Proud Americans,

Today is the 74th anniversary of the surprise attack that occurred on Pearl Harbor back in 1941. A very tragic day, we remember it to honor the 2,403 victims who were killed that day. Carried out by Japanese bombers, the attack on Pearl Harbor was the first battle of World War II, which thrust the United States into involvement.

The main naval base that held the majority of the US warships, Pearl Harbor was targeted in order for the Japanese to attain rule over the Pacific. Since their only competition was the US Navy, it made Pearl Harbor an obvious mark.

The Japanese intended on destroying the US Navy, giving themselves the freedom they would need in becoming a superpower alongside Germany. However, though much damage was done at Pearl Harbor, the US Navy was not destroyed and no air craft carriers were there at the time of the attack.

Named The Greatest Generation, much praise has always been sung for the citizens and soldiers who lived in the time of World War II. My grandfather fought in the service as a Navigator as well as Bombardier. With his recent passing a couple months ago, my family’s hearts are still heavy with the loss.

Having lived a long, full life, Joseph Stauber was wed to the love of his life after the war, Claire Heintz. He built his own house where, together, they raised five children who all eventually went on to marry and start their own families. One of them—my mother—ended up marrying the boy next door and raising a family in that house; so it came to be that I grew up living next-door to my grandfather and we developed a close connection.

He was a great man.

As we move into the holiday season to celebrate our beliefs and traditions, let us all acknowledge our appreciation of those who protected our country in order for us to keep alive our religious and celebratory freedoms. Keep these freedoms in mind today in remembrance of Pearl Harbor and, as always, thanks for reading.

- John

Hey, Festive Folks!

Starting at sunset tonight marks the first night of Hanukkah! Eight days and nights follow to observe this traditional Hebrew holiday until nightfall on December 14. Like any other holiday, Hanukkah is celebrated with many festive foods, songs, games, and traditions. These traditions, however, are usually shrouded in some mystery for non-Jewish individuals since Hebrew terms can often mask the meaning.

I’m here to give some clarity to Hebrew terms that are used a lot for this popular Jewish holiday.

FOOD:
Main courses, candy, and other treats are a part of the Hanukkah celebration. Here’s a breakdown of traditional, Jewish dishes and other tasty edibles.

Sufganiot—essentially donuts
Latkes—potato pancakes
Mandelbrot—a firm cookie reminiscent of cake
Rugelach—pastries with different ingredients used for the filling, such as raisins, walnuts, cinnamon, or chocolate.
SONGS:
Along with tasty foods, Hanukkah is a cheerful time made for joyful singing of holiday songs. It’s tradition to sing songs after the candles have been lit. Here are some of the songs to sing.

Ma’oz Tzur—Rock of Ages
Hava Nagila—Let Us Rejoice
Hanukkah, Oh Hanukkah—which doesn’t really need any translation, and
S’vivon Sov Sov Sov—which translates to Dreidel Spin Spin Spin

There’s also, of course, the very popular Dreidel Song (which requires no translation either).

GAMES:
Speaking of Dreidels, games are a big part of Hanukkah traditions as well. What you may not know is that there’s much more to a Dreidel than a spinning top as many non-Jewish people assume. But, with four different Hebrew symbols on each side, the Dreidel can actually be played as a gambling game.

נ => Nun—Nothing
ג => Gimel—All
ה => He—Half
ש => Shin—Put in

TRADITIONS:
Hanukkah’s main tradition, of course, is the lighting of the candles. The nine-branched candleholder is often times incorrectly called a menorah, but is rightly called a Hunukkiah. The menorah only has seven candleholders—like the lamp that was used in the ancient holy temple in Jerusalem.

Menorah—seven-branched candleholder
Hanukkiah—nine-brancehd candleholder
Shammash—found on the Hanukkiah, but not the Menorah, Shammash translates to ‘server’ as it is the flame that feeds each candle.

Have a wonderful time celebrating these eight miraculous nights and, as always, thanks for reading. Happy Hanukkah!

- John

Hey, Holiday Shoppers!

During this holiday season, the spirit of generosity comes out in everyone. People are out and about in the cold with warm hearts, looking for the perfect gift to give their loved ones. At Everything Summer Camp, we like to show our holiday spirit by giving our customers great deals on all the camping gear and other supplies we carry.

