DECK THE HOLIDAY'S

         Who hasn't grown up in the United States watching the Macy's Thanksgiving Day parade on television every year?  To me, it wouldn't be Thanksgiving without the Macy's Day parade.  Promptly at 9 am in the morning, eastern time.  The television is tuned to the Thanksgiving Day parade (I'll probably dvr it, just in case I don't get up in time to see it), accompanied by the pleasant aroma of turkey and stuffing in the oven.  The kids watch the Thanksgiving parade while waiting for the Thanksgiving dinner menu to be done at or around 1 or 2 o'clock.  After Santa arrives in his sleigh on the television, it's time to eat some early Thanksgiving snacks.          The annual Thanksgiving Day parade event in New York City was started by Macy's department store on Thanksgiving Day in 1924.  The first of the annual Thanksgiving day parades in the area, however, occurred at the Bamberger'...

         Most people watch the Macy's Day parade on Thanksgiving Day.  The famous Thanksgiving Day parade is almost as traditional as turkey and dressing.  More than 40 million viewers watch the Macy's Thanksgiving Day parade on television each year.  Many tune in just to see the huge parade balloons.     The history of the Macy's parade balloons is an interesting one.  The very first Macy's Thanksgiving Day parade in 1924 didn't have balloons.  Instead, real live animals were borrowed from the Central Park Zoo.    Large balloons weren't used in the Macy's Thanksgiving Day parade.  Macy's Day parade balloons were inflated with air the first year that they were used.  Each year after that, helium was used to fill the huge parade balloons.          The first year that Macy's used helium balloons they released them at the end of the parade for a big fini...

              Burning Yule logs is a tradition dating back long before the birth of Jesus.  In pre-Christian times, the Yule log was burned in the home hearth on the winter solstice in honor of the pagan sun god Odin, known also as the Yule Father or Oak King.     The winter solstice, known amongst pagans as Yule or Gwyl Canol Gaeaf, falls on December 21 or 22, whichever is the shortest day and longest night of the current year.  The Yule festival symbolizes a battle between the powers of light (Oak King) and powers of darkness (Holly King).  A Yule log, typically a thick branch taken from a oak tree, would be burned in the hearth beginning on this night as a celebration of the Oak King's triumphant defeat over the Holly King.  Burning the Yule log      The traditional Yule celebration would begin at dawn with the cutting of the oak branch, which was then ceremoniously ...

  Most of us know that with winter creeping up on us, there are holiday's coming up, too.  here in the United States, that typically means Christmas and New year's Eve.  But what about the rest of the world?  There are many holidays that are observed this time of  year from all over the globe, whether by different religions, cultures or countries.         Chanukah (Hanukkah)    Chanukah or Hanukkah literally means "rededication"; the Jewish "Festival of Lights", celebrating the Jewish victory at the temple and the 8 days the lamp oil lasted when there was only enough for one day during the rededication of the temple.  It begins at sundown on the 25th day of the month, Kislev, on the Jewish calendar (in Nov/Dec).  Some common things seen during this celebration are the menorah, which has nine candles, one lit for each day and one to light with; latkes, or potato pancakes; dreidals, which are spinning t...