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, Holidayers Shoppers!

We put in so much effort over the gifts that we give to one another this time of year; with so many holidays right around the corner and so many people eager to celebrate, the energy is charged in the winter air and everyone weathers the cold to fulfill their thoughtful deeds. We spend lots of time, thought, effort, (and typically money) on the things that we gift to one another and we want the moment to be just right when the recipient of our gift opens it up!

But, unfortunately, things don’t always go the way we had planned. As crummy as late deliveries are, they happen—despite your efforts to ensure an on-time arrival. At Everything Summer Camp, we understand the importance of gift-giving and we want to help make sure that your gifting goes off without a hitch this holiday season.

Order from Everything Summer Camp and rest assured that your delivery will arrive on time; we want your gift-giving to go just the way you hoped. SO, please allow me to call your attention to our handy holiday map.

This is a helpful, color-coded map to eliminate any misunderstanding about how early you need to place your order on our website to have it ship to you on time. Of course, delivery times vary throughout the country, but, personally, I don’t like procrastinating, so I like to urge people to order as early as they can—better safe than sorry!

And that’s why I’m sharing the magic numbers with you of 1:00pm on December 17. That’s the time and date for everyone in the contiguous United States to go off of for guaranteed delivery by December 24.

December 17 may be early for some of you; Everything Summer Camp is based in northwestern Wisconsin, so if you live in Wisconsin, most parts of Minnesota, or another nearby area, you have the luxury of placing your order as late as 1:00pm on December 21. Happy holidays, Everybody! Get your orders placed with us on time and, as always, thanks for reading!

- John

Hey, Camp Fans!

We received more than 30 entries for our ‘Share Your Camp Story’ Contest here at Everything Summer Camp and now we’re eager to publish each one of them right here on the Blog to share with all our readers! There were seven lucky winners to our contest and everyone else who submitted received a $15 gift certificate to our website! Today’s post is from Ava R., who wrote in to tell us about her second year at Camp Chi.

“I attended Camp Chi; this was my second year. I was very nervous because the first year I was very homesick. As soon as I arrived to camp, I saw the people in my cabin and we started playing games. I learned the names of my friends and my counselors and they seemed really nice. We did everything together. We went horseback riding, zip lining, water skiing and many more fun things. They had a new activity this year and it was tie dying shirts and I really enjoyed this because I like to tie dye and I like the patterns you can make. I also liked ceramics because I like to make stuff and bring it home to show my family. I also loved going into the cove. The cove is like the beach but it has trampolines in the water so you can jump from the trampolines to the water. Lots of times our cabin played games. One time we played volleyball. On the last day of camp I was really sad because I didn’t want to leave because I liked it a lot. I was really sad when I arrived home and I told my parents that I want to go for four weeks next year instead of two! I can’t wait for next summer!!!!”

Glad to hear how much you loved your time at Camp Chi, Ava! It’s great that you didn’t really get homesick either (although don’t be surprised if you should encounter it in years to come). Camp certainly is a great time! Check out Camp Chi to see if it might be a good match for you. And, as always, thanks for reading!

- John

Hey, Stocking Stuffers!

What’s filling your kid’s stocking this year? You may not think to find your stocking stuffers shopping our website—as the home of C&N Footlockers, Everything Summer Camp has the reputation of the case place, where you can find big steel trunks and bulky duffel bags. While, that certainly is what we’re all about, these items barely even scratch the surface of all the camping gear and other fun supplies we offer.

Yes, we may not be the first place you think to do your stocking shopping, but you’re in for  a surprise! We definitely have what you need to really load up that traditional piece of footwear that gets hung by the chimney with care. And you shouldn’t have to spend too much money either! See what awesome deals you can find for stocking stuffers which will remain in effect until the 24th!

Let me tell you all about it in a rapid fire round for each of our four stuffer categories:

For starters, get products like the Camp Daze Mad Libs and our Personal Organizer
for under $5!

You can spend under $10 and still get Blackfire’s revolutionary LED Clamplight Mini as well as the fun, ice-breaking game Camp Talk.

Spend under $15 on the Slim Sonic Toothbrush as well as certain selections from our Smartwool Socks.

And lastly, for less than $20, you can score yourself a Mint Laundry Bag along with the wise water shoe, Showaflops.

Stuff those stockings this year with fun finds from Everything Summer Camp—putting the camp back into Christmas with fun, functional, a very cool products. Enjoy browsing our site for all these easy stuffers and let us help make Christmas a little easier! As always, thanks for reading and happy holidays!

- John

Hey, Camp Fans!

Are you looking for a fantastic place for boys to spend their summer days? If you like adventure, art, sports, making friends, and most of all—FUN—then today’s spotlighted camp should pique your interest! One of the many camps with whom we’re pleased to have developed a relationship, Everything Summer Camp is more than happy to present Camp Skylemar for boys!Camp Skylemar is found on a 200 acre wooded paradise of Naples, Maine that overlooks the White Mountains and a beautiful spring-fed lake. Every year, they’ve shown 170 young men the time of their lives since 1948! Providing its nurturing atmosphere, Skylemar features the typical summer camp experience with a gigantic emphasis on fun!

Offering traditional sports for camp such as Archery, Baseball, Basketball, Football, Disc Golf, Soccer, Tennis, and more, Skylemar also pacifies the desire for adventure with Hiking, Camping Trips, Backpacking, Outdoor Education, Climbing Wall, Ropes Course, and more. They also offer a variety of non-athletic activities such as Drama, Music, Woodworking, Arts & Crafts, Photography, Graphic Design, Science, and more!

Campers also have Trickey Pond for all their waterfront fun which includes Swimming, Sailing, Water-Skiing, Wakeboarding, Wake Surfing, Paddle Boarding, Kayaking, Canoeing, Fishing, and more!

Cabin living feels like a sleepover party with 5-8 campers living alongside cabin leaders who are there to help with anything campers may need. Given a 2 to 1 camper-to-staff ratio, someone is always there to help out or teach you a new trick. Campers at Camp Skylemar have been able to learn a song on the guitar in a single night—or been taught to string a lacrosse head for the first time.

The cabin leaders are experts at doing things like inventing new games, joining in others that are currently being played, and playing music—all in the attempt to make cabin life fun. They call lights-out and read before bedtime. The cabins are designed with bathrooms inside.

Check out Camp Skylemar if it seems like a good fit for you and, as always, thanks for reading, Campers!

- John