With trending store sales this time of year and smart shoppers, gift-giving has become more creative and strategic than it ever has been in the past… You may not think of Everything Summer Camp as a place for holiday shopping and stocking stuffer toys, but, truly, we are—we’ve got it all!

Having seen so much success with our popular ‘Spend More, Save More’ deal in past sales, we’re bringing this deal back in December.

That’s right!—all throughout the month of December, if you purchase over $100, you’ll receive a $10 Gift Certificate shipped along with your order that can be used on a future order. If you purchase over $200, you’ll get a Gift Certificate for $20. $300 will get you $30, $400 and you’ll get $40, and so on.

Camp trunks make an awesome present! Get solid color camp trunks for $15 off and Pattern Camp Trunks for $30 off! We also offer adequate alternatives to our hard, steel trunks. Get a collapsible Pop Up Soft Trunk with $20 knocked off its original price! Don’t let this holiday season pass you by without taking advantage of this awesome deal!

These deals will last for a LIMITED TIME ONLY, so be sure to act fast! As usual, we ship orders for free when they’re $99 or over. So, have fun browsing our site for holiday shopping and, as always, thanks for reading!

- John

Hey, Camp Fans!

The ‘Share Your Camp Story’ drawing here at Everything Summer Camp has brought in about 30 entries! It was a great response that made us eager to publish each one right here on the Blog! After our seven lucky winners, everyone else who submitted received a $15 gift certificate to our online store—so really everyone who submitted is a winner! Today’s post features Suzanne P.’s camp entry which reminisces about her magical camp stay now that her daughter is following in her footsteps at “Everything I remember about summer camp was absolutely amazing! Being nestled on the banks of Lake Fairfield for the summer was magical. I loved listening to the frogs serenade us at night and the fairies that flew by our cabins lighting up the night. When I return in the summers now with my daughter, the same magic returns. She now experiences all that Merrie Woode has to offer. One of my most precious memories was the torch coming in from the lake for opening campfire, signifying the beginning of the session. At the end of the session, I loved watching the torch go back to the lake to rest for the long winter months. Along with the torch, each camper would send a single candle onto the lake allowing the light in them to go out to the rest of world. It was a gorgeous site to see!”

Thanks again for your submission, Suzanne! Sounds like your summer camp days played a very important and memorable role in your life. It’s great to hear that your daughter is getting the same, magical summer camp experience that you had as a kid. To anyone else interested in Camp Merrie-Woode, you can check it out right here. As always, thanks for reading!

- John

Hey, Cyber Shoppers!

Since last week, Tuesday, our site has been boasting its bewildering buys and crazy deals in participation of Black Friday sales. But Black Friday deals aren’t over just yet! And there are more deals exclusively starting today in honor of Cyber Monday!

Most of our deals started last week and are still going! Spend $50 this week on our site and you can get the Wenzel Sprout for just $9.99! There are phenomenal deals peppered throughout ALL of our Camping Gear—from Rain Gear to Flashlights and everything in between! Of course, we have our C&N brand Camp Trunks discounted, especially our Pattern Trunks!

Then, you can also get great deals on the Pop Up Soft Trunk and its handy counterpart, the Piggy Back Duffel! But what hasn’t been available all week is our Duffel Bag Discount. As of today, you can score high-quality duffels for a fraction of their original price!

Originally priced at $39.99, the Overnight Duffel is now available for the extremely low price of $7.99! You won’t find a better deal on a Duffel Bag of this size or quality—PERIOD. The Overnight Duffel Bag gives you the extra storage space you’ll need for your camping travels.

Similar in quality, our very own Duffel—the Everything Summer Camp Gear Bag—is regularly the same price as the Overnight Duffel. Now it’s available for just $9.99. This durable Duffel is perfect for packing bulky items like sleeping bags, blankets, and alike.

Last, but not least, we have the J World Fairman Wheeled Duffel—an obvious choice already without its discount. Down from $99.99 to $39.99, this Bag is a no-brainer! Get awesome, storage space, rolling on two, silent wheels for this friendly price while it lasts!

Take advantage of all our Cyber Monday and Black Friday deals before they go away for the year! And, as always, thanks for reading, Shoppers!

- John