Hey, Tree People!

At Everything Summer Camp, we certainly Tree Christmastime as much as we Tree Camp! And when it comes to Treeing things, there’s no better kind of tree to Tree than the Evergreen Tree! And there’s no better day than today to appreciate your love for Evergreen Trees. Today is Look for an Evergreen Day, so if you don’t already have in your home, get out and find yourself a nice tree.

Evergreens merit our admiration and awe with their unchanging green needles and their incredible resilience to harsh winters. Not only do they deserve our respect, but they GET it as well! We bring them into our homes for the holidays. We dress them up in lights and hang shiny objects on them. We write odes about them (O Christmas Tree, O Christmas Tree), and soon…

When it comes to finding a tree for your home this time of year, tradition has it that you simply must. But tradition is nonspecific as to when exactly you should. Some folks can hardly wait—and don’t wait—for Thanksgiving to pass. Others stick to the month of December while others don’t bother until just a few days before Christmas. Those who stick to real trees are more likely to wait a little while as they’re working with a time frame.

My entire life, I’ve never decorated a real tree. Every tree I’ve ever put up in my home has been an artificial one—much easier to manage and you decide how long you have it out for. These are found in any department store and come inside a corrugated box with assembly required. Packing this rectangular cube into your backseat in some store parking lot isn’t the same tradition of tying a real tree to the top of your vehicle, but you can’t beat the convenience!

Though I didn’t buy anything, I took my first walk through a Christmas Tree Lot this year. Creating such a pretty, serene setting, I can understand why folks prefer to go shopping for a real tree in these atmospheric lots.

However, if you really want to embrace the spirit of ‘Look for an Evergreen Day’, then I suggest you forage your own path through the wilderness to find the perfect tree which is still in the ground—just like they used to do in olden times and in the Griswold family. Whatever you end up doing, be sure to appreciate the tree you put in your home and, as always, thanks for reading!

- John

Happy Hannukah!

Sunset tonight marks the first night of Hanukkah this year! What ensues of this tradition will be eight days and nights in which its observers celebrate with latkes, dreidels, and lighting the Hanukkiah (which is the traditional candleholder that is often mistakenly called a menorah). Just what is this celebration about? Read on to delve into the subject to take a deeper look.Unlike Christmas, which arrives on Dec. 25 every year, Hannukah’s date jumps around from year to year on the Gregorian calendar. It arrives consistently on the 25 of Kislev—a month of the Hebrew calendar. Unlike the Gregorian calendar which considers just the earth and the sun, the Hebrew calendar which is lunisolar because it’s based on the sun and the moon as well.

We go back to 165 B.C. to understand the history of Hanukkah, when a Jewish rebel army known as the Maccabees defeated the Syrians and rededicated their holy temple in Jerusalem. This eight-day holiday celebrates a seven-day miracle in which the Maccabees only had enough oil to light the temple’s eternal flame for a single day, but even so the lamp kept on burning for eight!

The lighting of the nine-branched candleholder—often times incorrectly referred to as a menorah—is actually called a Hanukkiah. A menorah, on the other hand, has only seven candleholders—like the lamp that was used by the Maccabees in the ancient holy temple in Jerusalem.

Hanukkiahs have nine candleholders, which designates a candle for each of the eight nights of Hanukkah as well as one more for lighting the others. If you celebrate Hanukkah, you now can educate your friends and family on the holiday you’re about to celebrate! Enjoy your traditional tasty treats, fun games and toys, and the time you spend to honor the miracle. Happy Hanukkah and, as always, thanks for reading.

- John

Hey, Thankful Folks!

Our Thanksgiving celebration has come a long way since the Pilgrims first made their arrival to the New World in 1620. They celebrated a day of thanksgiving (a much more common day of celebration before the official holiday came along) with a menu consisting of deer, various types of fowl (like turkey and duck), fish (like cod and bass), and flint corn. Also, there was no Macy’s Day Parade or Detroit Lions matchup.

Days of thanksgiving were once held rather frequently throughout the year as a European custom that the Pilgrims brought along with them when they came to the New World. What were they so thankful for all the time? Anything! It might have been a crop that came in really well that year, the end of a drought, or simply making it through a harsh winter.

But it was Ms. Sarah Josepha Hale who eventually proposed our current feast. She also campaigned for this holiday for 20 years—she was 75 by the time she finally succeeded! She convinced Lincoln by mail that this would be a good holiday to help unify the country after the Civil    War (sort of the ultimate Thanksgiving Day).

And on top of our revamped feast as well as our traditional parade and football game, Thanksgiving has been taking on a new tradition as Black Friday continues to push stores’ opening hours earlier and earlier. The shopping experience now overlaps with the Thanksgiving evening, creating what some refer to as ‘Grey Thursday’.

