December

December always stuffs our celebratory stockings with extra holidays and runs our cider cups over with reasons to rejoice. As we make our merry way towards the magic of Christmas Eve and the countdown to New Year’s Eve, the twelfth month blesses us with very special gifts. Our Favorite Yuletide Rituals We pledge to start […]

It happens once a year. The entire world leaves the past behind to embrace the future. With united spirits, we all rejoice and share a magical moment at midnight.   America is a young member of this global celebration, and while we have borrowed many of our New Year’s Eve traditions, we have our own […]

All clothing has been removed. Dentures, extra hair, eyewear – all gone. Your foot pauses in mid-step, eyeing the device with suspicion. Get on the Scales Day, celebrated annually on December 29, prompts babbling that sounds like a resolution but feels more like uttering a dozen Hail Mary-like recitations that commence a torturous penance. Some […]

It’s fitting the youngest child in the family lights the first candle. Kwanzaa is a young holiday, born in 1966 amidst the Civil Rights Movement.   With each passing year, that flame flickered brightly and grew stronger, it now shines in homes for seven days every December. Beginning the day after Christmas, a special candle […]

Are you heading out this year or staying home for the holidays? How many hugs are you looking forward to? If you’re like us, you’ll count enough warm and wonderful greetings to outweigh weird, annoying and crazy Christmas encounters. Some years, they all come caroling through our front door. Other holidays, we join them at […]

Everyone joins in singing carols, sipping eggnog and wrapping presents. We love hanging mistletoe over doorways and stockings on mantles. Holidays would be unimaginable without these merry rituals. The season would also be unbearable without the Christmas Eve traditions that lurk in the corners of our hearts.   Near disasters, nightmares and dark humor are […]

The crisp air takes on a chilly snap as the leaves finally give up their hold on bare branches. Children stomp their feet waiting for the school bus while pets sneeze on their way back inside. The warmest mufflers come down from the top shelf, the heaviest coats tumble out of the closet, and extra […]

Take a break from the eggnog. Leave that canned drink of sugar and artificial everything to embrace the Spanish punch that packs a sneaky punch. Today, you are going to savor sips of sangria in honor of Sangria Day, celebrated annually on December 20. Blending together red wine, seltzer, fruit juice or brandy creates Sangria. […]

Today offers an excuse to eat your daily dose of vegetables in celebration of Gazpacho Day, observed annually on December 6. This chilled soup is most popular in its tomato variation, but several recipes await your sampling. Gazpacho is a culinary icon of Spain, created by blending fresh tomatoes, cucumbers, onions and seasonings. Imagine a […]

If there was ever an occasion to raise your glass in celebration, Repeal Day, observed annually on December 5, is all about the contents of that glass and deserves a round of grateful toasts to the day prohibition ended. During the days of Prohibition, which was instituted to discourage socially unacceptable behavior, the production, transportation […]

Youngsters take heed because Santa’s List Day is December 4 and the elves are getting impatient. Get your requests in before Santa has a mutiny on his hands. What does that mean, you ask? It means if the elves have to wait too long for your list, they will be faced with overtime conditions that […]

They’re golden-brown, crispy and greasy in the most delicious way. Love fried foods? Fritters Day, observed annually on December 2, is your day to celebrate. And if you are uncertain as to what a fritter is, chances are you’ve sampled at least one. It is deep-fried breading encasing vegetables, meats, and fruit. A popular sweet […]