On March 17, 431AD, when Patrick of Ireland died, a new holiday was born.  Though the celebrations began in the 700’s as a traditional Catholic Holy Day, over the years St. Patrick’s Day has become more a secular holiday which marks the beginning for spring.  The official date for the beginning of spring is March 21, and this also supports the tradition of wearing green.  Green is the color for life and growth and if you desire good luck and on this day, you should “be wearin’ a touch o’ the green! 

The spreading of Christianity and Catholicism to the Irish of the 4th and 5th century is mainly attributed to St. Patrick, who received the name of Patrick while in seminary after his captivity in Ireland. Traditions that originated back in the 7th century have changed from being strictly religious to a St. Patrick’s Day where “everybody is Irish for the day”.  Catholics will start the day off at early mass which signifies the beginning of the holiday.  Tradition has it that St. Patrick often used a Shamrock to explain to pagans the concept of the Trinity.  The trinity is the Father, Son and Holy Ghost which Christians know all stem from the same God –  three in one like the Shamrock plant – three leaves from one stem. If you are wearing a shamrock you can claim Good Luck or Blessings!  The tradition of the Shamrock still remains though most don’t know the reason behind it; but it still means Good Luck! to whoever wears it or receives it.

St. Patrick’s Day was first observed as a holiday in the United States in 1737.  The US was still under the authority of the British because the Revolutionary War that gave freedom didn’t even start until 1776.  So even though many of the Irish had not yet arrived to our shores yet, St. Patrick’s Day was still considered a very important holiday.   Queen’s NY started the first parade in honor of St. Patrick and as a result, St. Patrick’s Day parades are popular all across the country.  Parades are a great way to celebrate this day!

If you need a tad bit more good luck to start your season off, invite a Leprechaun to accompany you throughout the day.  They are packed with good luck – and are kind of cute, to boot!

Of course, one of the most popular traditions that goes only with St. Patrick’s Day is the drinking of particularly green ale. Green is the color of the day! For this holiday, there should be no bar or tavern which does not add some green food coloring to a keg of draft beer to serve mugs of tinted beer to its customers.  And of course Irish cream and Irish Whiskey ought to be available too, but make sure the kids get green lemonade or 7UP! 

St. Patrick’s Day is a day of fun for all ages!

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Easter baskets don’t have to be full of chocolate and peeps. Here are some great ideas that will fill your Easter basket without all the extra fat and sugar.

Bubbles

What child doesn’t love to blow bubbles? Grab a couple of bottles of bubbles for this year’s Easter basket. The kids will have a blast with them and with a little luck it will be warm enough outside to keep them busy and running around chasing bubbles for quite some time.

Sidewalk Chalk

Another fun treat is sidewalk chalk. This is the perfect time to draw on the sidewalk with the weather warming up. Plus we get enough rain in the spring that your driveway or sidewalk won’t be decorated for too long.

Homemade Playdough

Make some playdough using your favorite homemade playdough recipe (we have one at kinderinfo.com). Get a couple of small playdough toys to go along with it and let the fun begin.

Toys from the Dollar Store

You can also pick up some very inexpensive toys at the dollar store. I have found anything from Easter themed coloring books to kites in there. This is also a great place to shop for the Easter baskets themselves, as well as some plastic Easter eggs that are great for hiding small trinkets and treats.

Of course every child should have some special treats in the Easter basket as well. Along with the obligatory chocolate bunny, include some healthier treats.

Chocolate and Yogurt Covered Raisins

Both chocolate and yogurt covered raisins look like little mini Easter eggs and are a yummy treat. Fill a small cellophane bag with these sweet treats and tie a pretty bow around it.

Trail Mix with Jellybeans

Mix some low sugar cereal like chex, or cheerios with some small pretzels, peanuts, raisins, and some jellybeans for an Easter inspired Trail Mix. You don’t have to feel bad about your kids filling up on this. Pour your trail mix in a small bag, or fill some large plastic Easter eggs with the mix.

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The world is full of flowers. Visit any place dedicated to flowers and you will be amazed at the types of flowers, and facts about them. Flowers come in all shapes, and colors. Some of them can intoxicate you with their lovely perfume. Some are so delicate that one fears touching them. And all of them are stunningly beautiful. still, it is the Rose which is preferred around the world as a flower of choice on the Valentine’s day? I wonder about this. And though I have not tried to search for the reasons, here is my own theory on why it is so. One another fact struck me. We can get Roses in many colors but still it the dark red that is preferred as the flower of love. Why?

