![\"onions2\"](\"https:\/\/fromabirdseyeview.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/11\/onions2.jpg\")
<\/a>Creamed Onions – YUCK!<\/p><\/div>\n
When I was growing up, back when the earth was still cooling, there was no such thing as a \u2018Holiday Season\u2019<\/strong> \u2013 there was Christmas<\/strong>. Thanksgiving<\/strong> was when Jack, Suz and I, had to get \u2018slicked up\u2019 and go to our aunt and uncle\u2019s house and eat creamed onions and turkey that was cut so thin that it only had one side. New Year\u2019s<\/strong> was a non-event that meant Christmas vacation was nearly over and we\u2019d soon be headed back to school.<\/p>\n Things have changed a bit since then; with the coming of television, the ‘Christmas Season\u2019<\/strong> was created and subsequently commercialized. \u00a0More recently, with the advent of political correctness, the \u2018Holiday Season\u2019<\/strong> was born, to make sure we weren’t excluding anyone from the season’s buying bonanza.<\/p>\n Unoffensive holiday symbols<\/p><\/div>\n \u00a0 The way I see it, it\u2019s a five-game ‘season’ where first, everyone gets on their game uniform for the \u2018kick off\u2019 at Halloween<\/strong>, followed by Veteran\u2019s Day<\/strong> (which apparently is a non-league game), then into the meat of the schedule with Thanksgiving<\/strong> and Christmas<\/strong> and concluding with the \u2018finals\u2019 on New Year\u2019s Eve<\/strong>.<\/p>\n So let\u2019s look at the \u2018season\u2019, game-by-game.<\/p>\n Cheery Halloween mask<\/p><\/div>\n Halloween<\/u><\/strong><\/p>\n How it started:<\/strong> It was originally an ancient Celtic<\/strong> religious celebration where they would bless and convert Pagans.<\/p>\n What happened? <\/strong> We took the religion out of it and now we just try to scare the bejesus out of kids with ugly masks and scary movies, while we bless and convert non-diabetics to diabetics with a sugar over-load. The American Dental Association also thanks you!<\/p>\n Veteran\u2019s Day<\/u><\/strong><\/p>\n AMEN!<\/p><\/div>\n How it started:<\/strong> In 1919 Armistice Day<\/strong> was created marking the end of World War I<\/strong> on the 11th<\/sup> day of the 11th<\/sup> month at the 11th<\/sup> hour. In 1938 Armistice Day was declared a legal holiday and in 1945 it was changed to Veteran\u2019s Day<\/strong> to recognize and celebrate all veterans.<\/p>\n What happened? <\/strong>Years ago Veteran\u2019s Day<\/strong> was just a scrimmage, but fortunately, it\u2019s become a little more celebrated in recent years, possibly due to the numerous conflicts we\u2019ve put our brave men and women in armed forces through, but it\u2019s still no Halloween<\/strong>! Personally, I\u2019d eliminate Halloween<\/strong> and put greater emphasis on this holiday by having kids dress up like veterans and seek out service families and veterans to ask if they can help them in any way. Schools could ask their students to write a letter to someone in the armed forces to thank them for their service, but don’t count on it replacing the sanctity of Halloween anytime soon.<\/p>\n Thanksgiving<\/u><\/strong><\/p>\n “Sorry about taking your land”<\/p><\/div>\n How it started: <\/strong>The Pilgrims<\/strong> wanted to celebrate a bumper crop year as well as show their benevolence toward the Native Americans<\/strong>, specifically the Wampanoag<\/strong> tribe, by inviting them to a feast and tossing them a drumstick after they vanquished them and took their land. OK, maybe they didn\u2019t just take it; they did give them $24 worth of beads and trinkets for Manhattan<\/strong>. Subsequently the Wampanoag<\/strong> tribe suffered an epidemic, thought to be smallpox brought over by the English, which helped them establish their settlements.\u00a0Years later, the King Philip\u2019s War<\/strong> resulted in the deaths of 40 percent of the tribe. Most of the male survivors were sold into slavery in the West Indies, while many women and children were enslaved in New England.<\/p>\n What happened?<\/strong> Well, wouldn\u2019t you continue to celebrate such a joyous occasion? We do, with a feast of turkey, dressing, cranberry sauce and pies of various fruits and nuts on Thursday and when the ladies realized that the men were spending the rest of the weekend watching football, they said, \u201cLadies let\u2019s go shopping!\u201d and thus \u2018Black Friday\u2019<\/strong> was created. But even with its calorie-busting meals, football overload and guerilla combat shopping, Thanksgiving still has the redeeming quality of bringing families together \u2013 and that\u2019s a good thing!<\/p>\n Christmas<\/u><\/strong><\/p>\n Remember Christmas?<\/p><\/div>\n How it started: <\/strong>The first recorded date of\u00a0Christmas<\/strong>\u00a0was in 336 AD<\/strong> (No, I wasn\u2019t there!); a\u00a0few years later, Pope Julius I<\/strong> officially declared that the birth of Jesus<\/strong> would be celebrated on the December 25th.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/strong>Although with shepherds in their fields at the time of the birth, it probably wasn’t in the winter at all.<\/p>\n What happened?<\/strong> Because this is the big cash cow of the season, the decorations and carols start in late October and continues through New Year\u2019s Eve and beyond; it\u2019s the \u2018Big Game\u2019<\/strong>. Yes, it\u2019s been commercialized almost beyond recognition, but if you work at it, you can still find or better yet, create the \u2018spirit of Christmas’<\/strong>, by helping those less fortunate or just experiencing a young child\u2019s unbridled enthusiasm when they see that Santa hasn\u2019t forgotten them. So work at finding the \u2018spirit\u2019 this year, as Vince Lombardi once said, “Giving isn’t everything, it’s the only thing!”<\/strong> \u00a0OK, maybe I made that up.<\/p>\n When do you want the new year to start?<\/p><\/div>\n How it started: <\/strong>The year had to end sometime!<\/p>\n What happened? <\/strong>When the year really ends is\u00a0a long story involving various calendars, but suffice it to say that historically a bunch of politicians and church folks have moved the start of the year around since the beginning of time, mostly just to suit their purposes. So don\u2019t get too fixated on December 31st<\/sup> as the end of the year, it was originally the vernal equinox<\/strong> (around the end of March) and it could go back there if it will make someone some money or get someone elected. \u00a0No matter what the date, it’s always the time of year when we lie to ourselves about improving our lives ‘next year’ with some unrealistic resolutions.<\/p>\n This Thursday will mark the halfway point in the season, so relax and enjoy the \u2018halftime show\u2019 \u2013 it’s usually at the \u2018kid\u2019s table\u2019.<\/p>\n Happy Thanksgiving!<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" by Bob Sparrow When I was growing up, back when the earth was still cooling, there was no such thing as a \u2018Holiday Season\u2019 \u2013 there was Christmas. Thanksgiving was when Jack, Suz and I, had to get \u2018slicked up\u2019 … read more<\/a><\/a><\/a><\/a><\/a><\/a>
\nNew Year\u2019s Eve<\/u><\/strong><\/u><\/p>\n