -- The last 12 hours of 15 months is a very long time. "I have not slept," said Dianne Hunt, whose eyes welled up at the slightest provocation and who was prone to jumping up and down in anticipation. "My heart is just a-goin'!" All over the parade field in front of the 1st Cavalry Division headquarters, wives and moms, girlfriends and grade-schoolers proved that sometimes the best Christmas gifts don't require a minute's shopping. Sometimes the Army delivers the gifts home, just in time. "The kids are so excited," said Sarah Rogers, who confessed to her own...

Merry Christmas or Happy Holidays? The verdict is in and more Americans this year are opting to wish people a happy holiday. In its fourth annual survey, gift basket company GiftBasketsDeluxe.com analysed its gift card messages and found a record number of 60% of gift baskets were sent using the term holidays as opposed to a more traditional Christmas. The company said this was a stark reversal of the previous three-year trend when Christmas prevailed....

1) 50 Cent was hired to rap the sermon and give the service “street cred.” 2) When a recent visitor asked about advent services, a confused volunteer gave her directions to the nearest pharmacy. 3) Thanks to a new title sponsor, the service was renamed “The Starbucks Christmas Eve Extravaganza at Springfield Community Church” 4) Hannah Montana offered to sing in the service but was told she is “too over the hill.” 5) The sign language translator was sacked and replaced by someone who instant messages the sermon text to the PDAs of the hearing impaired. 6) The entire Christmas...

Honoring Heroes at the Holidays to be in New York, Sunday, December 16th * Honoring Heroes at the Holidays * - Holiday Cards for the Troops! - Gathering of Eagles is proud to announce the Move America Forward caravan will arrive in New York City on Sunday, December 16th, at 1 pm, culminating their 16 state cross country caravan collecting Holiday Cards for our young men and women serving overseas this Holiday season. If you did not have an opportunity to greet the caravan in your state, take advantage of this opportunity to send cards to the troops! Let's pull...

You can't find Christmas anywhere these days. There are holiday trees, holiday decorations, holiday parties, holiday sales, holiday lights, holiday parades, holiday plays, holiday concerts and holiday displays. Check your local paper on Sunday, and see if you can find the word "Christmas" mentioned anywhere... That is until today - 8 people get slaughtered by a madman in a mall in Omaha and VOILA! The media reports them as CHRISTMAS SHOPPERS!

. A heartfelt Christmas / Holiday Video http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nGN4uvBCq-U Merry Christmas and Happy Holiday to you and yours. Thoughts and prayers go out to Military families and service men and women.

Now that the 2007 end-of-year holiday season is officially underway, I want to offer some heart-felt politically insensitive expressions of happiness and well wishes. Happy Thanksgiving, Happy Hanukkah, Merry Christmas and Happy New Year! It seems that each year another distortion or misinterpretation of the First Amendment generates another attack on our end-of-year season for thanks to God, celebration and hope. These attacks are intended to put the rest of us on the defensive about our faith, culture and history, and claim a victory for political correctness. The latest? A Washington state school district issued a memo to its teachers...

Hardship troopers Local group Move America Forward supports the troops—and the War on Terror By Kari Westerman More stories by this author... Diana Nagy croons at a Move American Forward rally. MAF contacted Nagy after hearing her rendition of "Where Freedom Flies," a song penned by Nagy’s mother during a sleepless night after viewing a television report of protesters burning the American flag. SN&R PHOTO BY MARY PEARSON Clad in an American flag-print tank top, a red leather jacket and gem-studded jeans, patriotic singer Diana Nagy kicked off Move America Forward’s 40-city Honoring our Heroes at the Holidays Tour with an...

Honoring Heroes at the Holidays Tour November 26 - December 16 Join Move America Forward for the “Honoring Heroes at the Holidays Tour” this November 26th - December 16th as we cross this nation holding pro-troop events in 40 cities across America to honor and salute the men and women of the U.S. military who will be thousands of miles away from their homes and families during this holiday season. Along the tour we will be collecting more than 100,000 Christmas, Hanukkah and holiday greeting cards for our troops that we will deliver to them in Iraq and Afghanistan. Get...

