National Thank You Note Day!

National Thank You Note Day!

Barb Pellicer Paton
Healthy Family, Holidays/National Days

Well this national day is going to be tough to write about since I don’t know anything about thank you notes. Kidding!! Are we talking about the national day designated every year for Thank You Notes and is celebrated the day after Christmas? If so, that is right up my alley. Although I was tempted to write a post giving High-Fives to those who already write thank you notes or to guilt people into writing them if they don’t, this post is about neither. Instead, I’m writing about this national day for those who are so overly grateful that the task to write thank you notes is overwhelming. And I’m not talking about overwhelming because it’s another “To Do” item added to an already full list.

Holiday Interruption

Holiday Interruption

Barb Pellicer Paton
Healthy Family, Products & Gift Ideas

We interrupt this holiday season for a GIVEAWAY. Using “pause” in this moment in time seemed over-used so I am interrupting the hustle and bustle of the holiday season. But why now? We’re working hard and we still need to decorate the house, buy gifts, wrap gifts, send out holiday cards, make grocery lists, bake, etc. why would I do a give away now? Because someone may need a free gift - that’s why!

Sweat Equity Gifts

Sweat Equity Gifts

Barb Pellicer Paton
Products & Gift Ideas, Holidays/National Days, Healthy Family

If your current budget for gifts is zero dollars and the holiday season is making you panic, please chant this mantra with me - “Thoughtfulness is still possible.” People ask me, “What do I get someone who already has it all?” It’s tough to “top off” or surprise them with something they can’t already buy themselves. However, the number one thing that a person cannot buy is sweat equity. I mean, sure, they can pay people to do the labor, but they can’t buy the labor of LOVE and THOUGHTFULNESS that goes into a gift that is especially meant for them. So with COVID wiping out the economy for most, pretend the people on your holiday gift list are Bill Gates, Jeff Bezos, Oprah and Kylie Jenner. They all can afford anything and everything. What would you give to them if you were to going to spend the holidays together?

Socks

Socks

Barb Pellicer Paton
Holidays/National Days, Products & Gift Ideas

For so many years, I have kept the tradition of listening to Christmas music non-stop starting the day after Thanksgiving until Christmas night. In recent years, I have added another “Day After Thanksgiving” tradition. I pull out all of our Nutcracker items to mark the beginning of the celebration (more like fear) of my daughter’s upcoming dance schedule. Prior to COVID, the weeks leading up to Christmas were ONLY about Loyce Houlton’s Nutcracker Fantasy at the State Theater. The mugs, sweatshirts, decorations and the coveted fuzzy sock/slippers which have Nutcrackers printed all over them come out of hibernation to help me get in the mood. I’m giving credit to the socks for keeping me grounded during the whirlwind of a season.

Good Scents

Good Scents

Barb Pellicer Paton
Healthy Family, Holidays/National Days, Politics & Religion, Products & Gift Ideas

Our Thanksgiving Day dinner menu this year is: turkey (Martha Stewart’s brine recipe), mash potatoes, stuffing, green bean casserole (Trader Joe’s recipe), gravy, corn, cranberry sauce, rolls, pumpkin pie and apple pie (with ice cream). It’s basic, yet fancy enough for us because we only eat these foods in this combination once a year. Each of these menu items have a unique scent and anyone who enjoys eating these foods would welcome their scents like a warm hug.

Opposite of Thoughtful

Opposite of Thoughtful

Barb Pellicer Paton
Healthy Family, Travel & Leisure

For years my friend Christy and I would laugh about doing things that were the opposite of being thoughtful. We would chat about people who didn’t care about others - wouldn’t it be so liberating to only think about ourselves? Whenever we shared stories that included someone being selfish we would say, “Let’s put that on the Un-thoughtful List.”

World Kindness Day

World Kindness Day

Barb Pellicer Paton
Healthy Family, Holidays/National Days, Products & Gift Ideas, Politics & Religion

In full disclosure I was trying to decide between writing about National Fast Food Day and World Kindness Day. Believe it or not, after the 2020 election, I have been super weary about the concept of kindness. Half of America is so filled with hate that it would seem almost too ironic to write about kindness. Besides, fast food is such a great topic. The choice was hard.

Audible

Audible

Barb Pellicer Paton
Products & Gift Ideas, Healthy Family

During the Stay-at-Home order for Covid I thought that I would have all this extra time to read. I envisioned myself as one of those people who would curl up on the couch and read a book during my “down time.” Seven months later, I still do not have down time. When George Floyd died and all of America wanted justice, I knew this was a big issue but I didn’t know what to do to help. I knew one thing, throwing another book onto the pile on my nightstand in hopes to read it someday wasn’t going to work. Some of the books on my nightstand have been there for 2 years! In this case, I needed to learn about racism asap otherwise I wouldn’t understand the civil unrest that was happening all around me. I immediately loaded my Audible library with two books: White Fragility by Robin DiAngelo and How to be an Antiracist by Ibram X. Kendi.

Knock Knock

Knock Knock

Barb Pellicer Paton
Healthy Family, Holidays/National Days, Products & Gift Ideas

I love the meme that is going around social media these days that says: “Anyone else feel like Halloween is unnecessary this year? I’ve been wearing a mask and eating candy for 7 months now, I don’t think I need a day dedicated to it anymore...” We all know what Halloween is about. Candy, candy, candy, right? Maybe costumes and parties too. But did you know that on October 31st our nation also celebrates National Knock Knock Joke Day? Isn’t that so cute? I mean, it’s appropriate. Knocking + Halloween. Although unfortunately, knocking on doors will be rare, if at all, this year. Boo!

Nuts

Nuts

Barb Pellicer Paton
Food & Beverages, Healthy Family, Holidays/National Days, Products & Gift Ideas

In a Gwyneth Paltrow interview I learned that she laughs every time she says the word “balls”. Just like her, I giggle whenever I say the word “nuts.” There, I said it and yes, I giggled. Although they are not the same thing - to anyone with adolescent humor - they are basically the same thing. All jokes aside, National Nut Day is coming up on October 22nd and well, it’s another opportunity to be thoughtful. This national food day has been celebrated since 2016 and according to Nationaldaycalendar.com, the day was founded by Liberations Foods (Choose Liberation). It’s inspiring to learn that this company advocates fair trade nuts and they promote healthy living.

Thoughtful Wedding

Thoughtful Wedding

Barb Pellicer Paton
Healthy Family, Products & Gift Ideas, Food & Beverages

I’m pretty sure every bride can attest that they put a lot of thought into their wedding day. Some brides hire a wedding planner because there is too much to think about when planning one of the biggest events in a person’s life. I notice that whenever they mention weddings in the Bible, it sounds like even back then, many people contributed to the preparations of a wedding. It makes me wonder - if we are celebrating the union of two people, why is it the couple’s responsibility to cater to and pamper the needs of their guests? Isn’t making a commitment to spend the rest of their lives with one person enough responsibility?

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