Chanukah began tonight at sunset. It ends December 4th at sunset. Our prayers for the peace of Israel.
How to play the Dreidel Game. You will may find it interesting what the Dreidel Game means.
Although Hanukkah has begun at sunset this evening, it usually occurs around Christmas time. Christian who celebrate Christmas should not feel uncomfortable about a different form of the celebration of the power of God.
SAN DIEGO, November 26, 2013 — Thanksgiving Day in America is traditionally celebrated on the fourth Thursday of November every year.
President Franklin Roosevelt signed a joint resolution with Congress to establish this tradition on December 26, 1941.
For most Americans, Thanksgiving is a time to gather with family and friends, watch football, enjoy an extended weekend, and benefit from the discounts and bargains while holiday shopping on Black Friday.
For the Pilgrims who celebrated the original Thanksgiving Day in Plymouth, Massachusetts in 1621, this occasion was an entirely different matter.
Arriving in America in the 1620’s having sailed on the Mayflower from England to America, the brave passengers were ravaged by disease and the brutal New England winter when they arrived.
Of the approximately over 100 Pilgrims, only half survived aboard the ship until the weather subsided.
Read more at The Washington Times Communities
We are being taught of the virtues of hybrid cars over fossil fuel vehicles. This year there will be an unusual holiday hybrid as Chanukah, commonly called Hanukkah, will be celebrated starting on Thanksgiving. The celebration will begin, this year, sunset on Wednesday, November 27, 2013, and ends in the evening of Thursday, December 5.
The fact that Thanksgiving and Chanukah fall on the same day is so rare that it won’t happen again for another 77,000 years.
This combination gave Stephen Colbert the opportunity to attack Christians, Jews (but not as bad), and America on his Colbert Report.
Most people have not taken the time to find out what Hanukkah is, exactly. Most Americans only know of the holiday because of its usual proximity to Christmas. The holiday is not considered that high on the Jewish calendar and is not of religious significance.
The Jewish Virtual Library Chanukah is a celebration of the Jewish people, led by the Maccabbees, over the Greeks. After their victory over the Greeks, the people went to rededicate the temple, but there was only enough oil to burn in the temple menorah for one day. The miracle is that the menorah burned for eight-days. The Festival of Lights celebrates the miracle of the oil, not the victory of war.
It is tradition to give presents each of the eight-days of items that are useful to the receiver, such as clothing, food and the like.
Interestingly the book of the Maccabbees is removed from the King James Bible while being retained in the Apocrypha used by the Catholics. The Catholics apparently did not add the Apocrypha until the Council of Trent (1546 AD). This is probably because of the descendants of the Maccabbees. The descendants are known in the New Testament as the Herods of the time of Jesus. There are arguments against the Apocrypha being considered inspired by God as is the Holy Bible.
Thanksgiving is supposed to be a celebration of thanks to God. Children today are only taught to think of turkey and pumpkin pie. Rarely are the Pilgrims mentioned and the Mayflower Compact is strictly forbidden teaching in schools.
Just as Chanukah is not about the victory, Thanksgiving is not about getting stuffed and watching football. It is about giving thanks to God for all that one has received through the year. Far from being closed for the holidays, churches should be open and having worship services.
But I just couldn’t sleep.
I tried counting backwards,
I tried counting sheep.
The leftovers beckoned –
The dark meat and white,
But I fought the temptation
With all of my might.
Tossing and turning with anticipation,
The thought of a snack became infatuation.
So, I raced to the kitchen, flung open the door,
And gazed at the fridge, full of goodies galore.
Gobbled up turkey and buttered potatoes,
Pickles and carrots, beans and tomatoes.
I felt myself swelling so plump and so round,
‘Til all of a sudden, I rose off the ground.
I crashed through the ceiling, floating into the sky,
With a mouthful of pudding and a handful of pie.
But, I managed to yell as I soared past the trees….
Happy eating to all – pass the cranberries, please.
May your stuffing be tasty,
May your turkey be plump.
May your potatoes ‘n gravy have nary a lump.
May your yams be delicious.
May your pies take the prize,
May your thanksgiving dinner stay off of your thighs!!
Happy Thanksgiving to all
And to all… pumpkin pie
According to the USPS calendar, November 13 was the last day to ship Parcel Post packages to military addresses to ensure Christmas arrival. The 3rd of December is the last day to send Priority Mail International in time for Christmas. The 11th is the last day to send Express Mail International for Christmas arrival. On the 15th you can ship Parcel Post to U.S. addresses in time for Christmas. On the 17th you can squeeze in letters to military in time for Christmas arrival.
The 19th to the 22nd are the busy days. The last day for most international shipping is the 19th. The 20th is the last day for first-class mail to ensure Christmas arrival. On the 21st you can send Priority Mail and the 22nd is the last day for most Express Mail to arrive on Christmas.
Hanukkah begins on sundown December 8th and last until December 16th.
If you miss those dates or desire to send additional greetings, you can do so with paid or free “e-cards” through the Internet. The following links are for e-card services on the Internet. They have cards for virtually—pardon the pun—every other occasions. Some of the free services may get paid by including advertising in the e-card. All are animated cards and some contain fun games.
Continue reading
