Hanukkah: Eight Days of Traditions

Retailers and the media spend a great deal of time advertising Christmas. During the holiday season, commercials and programs often feature Christmas themes. When you go shopping, rarely will you find a store without some type of Christmas decoration. What about Hanukkah? Over time Hanukkah has became more like Christmas. Read on to find out about the 8 days of lights!
Hanukkah is celebrated sometime in the period during late November and late December based on the Jewish calendar. Parents try to make Hanukkah extra special so their children will not feel left out because of all the Christmas stuff going on around them. Hanukkah lasts eight nights. Each night people light the hankukkiyah. The hankukkiyah lighting represents the miracle of oil. According to history, once Jewish revolutionaries took the temple from the Syrians they wanted to rededicate it to God. They lit the hanukkiyah but only had enough oil for one night but surprisingly it lasted for eight nights.
Another Hanukkah tradition is spinning the dredel. It has four sides with a Hebrew letter on each side. If you put the Hebrew letters together, it means a great miracle happened in Israel. This refers to the oil. Children usually spin the dredel for chocolate coins, candy, raisins or nuts.
Last but not least, there is lots of great Hanukkah food. Hanukkah celebrates the miracle of oil so it makes sense that there are a lot of fried foods for this holiday. Traditional Hanukkah foods include latkes (potato pancakes) and sufganiyot ( jelly filled donuts which are covered with confectioner’s sugar).
Well, I hope you learned a little bit about Hanukkah. If you want more information, visit http://judaism.about.com/od/holidays/a/hanukkah.htm. Hanukkah has some great traditions. My favorite so far is the sutganiyot!
Happy Hanukkah!

Black Friday: The Ultimate Shopping Tradition

It’s estimated that this year 200 million people will get up way before the crack of dawn to go shopping on Black Friday. Black Friday is one of the busiest shopping days of the year. Retailers use this holiday as an opportunity to offer good deals which are supposed to jump start the holiday shopping season. Websites such as http://www.blackfriday2010.com/ offer sneak peeks at black Friday ads weeks before the big day. So what types of items are popular this year? Who has the best Black Friday deals? Should you bother to get out of bed to shop? Read on, get informed and you be the judge.
Before we talk about Black Friday deals, here is the history of Black Friday. The term “Black Friday” was used by the police in the 1960’s in Philadelphia to illustrate the heavy traffic on that day. The term also means the first day had sold through enough inventory and turned a profit for the year, putting them "in the black" according to the old by-hand accounting system of using black ink to indicate a profit and red ink to indicate a loss.
Now what are the best deals? According to Blackfriday2010.com, Target has Chefmate appliances for $3. Kohls have a $250 Kitchen maid mixer for $120. If technology is more your thing, then head over to Wal-Mart. They have the Ipod touch for $225 with a $50 ITunes gift card included and a 15.6 inch laptop for $198. If you are a jewelry lover, then visit Kohls for a 2 karat diamond bracelet costing only $99. But you will have to get up early for these deals. Kohls is opening at 3 am!
So are you ready for Black Friday? If these deals sound too good to be true, then fill up on turkey and get to bed early. Check out http://www.blackfriday2010.com for more ads and information. But if you can’t get out of bed, there will be some terrific online deals starting Thanksgiving Day and don’t forget Cyber Monday.
Happy Shopping!!

The History of Thanksgiving

What comes into your mind when you think of Thanksgiving? Most people think of the traditional turkey with stuffing all of the trimmings. Others think about getting together with friends and family and many associate Thanksgiving with watching football. But what is the purpose of Thanksgiving. Why do we celebrate this holiday? Well this blog will give you a brief history of thanksgiving. Get ready to feel full with lots of information.
In 1620, the Mayflower left Plymouth, England with 120 passengers. They wanted to come to the new world for religious freedom. It was a 66 day journey and they arrived at Massachusetts Bay and became known as Pilgrims. Many of the colonists remained on the ship and suffered diseases such as scurvy and only have of them lived to see the next spring.
The survivors met a nice Indian named Squanto. He taught them how to grow corn, catch fish, extract sap from maple trees and avoid poisonous plants. In November, they had a successful harvest. Governor William Bradford decided to organize a feast which would be a celebration of the pilgrim’s first successful harvest. This became known as Thanksgiving but the term was not used by the pilgrims. In fact, their feast did not have many of traditional foods that we have today. Historians think they might have eaten deer at the feast and food made with traditional Indian seasonings. They also did not have any cakes or pies because they did not have an oven and their sugar supply had dwindled.
. New York was one of the first states to observe Thanksgiving before it became a national holiday. There was actually a campaign called “Mary had a little lamb” which was launched to encourage the government to make Thanksgiving a national holiday. Thanksgiving did not become a national holiday until 1863 when Abraham Lincoln established a proclamation during the Civil War.
So now as you go back for that second helping of turkey and pie. Think of the pilgrims who did not have turkey or pie and made your Thanksgiving possible. For more information, visit http://www.history.com/topics/thanksgiving
Happy Turkey Day!!!

