DECK THE HOLIDAY'S

      There are many traditions on New Year's.  One of the most famous is the singing of "Auld Lang Syne" at the stroke of midnight.  But who wrote this song and why do we sing it?  This is a question many people do not know it, it has just become part of tradition.  The song was originally written in 1790 by a Scottish poet by the name of Robert Burns.  Many of the lyrics from the first verse and the chorus are strikingly similar to a 1711 poem by James Watson.  The song really took off in 1929 when bandleader Guy Lombardo began broadcasting this song on his radio broadcast on New Years Eve.  The song quickly spread throughout the British Isles.  As people emigrated to the United States and other countries, they took with them the song as a custom of singing "Auld Lang Syne" with them.    Here are the lyrics to Robert Burns' song with translation to some words you may not know. Should auld acquaintance...

    As the old year ends and the New Year approaches, it's fun to recall all your wonderful memories!  Some people capture them with photos.  Other families capture them in scrapbooks.  But, there is another fun way to save those memories!  Celebrate the New Year and preserve a record of your particular time in history by making a time capsule.  You, your family and friends, can make this part of your New Year's Eve celebration.     The History of the Time Capsule    Oral histories and paintings are ways that we preserve some visual record of our pasts.  However, the art of making time capsules dates back to ancient times.  Consider the Pyramids, the Terra Cotta Warriors of China, and the temples of ancient Babylon.  These ancient wonders were intentional preservation's which show the world the wonders of these ancient civilizations.    In our more modern times, time capsules, serve as me...

   If you have ever seen the elaborate floats in the Tournament of Roses Parade, chances are you have wondered where all those flowers come from and how the floats are made.  The building of a Tournament of Roses Float involves hundreds of people over a year long process that begins in February.  The main structure, including elaborate hydraulic systems to operate the mechanical features of the float, is created by professional float builders, but the final application of flowers is completed primarily by volunteers just like you and me. Float Design Begins in February    The process begins with a meeting between the sponsor who commission the float and the people in charge of building it.  Float building companies generally design and build several floats for different clients.  Designers develop a detailed sketch that incorporates the client's wishes with the parades theme.  Once approved by the sponsor, the sketch is refined a...