Holidays

May 264 min read

The Memorial Day Poppy

Around Memorial Day, red poppies begin to make their annual appearance, pinned to people's lapels, tote bags or even hats. These...

May 125 min read

The Battle For The Soul Of Mother's Day

Following up on a post I did two years ago (see here), I wanted to detail how the founder of Mother's Day, Anna Jarvis success soon...

Apr 286 min read

Walpurgisnacht

Walpurgis Night, also known as Walpurgisnacht in German, is a holiday that occurs on the 30th of April in different parts of Europe. It...

Mar 313 min read

The Easter Witches

As a nod to my Scandinavian DNA, particularly related to Sweden and Denmark, here is a post about an unusual Easter tradition. Unlike...

Dec 25, 20235 min read

Christmas Trees And The German Immigrants

Christmas in the United States would be unrecognizable without the traditions that German immigrants brought to America. The decorated...

Nov 23, 20233 min read

The Thanksgiving That Almost Wasn't

New England colonists used molasses imported from the West Indies because it did not cost as much as sugar. A byproduct of sugar...

May 8, 20228 min read

The Mother of Mother's Day

Celebrating mothers is not exclusively an American practice. Mothers are celebrated around the world (and on different days) with a wide...

Jan 1, 20224 min read

Hogmanay

Here is a tradition that was probably practiced by my Scottish ancestors in the Old World. Hogmanay is the Scottish name for new year...