Lazy Thanksgiving evenings are now designated time to prepare yourself: peruse those ads and map out your route so you’ll be ready to embark on a carefully strategized night of shopping. We know you probably have lots of plotting and planning for this night, so we like to make things easy on our customers by giving them the entire week of Black Friday sales. Check out the most amazing of our deals this year by clicking here and, as always, thanks for reading.

- John

Hey, Proud Papas!

Happy Father’s Day! Dads all around the world are honored on this day for the unconditional loving support they give to their children every day. Last month, I posted gift ideas for mothers on Mother’s Day. Never mind that it’s already Father’s Day—doesn’t mean it’s too late to create a heartfelt gift to present to your dad.

As I prefaced in my Mother’s Day post, if a low budget (or lack of one) is what’s kept you from getting a gift for your dad, then this is the Blog post for you! These ideas are basic and require only materials that you likely already have in your house. And don’t feel bad about not buying your present; your dad will probably appreciate a homemade project more!

Greet Him with a Greeting Card
Make a card on your own for Father’s Day! It’s a thoughtful gift that gives you creativity so you can express to your dad exactly how you feel and not how a greeting card company assumes you do. You can go simple with an 8½” x 11” sheet of paper folded in half or get a little fancier if you’re feeling your “origami” skills and try to make this Tie and T-shirt greeting card.

Finger Paint is Handy
Sometimes creativity can be a little messy, but it’s all worth it for Father’s Day (as long as you don’t make him clean up). Have fun and get creative with your gift and see what you can do with your hands. And remember—the more fun you have, the more your father is sure to appreciate it!
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Make a Picture
Maybe your dad loves to take you fishing. Maybe you two are always going golfing or playing a simple game of catch in the backyard. Whatever fun times you share with your father, show him what it means to you with a picture that makes him think of all your great times together.

Do-It-Yourself Decorations
Dads are notorious for having what’s come to be known as ‘Dad Humor’. Their jokes are typically dripping with puns that make us cringe and moan. Give him a little bit back for Father’s Day with this punny ‘You Rock’ rock for display on a dresser top or office desk.

These are just some ideas that you’re more-than-likely able to make for your Father’s Day gift today. Or maybe these ideas have inspired a gift idea of your own. In any case, enjoy the fun in the artistic and creative process and make your father proud! Happy Father’s Day to fathers everywhere and, as always, thanks for reading!

- John

Happy Mother’s Day!

Mothers are honored the world over on this day for the unconditional faith, hope, and love that they exhibit for their children every day. In a past Blog post, I discussed the history of this holiday. In another post, I disclosed what some of us at Everything Summer Camp had planned for our Mother’s Day celebrations. This year, I want to focus on gift ideas. It may already be Mother’s Day, but it’s not too late to create a heartfelt gift to present to your mother.If a low budget (or lack of one) has kept you from preparing a Mother’s Day gift for your mom, then this is the Blog post for you! The following ideas are simple and require materials that you can likely find around-the-house. And you shouldn’t feel bad about not purchasing your Mother’s Day present; nothing says ‘Happy Mother’s Day’ quite like a homemade project!

Make Your Mom a Card
Making your own card for Mother’s Day is a simple gesture that gives you the space to let your mother know exactly how you feel (not how a greeting card company supposes you do). An 8½” x 11” sheet of paper folded in half by its length transforms into a greeting card with a cover, an inside, and a back.

Mother’s Day Message in Finger Paint
Creativity has the tendency to get a little messy from time to time. But, make no mistake about it, the more fun you have creating your Mother’s Day gift, the more your mother is sure to appreciate it (as long as you don’t leave a mess behind for her to clean up!). See what message you can send your mother through your own artistic expression!

Create a Picture
Tap into the visual artist inside yourself and create an image to express how your mother makes you feel. You don’t have to be Michelangelo in order to create a work of art. The artist of the pictured example created a work of mixed-media art which uses a blend of techniques—in this case, a two-dimensional colored pencil sketch along with the placement of actual flower heads.

Make Decorations
And last, you can make three-dimensional art for your mother to use as home décor. Plastic foam, straws, glue/double sided tape, ribbon, and buttons are a great means to mock flowers—an art project that’s growing in popularity. Arrange them so they ‘stand’ in a cloth within a vase and, if you’re good, your decorations might actual fool people from a distance. And your mother won’t have to worry aboutlwatering them!

These are just a few ideas that you’re more than likely to put to use for your own Mother’s Day gift. Otherwise, maybe they’ve inspired you to come up with a gift idea of your own. In any case, have fun in the creative process and make your mothers proud! Happy Mother’s Day to mothers everywhere and, as always, thanks for reading!

- John