THE LAW IS THE LAW So if the US government determines that it is against the law for the words 'under God' to be on our money, then, so be it. And if that same government decides that the Ten Commandments are not to be used in or on a government installation, then, so be it. I say, so be it, because I would like to be a law abiding US citizen. I say, so be it, because I would like to think that smarter people than me are in positions to make good decisions. I would like to think...

TOM TANCREDO: Illegal immigrants. MITT ROMNEY: It's becoming too cold for flip-flops. MIKE HUCKABEE: Splenda. RON PAUL: The Internet. HILLARY CLINTON: A successful question-planting season. JOHN EDWARDS: No after-school detention for being tardy. FRED THOMPSON: The writers' strike. Maybe now somebody will have time to give him something interesting to say. JOE BIDEN: No time limit on Thanksgiving Day toast. JOHN MCCAIN: Not being tied up this holiday. BARACK OBAMA: The Obama girl. CHRIS DODD: A foxy wife. RUDY GIULIANI: November isn’t Gay Pride Month. DENNIS KUCINICH: Wife’s tongue stud.

Hello fellow California FReepers! It's Joe here from Move America Forward. We are working on the final planning for the "Honoring Our Heroes at the Holidays" national pro-troop tour that takes place November 26 - December 17. We have a small problem, that I need some help from a Bakersfield-area FReeper. We are submitting our permit application to hold our Bakersfield event at Beach Park in the national pro-troop holiday tour. Our event in Bakersfield will take place on Wednesday, November 28th at 9:00 AM. But we have been told we need a live, human body to turn in the...

SIERRA VISTA — If you notice a stagecoach parked in front of Safeway on Saturday, you may want to stop and check it out. The unusual looking vehicle — owned by Tim Cervantes of Cox Communications — is part of a food drive, with donations going to St. Vincent de Paul for its turkey box distribution, the Salvation Army’s Thanksgiving dinner and the Carmichael Family Resource Center. It’s part of a community service project that includes Cox employees and Girl Scout troops 217, 271 and 721. “Last Saturday was the first day of our drive,” Cevantes said. “We couldn’t believe...

I admit that I love Thanksgiving. I, like most, also love to celebrate Christmas and Halloween, but I have to say that Thanksgiving holds an especially important place for me. I observe the shopping frenzies that surround Halloween and Christmas, even coming to define the holidays for many, and yet Thanksgiving has no such rush, unless you want to count the stacks of frozen turkeys and stuffing at the local grocery stores. I was born on the 22 of November, a day that always falls on the fourth week of the month. Specifically, it falls on an important Thursday every...

IMMEDIATE RELEASE Operation Santa-USMC launches holiday outreach for troops Last year the Marine Corps Family Foundation, along with the dedicated help of Marine Corps families and friends, sent Christmas-in-a-Box to over 17,000 Marines deployed in Iraq and Afghanistan. For many of these young men and women, this will be their first Thanksgiving and Christmas they will be away from home and family. And it is an unfortunate fact that some of these young men and women will not receive mail and packages from friends and family members. Marine Corps Moms and many other volunteers hope to make a difference for...

A disappointing October sales report Thursday sent a clear signal to retailers that they’ll have to pull out all the stops to get shoppers into their stores this holiday as declining home values, tighter credit terms and rising gas prices appear to have left consumers feeling spent. The nation’s biggest chain stores posted the second consecutive month of weak sales results, underscoring their concerns that sales growth this holiday season could be the slowest in five years. “Consumers are exerting a lot of caution,” said Mandy Putnam, vice president at TNS Retail Forward Inc., a Columbus, Ohio-based market research and...

Ghosts of marriages past haunt families during high-expectation holidays such as Thanksgiving and Christmas. Two women hope their advice -- offered through "Ex-Etiquette for Holidays and Other Family Celebrations" (Chicago Review Press, November 2007, $12.95) -- can help others show goodwill to all, including former spouses. It wasn't always a wonderful life for wife one Sharyl Jupe and wife two Jann Blackstone-Ford, Larry Ford 's former and current spouses, who collaborate on books and an advice column, contribute to the Bonus Families nonprofit Blackstone-Ford directs and share their story and advice as TV and radio talk show guests. During a...

