Tag: Holidays

Merry Christmas!

In all the hubbub of traveling, shopping, wrapping, and cooking, I have neglected to look up any interesting facts for Fun Fact Friday. However, I didn’t want this Friday to go by without at least a little something. Mainly, I wanted to wish you all a very merry Christmas.

I hope everyone has a wonderful Christmas and a happy new year. May you all be overflowing with love and joy this holiday season, and have a refreshing celebration with friends and family. May your 2018 find you healthier, happier, and more blessed than your 2017.

From the Mahoney Team to you: Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

Christmas Heritage – Fun Fact Friday

A World of celebration

Christmas is just 10 days away! While I’m excited for Christmas to come, I can hardly believe December is already halfway over! Where does the time go? Anyway, because Christmas is so close, I wanted to look into some of the holiday traditions that make up our Christmas heritage.

  • Norway – You may be familiar with Christmas time being called Yuletide. This term is derived from the Norwegian tradition of the yule log. On the winter solstice, the people of Norway would light the yule log to symbolize the sun’s recurrence. Therefore, because December 21st is so close to December 25th, Christmas is called Yuletide.
  • Germany – Christmas trees hail from Germany. The Germans began decorating trees as a winter tradition before making it specifically a Christmas tradition by the 1600’s. During the 1700’s, these “Christmas trees” became popular throughout Germany. England and America eventually adopted the tradition as well in the 1800’s.
  • Mexico – The country of Mexico produces the holiday-favorite poinsettia plant. Joel R. Poinsett, for which the plant is named, brought the poinsettia over to America in the early 19th century.
  • England – The English made sending Christmas cards a common tradition with the work of such like John Calcott Horsley. The English also established the traditions of kissing under the mistletoe, Christmas caroling, and hanging stockings.

Reading over the history of our traditions, I find it fascinating that so many cultures make up our Christmas heritage. Traditions – some centuries old! – from all over the world have blended together to make Christmas how we celebrate today. Do you have any family- or culture-specific traditions that aren’t listed here? Tell us about them! We’d love to hear how you celebrate Christmas!

Source: History.com – Christmas Traditions Worldwide

Black Friday – Fun Fact Friday

Kicking off the holiday shopping season

The turkey has been devoured, the pie – all but gone, and now it’s time to look towards another holiday – Christmas. With just weeks to go before December 25th, doubtless we all still have much to accomplish. I mean, let’s be honest: have any of us really started our Christmas shopping yet? For the over-achievers who started back at the Labor Day sales, more power to ya. But for those of us who have been busy and put it off, there is still hope. Hope in the form of Black Friday shopping. Black Friday – the day after Thanksgiving that begins the holiday shopping season when countless deals can be snagged. But do you know how far back Black Friday’s origins go?

Black Friday as we know it earned its name nearly 60 years ago in Philadelphia. Philadelphia police officers were daunted by the crowds of people visiting family for Thanksgiving, getting started on their Christmas shopping, and attending the Army vs. Navy college football game. Because of the increased traffic, crowding, and even shoplifting brought on by the hoards of people, the police dubbed that Friday after Thanksgiving “black”.

However, Black Friday as the beginning of the Christmas shopping season began largely thanks to Mr. Macy. In the early 20th century, department stores, like Macy’s, were the places to shop. Before shopping malls, they were the one-stop stores to get most of your shopping done. In an attempt to drive more shoppers to his department store for the holiday season, Mr. Macy began his Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade in 1924. The result has become the Black Friday we are familiar with today.

And that’s a brief look at the history of Black Friday! For a more detailed read, take a look at the sources below.

Have any Black Friday deals that you’ve scored or are looking forward to getting? Comment below!

Source: MoneyCrashers.com , TheBalance.com

Thanksgiving – Fun Fact Friday

Thanksgiving – An American Tradition

Turkey, pumpkin pie, football – for many Americans that just about sums up Thanksgiving. It is the one day each November we set aside to gather with loved ones, reflect on all the blessings in our lives, and eat one slice too many of our favorite pie. But the original Thanksgiving was much different. We all know that it began with the Pilgrims after they sailed on the Mayflower from England to the New World, yet how did it become what it is today?

Since many of those that sailed on the Mayflower, the Pilgrims, had strong religious beliefs, a day to give thanks was typically a solemn event. Such a day would be set aside for fasting, prayer, and reflection on the goodness of God. Pilgrims, Puritans, and Native Americans alike each had their own versions of Thanksgiving before it ever became a national holiday.

As far as how we celebrate Thanksgiving today, below is a progressive timeline of the holiday:

  • 1621 – What we consider the first Thanksgiving was held as three days of feasting between the Pilgrims and the Wampanoags.
  • 1777 – The first national Thanksgiving was declared by the Continental Congress.
  • 1827 – While each Thanksgiving day was traditionally declared by a President, Sarah Josepha Hale (editor of Godey’s Lady’s Book) lobbied to have it made a national holiday.
  • 1863 – Hale’s efforts proved successful when President Lincoln initiated two days of thanks – one in August and another in November.
  • 1939 – President Franklin D. Roosevelt finally established Thanksgiving as an annual, nationally-recognized holiday. He scheduled the date for the second-to-last Thursday in November.
  • 1941 – Congress pushed the Thanksgiving date to the fourth Thursday in November.

Keeping Up with Tradition

Thanksgiving has come a long way over the centuries. Some years it was celebrated, and some years it was not. Although much of Thanksgiving has changed from the date to the customs, the heart of the holiday has remained the same: reflection and gratitude. This year, don’t stress so much over whether or not you’ll get that Black Friday deal, or if you burned the sweet potato casserole. Be sure to let the people in your life know how much they mean to you and reflect on all the ways God has blessed you. We have so much to be thankful for. Happy Thanksgiving!

Check out this link for an additional 15 Thanksgiving fun facts! Number 9 explains a lot about holiday traffic…*ick*

Sources: Plimouth.org , HuffingtonPost.com