Dealing with Holiday Stress

The holidays can be a time of great joy. They give us the opportunity to get together with family and friends to share good food and make new memories. But they can also cause a lot of stress. Holiday stress usually comes from trying to live up to unrealistic images that are depicted on television or in the movies. How can you deal with holiday stress? Read on to find out some ways to avoid making the holidays a miserable experience.
Before we begin, I just wanted to mention that the tips to avoid holiday stress were adapted from the Mayo clinic’s web site. If you need more information, visit www.mayoclinic.com/health/stress/MH00030. They suggest identifying potential triggers of holiday stress. There are relationships, money and physical demands.
Let’s start with relationships. Relationships can become more stressful during the holidays because there is more pressure to visit your or your spouse’s parents or family, buy presents and even separation anxiety. You can become lonely if you loved one decides to visit their own family and you are left behind. Lack of money can be a challenge because it makes it hard to buy gifts for yourself or your loved ones. Physical demands often involves lots more shopping and traveling which can be very tiring.
If you feel depressed or lonely during the holidays, then you might want to get involved in community or social events. It can also help to talk to family members about your feelings. Plan ahead so you can have some activities with friends or family. Keep your daily routine and stick to healthy habits. Eating too much holiday sweets can just cause guilt and make your depression worse. Keep your portions under control and you will feel better about it later on.
Happy Holidays! Hopefully, they will be stress free!

Healthy Thanksgiving Recipes

According to sparklepeople.com, the average American consumes 4,500 calories and 229 grams of fat on Thanksgiving Day! Most of are not able to burn this off with exercise and excess calories are converted to fat. One pound of fat equals 3,500 calories. So how can you prevent Thanksgiving from turning into a diet disaster? Keep reading to find out some tips.
One of the main things you can do is plan ahead. Sparkle.com offers some helpful tips in their Thanksgiving survival guide. Some examples of these tips are replacing sugar with Splenda or another no calorie sweetener. This can save over 750 calories. You can also use whole wheat flour, skim milk and egg substitute in your cooking to save calories as well.
The Mayoclinic.com features some great low fat recipes that you might want to try. All of the recipes include nutritional information which makes it easy to keep track of your calorie and fat intake. Some examples of low calorie soups are pumpkin, chick pea and carrot. For side dishes, there is honey glazed potatoes, garlic mashed potatoes and sweet potatoes and roasted bananas. For the main dish, you can try cranberry stuffing or make a brown sugar sauce for the turkey. Don’t forget warm chocolate soufflé and caramelized pear bread pudding for dessert.
It’s hard to avoid giving into some type of temptation, but as long as you don’t go overboard you should be fine. Here are some tips for surviving thanksgiving at someone else’s house:
1. Load up on raw vegetables and lean protein like turkey before heading for the cornbread dressing or sweet potato casserole.
2. Drink lots of water which will fill you up and help you avoid going back for a second helping.
3. If you can’t resist dessert, have a small piece of your favorite treat. This will help you to not feel deprived and not destroy your diet.
For more information, visit http://www.sparkpeople.com/resource/nutrition_articles.asp?id=324
http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/thanksgiving-recipes/NU00643
Happy Thanksgiving!!