CAMP FOSTER, OKINAWA, Japan (Nov. 2, 2007) -- Coordinators and volunteers with the U.S. Marine Corps Reserve Toys for Tots Program on Okinawa will be working overtime during the holiday season to extend the reach of the 60-year-old charity in the region. Reserve Marines, activated specifically for Toys for Tots support, are scheduled to begin their 2007 toy collection drive during ceremonies at post exchanges on Camp Foster and Kadena Air Base Nov. 3. This year, program officials added Thailand and Guam to their area of responsibility, according to Staff Sgt. Suzette Smith, a coordinator with Okinawa’s Toys for Tots....

WASHINGTON, Oct. 22, 2007 – For volunteers with South Riding, Va.-based Operation Pinecone, Halloween is over and the Christmas rush has begun. “We have 25 camps, four hospitals (and) two humanitarian aid contacts,” said Mary Hacker, who founded the group two years ago after deciding to super-size a care package originally planned for one family friend deployed to Iraq. “A neighbor came by, saw what I was doing, and said she had wanted to do something to help the troops but that she didn’t have a contact over there,” Hacker explained. Word spread through Hacker’s rural Virginia neighborhood and,...

Ghouls, Ghosts and Goblins It seems like such harmless fun—children dressed as witches, skeletons or Darth Vader ringing the doorbell, enthusiastically announcing, "Trick or treat!" But is this preoccupation with the dead, witches and demons really harmless? And do you realize that Halloween was originally an important religious holiday—and still is in many parts of the world? by Gary Petty There's the occasional prank that goes awry, or a sadist who puts razor blades in trick-or-treat candy, but for the most part the American celebration of Halloween seems like fun for everyone. Customs surrounding the holiday range from neighborhood haunted...

From the largest annual tomato fight in Spain, to Scotland's "Up Helly-Aa" fire festival, a look at those special days when people around the world go slightly nuts.... (Here, for example, is a photo from the International Poncho Day festival....) (Cheese Rolling festival, Brockworth, England....) (Monkey Buffet, Lopburi province, Thailand....)

Dozens turn out in Oak Lawn to hear debate over religion: Dozens of parents said at an Oak Lawn school board meeting Tuesday night that while they're happy to have a student body of varying religions, they want to keep celebrating what they say are traditional American holidays and customs. That doesn't mean they aren't open to observing other religions' holidays, the parents told the Ridgeland School District 122 board, which was looking at its policies concerning religious teachings and observances. At issue is whether Christian holidays, such as Christmas, should be celebrated now that Muslim children make up about...

For me, I'll be doing up some clams (SHOCKER!) and the usual smoked turkey. Hey, Ben Franklin wanted it to be our national bird, ya know!

Mother's Day is, to be honest, somewhat of an annoyance. It's manifestly one of those tedious Hallmark holidays wherein everyone is supposed to run out and support the revenue stream of cardboard manufacturers in the name of expressing gratitude to mothers, fathers, grandparents and anyone else to whom we might be related. I imagine it won't be long until Sept. 18 is declared Anonymous Sperm Donor's Day, which will probably be celebrated by giving matching card sets to one's two mommies and lighting a candle for dear old anonymous sperm donor, whoever he might be. Mothers are not only important,...

"And think about the culture of Britain in the year 2007. I don't just mean our arts, that are thriving, I mean our values. The minimum wage. Paid holidays as a right. Amongst the best maternity pay and leave today in Europe. Equality for gay people." (Tony Blair) When I logged on to Free Republic today, I expected to see very much more concerning Tony Blair and his resignation. I suppose though, that it is because, here in China, I spend quite a lot of time DX-ing; listening to short wave radio. Short wave seems to be saturated with the...

The period between Passover and Shavuot, the festivals of liberation and the giving of the Torah, is marked by the Counting of the Omer.1 In a sense the festival of Shavuot is a fulfillment, a climax, of Passover. In terms of the Jewish people, the significance is obvious -- Israel was not a nation by virtue of freedom alone but by virtue of the Torah. What does this mean to the individual? Torah gives life a purpose, a pattern that gives significance to the commonplace. The mitzvot impart spiritual importance even to the ordinaries of living; they make the Jew...