Hey, Blog Buddies!

Do you know what today is? Not that there’s any reason you should. After all, how would any of you know that today is my birthday unless you’re, like, my MOM or something (and Mom, if you’re reading this, why haven’t you called yet?)? In any case, today is, indeed, your loyal Blogger’s birthday. On this day, I turn 28. Happy Birthday to me!

Looking back on my previous year, it seems hard to believe that it really WAS a whole year. It flew! They say time flies when you’re having fun, so I guess you could say that my previous year was a blast in its entirety! Yeah, it was pretty good, I suppose.

There are some people who absolutely hate their birthdays. They see them as nothing but another mile marker down the highway of life, marking them one year older and that much more removed from their youth. The other folks LOVE their birthdays! To them, birthdays aren’t mile markers, they’re celebrations of the day you were born, ‘x’ amount of years ago.

I’ve always been of the latter sort. I don’t mind my birthday one bit. On the contrary, I want to get together with as many friends and family members as I can to enjoy the fact that all of these people feel extremely obligated to be extra-nice to me today. But even if I don’t get to hang out with a bunch of people I know, I’m still happily amused as I pass all the strangers I see with the thought in my head that I know something they don’t know.

I never really wanted the big birthday party. I was more than content with my parents, siblings, and grandfather (who lived next-door) gathering around the dining room table for a dinner and cake of my choice with gift-opening to follow. I’ll remember those days fondly for the rest of my life!

But I’m not the only one who celebrates a January 7 birthday. Kenny Loggins, Dustin Diamond, Nicolas Cage, and President Fillmore are just a few famous folks who celebrate their birthdays today too. Check out more famous people who celebrate their birthday today—there are a lot. And, as always, thanks for reading.

- John

Hey, Cozy Kids!

If you enjoy spending your winter days like most people—in the comfort of your home, near the crackling fireplace with abundant blankets strewn about—then this is a day that’s sure to be right up your alley! Go get your mom, dad, younger sibling, or family pet to help you celebrate today!

If you haven’t already guessed it, it’s National Cuddle up Day! What else is a wintry day in January for if you can’t spend it all cuddled up or “snuggled up together like two birds of a feather” (as an old, familiar song puts it)? Am I right? Make sure to warm your bones up on a day like this!

Cuddling up with each other is a great way to spend some quality time with your family. Enjoy the warmth of your heated home, of your nicest blankets, and, of course, the company of those with whom you’re close. You don’t get much closer than you do on a day like today!

For some serious coziness, check out our soft selection of blankets! From Northwest Woolen Mills to Woolrich, we carry quality blankets that are certain to keep you feeling snug as a bug and oh-so-warm! Enjoy a giant pile of these blankets with your family in what my niece, Tessa, calls ‘a nest.’

Cats and dogs like blankets too, AND they make for excellent cuddle-buddies! I know MY hound dog, Wil LOVES cuddling (with me, anyway). He’s a big dog, but he’s really sweet—and SUPER-warm! He forgets from time to time that he’s no longer a puppy and curls up on my lap. And as painful as that can be, I allow it since he’s such a great cuddler. He even lets me use him as a pillow!

So celebrate National Cuddle up Day—curl up with one of our great blankets and your loved ones, your pets, or just a good book! Have a cozy Cuddle up Day and thanks for reading!

- John

Hey, Campers!

Were you born to hit the big time? Made for the spotlight? Are you dying to be on TV or in the movies?  If so, that’s one thing you have in common with the one and only, Ms. Natalie Portman. You know what else you have in common with her? The both of you went to summer camp!

Natalie went to the unique camp, Stage Door Manor in New York for her exciting summer camp experience. Stage Door Manor Camp is just like any other summer camp, aside from the heavy concentration on theater involvement and the performing arts that they offer in their camp program.

Obviously, Natalie was interested in acting from an early age. Born in Jerusalem, Israel, Natalie’s parents (Shelley and Avner) moved to the United States when she was only three years old. Despite her young age by the time she moved to America, Natalie has always been fond of her birthplace. While she loves the United States, Natalie feels like Jerusalem is her true home.