Holiday Travel Tips

With the holidays around the corner, you might be thinking about holiday travel. Maybe you will be going home for the first time this semester or just taking a trip to see your significant other’s family. Holiday travel can be stressful if you do not take the time to plan ahead. Today we will discuss some simple tips so you can have more time for fun and less time to worry.
The first one of these tips is to avoid peak travel times. The Wednesday before Thanksgiving is the worst time to travel. It’s the most crowded and you will experience the most travel delays. But you can get some pretty good deals on Thanksgiving Day and the day after Thanksgiving is a good time to return home. You also want to book your flight early. It’s not a good idea to wait for the absolute last minute to book a flight. This might you cause you to get locked out of a flight or even have to pay more money. Shopping around is another good strategy. Visit more than one travel web site before you book to make sure that you are getting the best deal.
Leave for the airport early. This will give you enough time to get through security and make sure that you are not late for your flight. Pack accordingly. Do not bring unnecessary stuff. It will just make the security check take longer and weigh you down. Check your connecting flight. Be sure that you are aware of any bad weather or other possible travel delays.
Last but not least, have fun! The holidays are for family to get together and have a good time. So relax and enjoy your time off from work or school! You earned it!
For more information visit http://www.independenttraveler.com/resources/article.cfm?AID=625&category=13&page=2

Look and Feel Your Best This Holiday Season on a Budget

Holiday sales, Christmas trees, and Black Friday ads, are just a few of the signs that the holidays are quickly approaching. With Thanksgiving and Christmas so close, you are very likely to have a holiday gathering to attend. You always want to look your best but would like to do it on a budget. Look no further, your guide to saving money on services lies in taking advantage of students who are learning their craft. Read on and find out more.
The UF dental school and Salon Professional Academy are two examples of locations that train students and can provide you with excellent services at a fraction of the cost. There are so many benefits to visiting anyone of these places. Firstly, you get good service. The students are fresh out of the classroom so they are very familiar with the material and more likely to do a good job. They also want to get a good grade and impress their teachers who supervise any hands on activity. So expect to receive special attention.
If you need to fix your teeth, you might want to check out the UF dental clinic. In order to become a patient, you need to fill out a form on their website and attend a screening appointment. The cost is only $106 which includes x-rays. Then you will be assigned a student dentist who will work together with you to create a treatment plan to assess all of your needs. . The only thing to keep in mind is that it can take up to 2 months to get an appointment with your student dentist. If you need immediate attention such as a tooth extraction, there is a lottery for the oral surgery clinic every morning at 7 a.m.
Do you need to have your hair colored for a special occasion? How about getting a fresh coat of polish for that office Christmas party? Well visit the Salon Professional Academy. It’s near the City College location by the Oaks mall. They offer many services at affordable prices. For example, for only $9 you can get a classic manicure or a haircut. Perms or highlights are only $29. You can get professional results at a fractional of the cost and friendly service. They even sell gift certificates so you can give the gift of pampering to a friend.
Well now you know two of the best keep secrets in Gainesville for looking your best on a budget. For more information please visit
http://www.dental.ufl.edu/Patients/StudentDentalClinic.php
http://www.thesalonprofessionalacademy.com/gainesville/services.html
Happy Holiday Pampering!

Gator March for Babies

One out of every eight babies is born too soon that can lead to a lot of problems. A quarter of them will have lifelong health problems. This information comes from the March of Dimes. Every year, the March of Dimes holds an annual walk in order to raise money for research to help prevent premature birth. The Gator March for Babies is a shorter version of this walk. It’s an annual event that takes place on the UF campus. Read on to find out more about it and how you can get involved.
This year the walk takes place on November 14th at 1 p.m. on Turlington Plaza. In past years, Gator March for Babies has raised over $300,000. There have already been several fundraising events. One of the highlights was the first annual Wing Bowl. It took place at Gator Dockside on September 28 and basically was just a wing eating contest for the Greek student organizations on the UF campus. Students had the opportunity to enjoy wings and enter to win a free scooter. But don’t worry, there is still plenty of time to raise money and enter to win the ultimate grand prize which is a free apartment. The Boardwalk is giving away a year lease for a three bedroom apartment to the top fundraiser. This is worth over $2,000. On the day of the walk, there will be lots of free food from gelato, flying biscuit, dominos pizza and planet smoothie.
Do you want to get involved but don’t know how. It’s simple visit http://gatorsmarchforbabies.org/register.htm and create an online profile. Then get out your cell phone or other technical device and contact everyone you know. Send out Facebook messages and ask for donations. Get together with other friends and have your own fundraising event. Baby’s lives are at stake! So get out there and raise money to help fight the war against premature births!