Hello once again, Readers!

If you remember a specific Blog post that was posted all the way back on March 1 about Everything Summer Camp’s Lead Buyer, Kristy, then congratulations—you’ve got one heck of a memory! Assuming that you don’t remember that one, let me tell you, Kristy is one amazing employee.

It’s Kristy’s job to attend tradeshows and find other ways to stay hip to the current trends. Once we have our new products in stock, she puts them on the Web site so that you can browse around and shop online. Kristy’s got an incredibly solid record of every item that we offer right inside her head! So when I tell you that Kristy’s favorite product at Everything Summer Camp is the Letters from Camp Mad Libs, I hope you get my full meaning.

“I used to do these all the time as a kid!” says Kristy. “I love the camp-themed letters that we offer for those rainy days in the cabin.” Kristy’s certainly right—Mad Libs are great for a rainy day. They’re great for campfires, travel time, and just before bed too!

They’re a summer camp classic alright! And with Christmas right around the corner, they make a great stocking stuffer as well. Go a little easy though; Mad Libs just may actually make you laugh so hard that you go mad! These ridiculously interactive stories are a party for everyone!

“We’ll even bust out a Mad Lib right here in the office from time to time!” Kristy says. She’s right about that too. In fact, sometimes we need to remind ourselves that we are still at work.

Make sure you grab a Mad Lib or two for next year at summer or right now for the upcoming holiday season! Until next time, Readers!

Hey there, Fans of Everything Summer Camp!

It’s been one of our goals with this Blog that our readers get to know everyone who works here at Everything Summer Camp—at least, as well as you can get to know us by following a Blog post. That’s why we try to tell you a little bit about ourselves, our jobs, and our lives. To avid followers of this Blog, you may recall about eight months ago, when you virtually met our Sales Director, Matt DeMuth.

Matt’s a family man, never failing to cherish his wife and twins on a daily basis. Matt and his wonderful wife, Chris, are the proud parents of their twin children, Quinn and Reagan. This brother and sister duo are an adorable handful who bring so much joy to their tired, loving parents. With the two of them now four-and-a-half-years-old, Matt and Chris have prepared themselves for the third addition to their family.

Matt and Chris will soon be welcoming their new baby girl, into the world. With Chris now 37 weeks pregnant, she’s ready to drop any day! The due date is only ten days away now, set for December 13. This also happens to be a Friday (Friday the 13) which Matt pointed out to me and then quickly added, “Luckily I’m not a superstitious man.”

What he is, is a great father. His beautiful boy and girl have constant smiles on their faces and wonderment in their eyes. “It helps having a wife as amazing as Chris,” Matt said. “She’s just such a great mom.” It’s wonderful to think that this loving couple will soon be bringing a third child into their wonderful family, into their great home, and into this world!

On behalf of everyone at Everything Summer Camp, congratulations to Matt and Chris.

- John

Hey, Shoppers!

It’s time, once again, to make stuffing and roast turkeys in our ovens! And you know what that means! Thanksgiving is here, of course. This year’s Thanksgiving holiday, however, is packing twice the punch that it has in the past because Black Friday is starting earlier and earlier every year. So early, it’s part of Thanksgiving. Tis the season to be shopping!

Black Friday got its start in Philadelphia during the early 60’s. It was called Black Friday because of the thick, disorderly traffic (of vehicles and pedestrians) that filled the streets. Black Friday started to catch on in other places and on a more national level by 1975. It’s shot up in the ranks of busiest shopping days throughout the years, but it’s really gotten crazy in the last few.

Five or six in the morning used to be pretty early for retailers to open their doors, but in 2011 this was taken to an extreme when a handful of stores opened at midnight for the first time. Black Friday has steadily been the busiest shopping day of the year. The crowded shopping day has only increased in popularity over the years. The shoppers are typically aggressive, ruthless, even violent!

How can you reap the benefits of amazing sales on Black Friday while still steering clear of unbelievably massive crowds? Try finding some good sales online. Everything Summer Camp is slashing their prices in response to Black Friday. Online shopping is a great alternative to ridiculously overgrown and even dangerous crowds.

Camp trunks, trunk accessories, and an endless list of summer camp supplies and camping gear make for great Christmas gifts. Shop around on the Everything Summer Camp Web site this Black Friday to find great deals on quality products and avoid all those crazy crowds!

Happy Thanksgiving, Blog Readers!

Thanksgiving is a national holiday that I’m sure all of you avidly celebrate, but few probably know what it’s actually about. Giving thanks, right? Well, sure—of course it is—but thanks for what? Turkey and the Macy’s Parade, right? Well, no…not exactly. See, taking a day to give thanks way back when used to be a much broader tradition.

I’m sure you all know about the Pilgrims who landed on Plymouth Rock and learned the ways of the Native Americans to celebrate in the harvest feast with them. What you probably don’t know is that thanksgiving days were already a tradition celebrated by the Pilgrims before they landed in the New World.

Days of thanksgiving were once held rather frequently throughout the year, actually. What was a European custom became an American custom for years to make a day of thanks. What were they thankful for? Anything. It could have been a crop that came in really well that year, the end of a drought, or simply making it through a harsh winter.

When the Pilgrims first came to the New World, their harvest feast with the Natives just became one more reason for being thankful. Thanksgiving Day would not become an annually celebrated national holiday until Abraham Lincoln proclaimed it in 1863.

One name that we should all remember on Thanksgiving is Sarah Josepha Hale, an American writer and editor (as well as the writer of the nursery rhyme “Mary Had a Little Lamb”). For 20 years, Sarah campaigned for our national holiday that we all know and love. She was 75 by the time she finally convinced Lincoln by mail that this would be a good holiday to help unify the country after the Civil War.

Thanks to her, we celebrate with turkey, stuffing, potatoes, cranberry sauce, and pumpkin pie (all her idea). The “first” Thanksgiving Day celebrated by the Pilgrims and Natives served a fairly different menu consisting of deer, various types of fowl (like turkey and duck), fish (like cod and bass), and flint corn. Like I said—thanks, Sarah!

From all of us at Everything Summer Camp, Happy Thanksgiving!

Hey, Blog Buddies!

I know that I’ve already told you about the Manager of our Graphics Department here at Everything Summer Camp, Nate. How he oversees production, keeps an eye out for quality control, gets his hands dirty with product development, and stays busy in a number of other ways. But I haven’t told you about his favorite product that you can find right here at Everything Summer Camp.

For the last three years, with a knack and strong passion for product development, Nate has enjoyed his employment with Everything Summer Camp, appreciating the variety that his work creates for him.

Due especially to his passion for product development, Nate can’t quite decide which he likes better: “It’s a toss-up between our new Iron-On Clothing Name Labels and, of course, the Lid Skinz,” Nate says.

“Both are just a couple of cool products with cool design options,” he goes on to say. “You got a whole package of colors, backgrounds, and icons…they’re pretty impressive products, I think.”

On the one hand, the Iron-on Clothing Name Labels are a practical product and, for most camps, they’re a necessary product! Lots of summer camps insist that every single item that goes to camp should be labeled in some way, shape, or form. Everything Summer Camp’s Iron-on Labels make a required item fun.

And on the other hand, with Lid Skinz, the possibilities are limitless! They may not be as practical as Iron-on Clothing Name Labels, but they’re a million times more decorative! These full color, vinyl decals are made to top a camp trunk. We print the giant sticker here in our facility and then cover our Lid Skinz with protective laminate making the Skinz more durable than paint!

“I guess it’s a tie,” Nate concedes. “Both are absolutely great products!”

Which do you think is better?