Hey, Boxers!

One thing that always rings true when you see it in these post-Christmas days reminds us all of our wild imaginations and playful mindset in our earliest of years. The Christmas holiday brings gifts and with the gifts come boxes. And no matter the size of our imaginations, the bigger the box, the better. It’s a familiar sight to any adult—children every year, despite all the new gifts they recently unwrapped, can never resist the temptation of crawling into those walls of corrugation and using the box itself as their newest favorite toy.

Today is the day after Christmas which we call Boxing Day. Recognized in many commonwealth nations like Canada, England, South Africa, and others, Boxing Day in today’s world is essentially an extended Christmas Day—a day to check out the presents that you unwrapped yesterday.

There’s not actually much to it. It’s kind of a day for being lazy, keeping cozy, and wondering, “What now?” Though it seems right up our alley, the U.S. does not celebrate this holiday—but you can go ahead and stick to traditions anyway if you don’t have anything else to do!

Take today to watch some movies, play a board game with your family, or curl up comfortably and escape into a good book! It’s good to be mindful of it and enjoy staying in on these winter days before the time comes when we need to return to that normal daily grind!  

I’ve always felt that the day after Christmas Day delivers a giant letdown on a scale immeasurable. It feels so empty compared to the bursting anticipation we feel on Christmas Eve. So, in my opinion, that feeling is the epitome of Boxing Day. It’s a day to really relish in our regret of a celebration past. Only, rather than wishing to return to those fun celebrations, let’s just think of the fun memories and look forward to the time this season rolls around again!

Till next time, Readers! Happy Boxing Day and, as always thanks for reading!

- John

Hey, Camp Kids!

We were thrilled with your response to our annual ‘Share Your Camp Story’ Contest at Everything Summer Camp! Your stories were great and it was such a fun time reading through them. Get a look at each submission as I post them one-by-one right here on the Blog!

Today’s post is from Alijah J. who wrote in to tell us about a first year at Camp Longhorn. Put it in front of your eyes and read his summer camp submission right now:

“Hi my name is Alijah J. This year was my first year at Camp Longhorn. I had the greatest experience. I learned how to properly shoot a gun and bow and arrow. There were lots of dances/carnivals which also made my camp experience great. Being away from my phone and not to have to worry about the things at home was the greatest feeling. I got to spend good quality time with my friends and also met new friends who I hope I can keep for a life time. Whenever I’m too old to attend Camp Longhorn I will hope to return as a counselor. I love everything about Camp Longhorn. There are no dislikes about it. I can’t wait to return to Camp Longhorn next year!”

Glad you got such an immersive summer camp experience away from your home and away from your phone. It’s great to hear that being away from these everyday items was a positive experience for you. Sounds like you truly embraced being surrounded by fun and friends in the great outdoors!

I’m confident that Camp Longhorn will only get better each year straight through your days of being a camp counselor, Alijah! To anybody else interested in Camp Longhorn, give it a closer look for yourself some time and, as always, thanks for reading!

- John

Hey, Camp Folks!

At Everything Summer Camp, we pride ourselves on providing more than just excellent gear for your summer camp experience. Our customers can rely on advice from us on what gear will be appropriate, how to get the most out of a camp stay, how to find the right camp for your family, and more! Today’s Blog post features Camp Skyline for Girls—maybe it will be just the camp you’re looking for!

A private, Christian camp, Skyline was founded on the banks of Little River in 1947 atop Lookout Mountain in Northern Alabama in a town called Mentone. Young women have attended Camp Skyline for more than 70 years where they have discovered a clearer sense of their own individuality as well as how they fit in with their peers and their spiritual connection too.

Things stay pretty exciting at Camp Skyline! With fun activities a-plenty in the water and on the land, there’s never a dull moment! Enjoy the Skyline Circus where you can learn to fly like a trapeze artist! Try your hand at Archery and Riflery, the Skyline Ropes Course, and their Climbing Wall. Play sports like Tennis, Mountain Biking, Capture the Flag, Softball, Lacrosse, Fitness, Volleyball, and Ultimate Frisbee.  

