National Curmudgeon Day
 | If you’re a grouch or if you know one at work, in your family or among your friends – or if you’re craving the chance to growl, snark and be miserable for 24 hours -then the 29th of January is time to celebrate with National Curmudgeon Day! Curmudgeon Day also honors comedian and professional curmudgeon W.C. Fields, whose grumpy persona made him a Hollywood legend. January 29 is a great time to make your favorite curmudgeon laugh! Greeting Card Universe has humorous Thinking of You cards sure to bring a chuckle to the biggest sourpuss. Easy to order on-line and we’ll mail your message the next business day OR take Click to Read more… |
Woodchuck Weather: 4 Things You Didn’t Know
 | February 2nd is annually celebrated as Groundhog Day—an animal also known as a woodchuck. Just how much wood would a woodchuck chuck is irrelevant to this lighthearted holiday. Instead, the humble groundhog has become a national winter weather predictor. How and when did the association begin? Here are the answers to this question and others you may not know. In the Beginning: Originally, Christians deemed February 2 as Candlemas Day, a time when churches distributed candles to hold back the winter darkness. In Germany, a tradition began around the hedgehog to determine if winter would end early or continue longer. When German immigrants came to Pennsylvania in the U.S., they Click to Read more… |
Run For Your Life
 | Many athletes around the world enjoy the physical challenges of marathons and other track events. Apart from competition with other runners, the constant physical and mental joy of physical challenges and training draw many men and women into the sport. The marathon goes all the way back to Phidippides, an Athenian runner during the period of Greek war with the Persian Empire, who ran 140 miles to the city of Marathon to fetch help for his outnumbered people. Victory was won that day and Phipiddides went on to perform other great feats of running. Eventually, the marathon race became an Olympic sport. Today, marathons are held in many cities including Click to Read more… |
Gardens Galore!
 | Gardening is cheaper than therapy And you get tomatoes. —Anonymous January is National Mail Order Gardening Month, when gardeners from coast to coast enjoy sitting at home in a warm house while the snow rages outside, paging through seed catalogs and dreaming of warmer days and a colorful spring. Anyone can grow flowers, vegetables, herbs or plants without a ”green thumb” – which was green fingers back in the 1930s when the phrase first began to be used. Beginners should brush up on the basics, of course, but once you’ve successfully grown some of nature’s beauty, you’ll be hooked. Greeting Card Universe can’t wait till spring arrives because we love Click to Read more… |
New Year: Some Fascinating Facts
 | While the turning of the old year to the new year was celebrated as far back in human history as ancient Babylon, it took the famous Roman, Julius Caesar, and his reconciliation of the calendar to appoint January 1 as New Year’s Day — thus deeming December 31 as New Year’s Eve, a night of parties and celebration world-wide in our modern age. Here are a few fascinating facts about New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day to mull over before the end of 2014. The very first celebration of New Year’s Eve in New York City’s Times Square took place in 1904—a huge, street-wide party to celebrate the opening Click to Read more… |
5 Frosty Facts About the Snowman
 | A favorite winter activity around the world is making a snowman (or snow woman)! From simple stacked balls with a carrot nose and coal eyes to much more elaborate and artistic sculptures, the snowman is instantly recognizable no matter the country or culture. Here’s more about the snowman’s surprisingly long history. So far the first written evidence of a snowman comes from a margin drawing in a Book of Hours, an illuminated manuscript from 1380 currently located in the Royal Library of The Hague, Netherlands. The snowman has been a popular symbol of the Christmas holidays for a long time, particularly in advertising and retail products including a snow cone Click to Read more… |
Terrific Twisted Facts About Candy Canes
 | The red-and-white striped candy cane has become a potent symbol of Christmas, but the sugar confection is surrounded by a confusion of legend and historical evidence. Here are some of the truths and myths regarding this favourite seasonal treat. LEGEND: The candy cane was invented by a 19th century candy maker in Illinois to symbolize the birth of Christ (white) and the scourging and crucifixion (red). LEGEND: A late 17th century German choirmaster invented the candy cane to help keep the children in his choir occupied during services. The crook-shape of the stick was a symbol of Christ in His role as shepherd. These folklore tales may be charming, but Click to Read more… |
5 Fantastic Facts About Christmas Cookies
 | The Christmas cookie tradition comes to us from medieval times, when the pagan Solstice or celebration of the Winter Equinox was absorbed into the Christian religion to become a time of year honoring the birth of Jesus Christ. Here are five amazing facts about the now commonplace Christmas cookies we make and exchange (and enjoy eating) during the holidays. Spicing Up the Kitchen: Cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice, ginger, cloves, even peppercorns, dried fruits and nuts like almonds became more available to cooks in the Middle Ages, who used these strong, aromatic spices in both sweet and savory dishes for ordinary dining and for feasts. The smell of these spices has become very Click to Read more… |
Time to Kick the Habit!
 | The Great American Smokeout® sponsored by the American Cancer Society occurs annually on the third Thursday of November. In 2014, the event will take place on November 20th around the country. Addiction to tobacco products by one in five Americans is a major contributor to life-threatening diseases like cancer. Quitting smoking cigarettes, cigars and pipes decreases the chance of illness and preventable death, and increases overall health. Since smokers are much more likely to quit if they’re given encouragement, the Great American Smokeout® offers a chance to participate in support programs, telephone hotlines and special events held by many organizations. At the very least, it’s hoped that if a smoker Click to Read more… |
All the Trimmings: The Thanksgiving Turkey
 | Thanksgiving in the United States, declared a national holiday in 1863 by President Abraham Lincoln, is celebrated annually on the fourth Thursday in November. Traditionally, Americans sit down to a feast featuring turkey (or another protein), stuffing, side dishes such as mashed potatoes, gravy, sweet potato, corn, etc., and often enjoy pumpkin pie for dessert. These days, turkeys have been bred and reared to provide as much breast meat as possible. Our ancestors, however, hunted wild turkeys for the dinner table. The turkey is native to the American continent, so when early European travelers encountered this strange new species, they quickly adapted it as the fowl of choice for holiday Click to Read more… |
