DECK THE HOLIDAY'S

  There may not be an official registry (or even an unofficial one), but that doesn't stop towns, states and countries across the globe from declaring themselves the  "Capital of   the World"  for thing or another.    Some self-proclaimed titles are pretty well justified. Hawaii, for instance, is called the "Macadamia Nut Capital of the World." Considering the Aloha State is said to grow 90% of the world's supply, we think it's an apt description.    Other claims are not so black and white. Biloxi, Mississippi is often referred to as the "Seafood Capital of the World," but so is Calabash, North Carolina and Crisfield, Maryland. Which place deserves the nickname most? We'll leave that up to seafood lovers to hash out.    We take a look at 12 towns in the good ol' U.S.A. that have found a way to differentiate themselves by "capitalizing" on what makes them unique, and well, a little unusual. The Lost Luggage Capit

   The Takayama Festivals  in Takayama, Japan, started in the 16th to 17th century.  The origins of the festivals are unknown; however they are believed to have been started during the rule of the  Kanamori family .  Correspondence dated 1692, place the origin to 40 years prior to that date.  One of the festivals is held on the 14th and 15th of April and the other on the 9th ad 10th of October.    The Spring Takayama Festival is centered on the  Hie Shrine .  The shrine is also known as the  Sanno Shrine , and the spring festival is also known as the  Sanno   Festival.   The Sanno Festival is held to pray for a good harvest and the Autumn Festival is for giving thanks.    The Autumn festival is centered on the  Sakurayama Hachiman Shrine  and is referred to as the  Hachiman Festival .  It is held after the crops are harvested.  The fall festival is one of the three largest festivals in Japan.  The other two are  Kyoto's Gion Matsuri and the Chichibu Matsuri.

When I was growing up, one of my favorite things to do was ride my bike with my friends to the local gas station’s mini-mart and reach into their freezer case and pull out an  Orange Push-Up . I loved Push-Ups and seeing those brightly colored dots meant that creamy orange goodness was soon going to be mine. I love it when Push-Ups begin to melt because they taste even sweeter, creamier, and better. The same was true with this smoothie.  As it began to melt, it got even better. This smoothie is a dead ringer for  Orange Push-Ups. Don’t skimp on the sugar if you want it to taste  exactly  like an  Orange Push-Up  and I promise, it does. Sweet oranges ‘n creamy perfection. I used  this mango-orange from Hawaii’s Own  brand for the concentrate.  It was on sale for 99 cents for the can at my grocery store and I was being cheap  being budget conscious and didn’t want to buy the Minute Maid which was $3.29 for one can. If you can’t find this concentrate, I’m