Little River offers one of the South’s finest places for swimming too! So enjoy your time swimming and canoeing! Camp Skyline offers a great number of Arts & Crafts you can get involved in such as Cooking, Painting, and Pottery. And you can enjoy developing your skills at Performing Arts as well like Dance, Gymnastics, Flag & Baton, Theater, and more!

Campers are made to feel right at home in their cabin among the six that make up Hut Row and look forward to the year that they graduate into the cabins for the older campers! Camp Skyline gives girls a safe place where they can dip their feet into the lifelong process of growing up. Be sure to give it a closer look and check out their website some time. And, as always, thanks for reading.

- John

Hey, Thoughtful Gifters!

This time of year as we delve deeper into December, things tend to get pretty busy. Between shopping endeavors, craft work at home, and phone calls to brainstorm gifting ideas, it’s not uncommon for folks to succumb to holiday stress. Appropriately coined, it can be a daunting, stressful experience trying to gather everyone’s Christmas gifts. But have no fear! Everything Summer Camp is here to help make the holidays easy on everyone!

After all, if you have a son or daughter, niece or nephew, or grand kid who’s an intrepid, little explorer who’s looking forward to another summer at summer camp, the gift is already sitting here waiting for you! Just give a gift card and let them do the shopping!

It really is that easy. Your special, little adventurer is sure to appreciate a push in the direction of our website along with some prearranged spending cash! Kids can have fun for hours on end, browsing through the departments on our site, looking at all we have and tinkering with our personalized options for select products. Let them find what they like most for themselves!

Here at Everything Summer Camp we have a massive assortment of not only fun camp supplies kids can enjoy, but practical and quality gear as well. Our C&N Footlockers make great presents for all ages! For all kids with summer camp on the horizon, students entering college, or simply for a family member’s attractive-looking storage unit around the house, our camp trunks make classy gifts for certain!

I still remember when I got my C&N Footlocker for Christmas a thousand years ago! And I still get great use out of it! Give a campy gift this year with a virtual gift card certificate to Everything Summer Camp. Happy Holidays, Readers! And, as always, thanks for reading.

- John

Happy Hanukkah, Boys and Girls!

How do you celebrate this holy day of Judaism, the religion of the Jewish community? I’ve written a number of Blog posts to explore the history and the meaning behind these honored eight days, but here are some totally new facts about Hanukkah that you maybe didn’t know. Check out these three interesting points:

Enough Sufganiyot for Everyone!

Sufganiyot is a traditional doughnut treat that folks really fill up on during this celebration! First, the doughnut is deep-fried, then filled with jam or custard, and then topped with powdered sugar. There are about 17.5 million of these oily, little doughnuts eaten in Israel and during Hanukkah. That’s a lotta doughnuts!

You'd Better be Gambling in There…

Ever wonder how the dreidel became such a popular Hanukkah tradition? Well, back in the days of Greek oppression, studying the Torah was considered illegal. When the Greeks would make surprise raids, these quick-thinking students would stash the Torah under a sheet and start rolling a dreidel as though they were playing a simple, gambling game all along. Pretty sneaky, eh?

Are You Sure it’s Supposed to be Eight Days?

Yeah. Hanukkah is celebrated over the course of eight days, but the miracle of the oil really only lasted seven, right? When the Maccabees recaptured the Holy Temple in Jerusalem, it’s true that they found a jar of oil to use that was naturally supplied to them—nothing miraculous, you might think. But including the front day in the celebration signifies that everything of the ‘natural’ world is a miracle from God.

Did you already know any of these holiday facts about the celebration of Hanukkah? We hope you learned something today! And be sure to check out our new Hanukkah print apparel that we have available for the holiday by clicking here! And, as always, thanks for reading!

- John