Category Archives: Holidays

MLK Day 2014

Because we’ve come so far as a nation and a people since 1963 but like all human endeavors we’ve still got work to do, it pays to listen again to one of the greatest oratories in our history and pay tribute to the man who made it.

MLK Day is always a good day to reflect on how to be a better person and how to make things better for others. Whether it’s a grand gesture or a simple one, it’s a fine day to make an effort on behalf of one’s fellow man.

Happy New Year!

Happy New Year’s Eve, folks, and if you are going to tie one on tonight (as you bloody well should) this clip from 1942’s classic musical comedy Holiday Inn shows you how to do it with style and elán as only the great Fred Astaire can.

*Unfortunately, this video has its embedding disabled but click over to YouTube for this terrific performance–you won’t regret it.

We should all be so charming when we’re blitzed.

Wishing our loyal readers all the very best in 2014 and we hope you’ll keep hanging around our ever-evolving blog!

And of course, be careful who kisses you come midnight.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=gBalU46KqKI

Boxing Day

ali-frazier

If the above image is what pops into your head when you hear “Boxing Day”, then Frazier wasn’t the only one who missed! Of course if you happen to be American, you’ve got a pretty good excuse. In spirit, Boxing Day is one of the nicer and more charitable days of the year, but it’s sadly disregarded here in the US. The exact origin of the term is unclear, but there are several related versions. The one I grew up with is that Boxing Day was named for the day when people in service would receive their Christmas boxes as well as the day off from their employers (having been working for those employers on Christmas Day, no doubt.) A related definition is that Boxing Day is the time to give out Christmas boxes to tradespeople, having spent Christmas day with your family. There are other versions related to charity boxes set out to collect for the poor on St. Stephen’s Day (also Dec. 26th.) Today a vast number of countries celebrate Boxing Day, or a close variation, such as St. Stephen’s Day in Ireland, or Second Christmas Day in The Netherlands.

Whatever its origins, Boxing Day  has become a time to relax with family for one extra day after Christmas, prolonging the good cheer and encouraging an extra bit of relaxation before we all jump back into the fire. It’s a really nice sentiment that we all to often don’t see, giving a bit of extra time for family and friends to help us remember what counts most in life. So here’s to hoping that wherever you happen to be right now, you’re feeling warm and cozy whilst taking it easy with loved ones, courtesy of Boxing Day.

 

Merry Christmas, Part II

And for those who prefer their Christmas entertainment traditional, there is probably no better cinema Christmas Carol than the 1951 Alastair Sim version directed by Brian Desmond Hurst. This adaptation is every bit as faithful and moving as Dickens could have wanted.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9ERtv_CC_nY

Merry, Merry and how’s that goose coming? I’m starved!