When she was 13, Natalie took her first role in the action movie Léon. She played the part of an orphan who gets taken in by a man with a questionable occupation. Her real success, however, came to her suddenly when she turned 18 and was cast as Queen Amidala of the Star Wars prequels: Episodes I, II, and III.

In the same year that she started doing Star Wars, Natalie also enrolled at Harvard University where she studied psychology alongside her acting career—talk about juggling your education and career! She finished school two years before completing her role in the Star Wars prequels. Since then, her career has blossomed gracefully.

Natalie’s earned some awards for her work such as a Golden Globe, a Constellation Award, and a Saturn Award. Her dreams took her to summer camp and then to Hollywood! Where will camp and your dreams guide you?

- John

Hey, 2015ers!

Happy New Year, Everyone! Glad to see that you all found your way back to the Everything Summer Camp Blog! Today is for wringing out the old and ringing in the new. Here we stand, 2014 behind us and an entire, fresh year ahead, just waiting to be explored! From everyone here at Everything Summer Camp, we hope your New Year’s Eve party left nothing to be desired and that you’re having a wonderful start to 2015! New Year’s Day is an interesting holiday since there are no real traditions set in place for “common” celebration. All the typical traditions for celebrating the new year were already enjoyed the night before! So what do people do on a holiday like New Year’s Day?

Well, it’s often made into more or less of a lazy day. Of course, there are some people who get together with extended family, watch the football game on TV, and prepare big meals. But a good number of people do absolutely NOTHING! And when I say ‘nothing’ I mean NOT a THING! It can be nice, enjoying a day in that fashion.

Lots of people take New Year’s Day as a day when it’s okay to stay in your bathrobe until after noon, when everyone in your house takes a mid-afternoon nap, and snacking on treats and junk food is more or less acceptable all throughout your waking hours. In other words, New Year’s Day typically becomes a much needed break from this always-hectic season!

So, kids, New Year’s Day isn’t necessarily the most fun of holidays, but it’s typically one of the most relaxed ones. Enjoy it. And enjoy the last of your days off before winter break is over. Happy New Year once again and, as always, thanks for reading.

- John

Hey, New Year’s Folks!

Congratulations! We did it! We made it to the end of another year. Tonight we stand on the horizon and look out to the next one. Bye, 2014; 2015, here we come! We celebrate by staying awake until the new year arrives at midnight. What you do in those late hours before twelve o’ clock strikes is up to you and the people you’re celebrating with.

I think lots of families’ New Year’s Eve traditions tend to follow along the same lines: eat some snacks, watch some movies, and countdown to midnight. I know that was MY family’s tradition. We’d have a diabolical spread in the kitchen where we’d all plate up with snack foods:

Summer sausage, three kinds of cheeses, four different brands of crackers, chips, pickles, olives, carrots, broccoli, celery, vegie dip, mini loaves of rye bread for finger sandwiches, shrimp, and COOKIES! Once you were all plated up, we all convened in the living room where we would go back and forth between watching movies and checking in on the party in Times Square.

Brimming with anticipation, we would get a bunch of games going too. Guesstures (the fast-action version of charades) was a family favorite and Scattergories (the letter-specific word association game) got a lot of play as well. But older than these party games, we had Quizzard. Quizzard is a very old trivia game (from the 80′s) with an electronic buzzer so you had to think fast before somebody else buzzed in.

Of course, come 11:59 pm, we’d countdown to the arrival of the new year with the folks in Time Square—all of us except my mother who was typically already asleep at this point. After that, we’d watch old black and white movies starring Bing Crosby like ‘Going My Way,’ ‘The Bells of St. Mary,’ or ‘Holiday Inn’ until we were all sound asleep.

I hope your New Year’s traditions of ringing in the new year will be as fun as they were in my family when I was growing up. Happy New Year, Everybody. Thanks for reading.

- John