Let us first think about the color choice. I think that dark red must be the preferred color as it looks like red. And every true lover is ready to shed his/her blood for the beloved. Also love is associated with the heart, and heart pumps blood. So red signifies love. Colors have their own significance, looking at any white color, the first thought is of purity. Same way red means love.

Now let us examine our central theme. Why Rose? A Rose has thorns. But the thorns are below the Rose. The Rose represents life beautifully. It has very soft petals, that tell us about the soft side of living and thorns to convey that life is not all the bed of Roses without thorns. What does a lover do? A true lover will always take the thorns and give only the soft flowers to his/her darling. That is love and love demands that one give only comfort to one’s darling. Love demands sacrifice. Love demands giving of joy. Love demands that all pain be kept away from the beloved. That is also the message a lover sends across to his/her beloved with a Rose. I have kept the thorns with myself and I am sending you these soft flowers . I think this is the reason why on Valentine’s day, the red Rose is the flower of choice.

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On an annual basis there is certainly a surge in romantic interest as February, the Month of Hearts, approaches, and the fragrance of Valentine’s Day commences to waft within the air. When it comes to reality, however, how much of that surge is truly about romance? Is it all a commercial activity intended to rake in the profits?

I don’t believe anyone can argue that commercial interests contribute significantly towards the publicity that surrounds Valentine’s Day. You see it everywhere from Christmas onwards; the Valentine’s greeting cards, the Valentine’s chocolates with their heart designed boxes and photos of roses, plus of course the many advertisements for the roses themselves and how you have to book early for that Valentine night time dinner.

The business aspect of Valentine’s might appear so overwhelming you might be persuaded to consider that it is nothing at all to do with love and romance at all, but simply about making money; that the hearts and the roses are nothing more than artificial symbols of a romantic world that no longer exists.

With much of Traditional western society having a hardened veneer, where underneath relationships fall apart with a gentle wind, and divorce proceedings being built into marriage, anyone might be forgiven for taking this kind of a cynical perspective. Nevertheless, dismissing the entire Valentine Day experience as nothing but commercial is much too simplistic, and to do so is to deny oneself a much richer experience: that of genuine ambiance and love.

Any commercial endeavor only succeeds if there is a demand, and Valentine’s Day continues to be a business success for quite some time. Before the success, the Valentine’s tradition itself had evolved over many hundreds of years, long before commerce became the apparent driving force behind it. So where has the contemporary demand come from for an event such as Valentine’s Day?

Love, attraction, obsession, and romance are as old as the hills, and are integral to the human constitution. While many modern day individuals may declare that they choose to be alone and do not require other people, do not need love and romance in their life, they are not being truly honest with themselves and most likely feel something very different. It is not “macho” to publicly need love, affection and romance, so many hide from his or her own truth, that they probably yearn for that love of another as much as the most openly romantic.

Others, though, reflect as much desire for romantic love as any man or woman over the centuries, and it is deeply natural to do so. They reveal those desires as they go searching for romantic fiction, love poetry and real love testimonies by the million. Considering they do have love in their lives as Valentine’s Day comes around, then they are well equipped to make the most of it; to indulge in the romantic image with their own twist of truth and need.

Love and ambiance have not died and will by no means die. A few may shy away in fear of the discomfort of a failed or a tragic romance; but others dive in head first, not fearful that their love will turn out to be as destructive as Romeo and Juliet. Those people provide the never ending need for a Valentine’s Day that transcends the financial and explores all of the bright and dark corridors of romance. Put simply, experience life to the fullest, and chance the pain and heartache to achieve the ecstasy.

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Should Christians celebrate Christmas or, How should a Christian celebrate Christmas? These are questions of concern for many sincere believers. In fact, many believers dislike how we celebrate the season and have refused to participate in the popular way it is celebrated. A number of reasons are given, and while I might agree with some of their concerns and some of the reasons offered against the observance of Christmas, But I do think that the true meaning of Christmas should be shared with all family and friends that are Christian.

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