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We offer
flower deliveries to the following facilities:
Baldwinville Nursing Home
Bosk Funeral Home
Boucher Funeral Home
Broadview Nursing Home
Cournoyer Funeral Home
Fletcher-Hebert Funeral Home
Henry Heywood Memorial Hospital
Lachance Center for Nursing and Rehabilitation
Lamoureux-Fletcher Community Funeral Home
Mack Funeral Home
Massachusetts Veterans Memorial Cemetery Winchendon
Poliks Funeral Home
Smith Funeral Home
Snow-Ladeau Funeral Home
Wachusett Manor Nursing Home
Winchendon Health Center
Winchendon School
We offer daily deliveries to
Rindge, Jaffrey, and Fitzwilliam New Hampshire
Winchendon, Royalston, Gardner,
Baldwinville, Otter River, Templeton, and Ashburnham
New Year's Day (January 1)
Official. New Year's Eve,
December 31, is more important to Americans than New
Year's Day itself. Popular activities on New Year's Day
include watching televised parades and football games.
Martin Luther King, Jr.'s Birthday
January 15, 2007 (Third Monday in
January) Official. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., a
distinguished Black American, organized and led the
civil rights movement in the U.S. during the 1960s. He
was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1964. He was
assassinated in 1968.
Chinese New
Year (January 29) date changes every
year - Chinese Year 4704 January 29, 2006. Dog, a Yang
year. The date changes every year. It is a 15 day
celebration, beginning on the first day of the new moon,
and ends on the full moon. The celebration on the15th
day is called the Lantern Festival.
Ground Hog Day (February 2)
The groundhog is a small
burrowing animal that hibernates during the winter
months. Legend has it that he emerges on February 2. If
he sees his shadow he will return to his burrow and
there will be six more weeks of wintry weather. If he
does not see his shadow, spring will come soon.
Valentine's Day (February 14)
Named for St.
Valentine. A lover's holiday which is celebrated by
sending cards called valentines and giving flowers or
candy in heart-shaped boxes. Red and pink are
traditional Valentine's Day colors.
Presidents' Day (Third Monday in February)
Official
in many states, including Illinois. Commemorates George
Washington's birthday (February 22) and Abraham
Lincoln's birthday (February 12). George Washington was
a general during the American Revolution and the first
President of the U.S. Abraham Lincoln was President
during the Civil War, 1861-1865. He acted to free the
slaves and bring the seceded states back into the Union.
Saint Patrick's Day (March 17)
Saint Patrick is the
patron saint of Ireland. This holiday was brought to
American by Irish immigrants and actually receives more
attention in the U.S. than in Ireland.
People--especially Americans of Irish
heritage--celebrate this day by wearing something green
and/or wearing jewelry, etc. in the shape of a shamrock
leaf. In the city of Chicago, which has a large
Irish-American population, there is a large parade and
the Chicago River is dyed green for this day.
April Fool's Day (April 1)
As in many other
countries, this day is marked by the custom of playing
practical jokes on one's friends and colleagues.
Patriots Day
(April 16) Third Monday in April -Some
people know little or nothing about Patriot's Day. To
New Englander's, it is a big, big day. In the states in
New England, it's a holiday with a day off of work.
Banks, schools, post offices, and businesses have the
day off. Patriot's Day commemorates the Battle of
Lexington and Concord on April 19, 1775. This battle
began the American Revolutionary War. It also honors the
"Midnight Ride of Paul Revere", that evening when Paul
Revere rode through town warning the colonists that
"The Red Coats are coming!"
Administrative Professionals Day (April 26)
formerly called Secretaries Day- National
Professional Secretaries Week and National Secretary's
Day was created in 1952 through the work of Harry F.
Klemfuss of Young and Rubicam. Klemfuss recognized the
importance and value of the position to a company or
business. His goal was to encourage more women to become
secretaries. Using his skill and experience in public
relations, Klemfuss, promoted the values and importance
of the job of secretaries. In doing so, he also created
the holiday in recognition of the importance of
secretaries. The most common ways of recognizing your
Administrative Professional(s) today are:
- Flowers
- Cards, often with shopping gift certificates
- Take them to lunch
- Candies
- Assorted Gift Baskets
Passover (Eight days, usually in April)
The Jewish
holiday of Passover commemorates the liberation of the
ancient Hebrews from slavery in Egypt in 1200 B.C. A
highlight of the festival is the Seder, a ceremonial
dinner attended by family and friends, during which the
memory of the exodus is recounted through readings,
singing and the consumption of symbolic foods.
Easter (One Sunday in spring)
A religious holiday on which Christians
commemorate the resurrection of Christ. Many folk
traditions are now connected with Easter, including the
decoration of brightly-colored eggs, egg hunts and
giving baskets of candy (from the Easter bunny) to
children. Preceded by Good Friday.
National
Teachers Day (May 9) Tuesday of the
first full week of May Everybody who does
something good, important, and valuable deserves a day
in their honor. Teachers certainly are among the more
deserving. This day honors those hard working, patient
and understanding people whom we entrust our children
to. Teachers mold our kids in a positive direction, and
affect who they are and who they become. From
Kindergarten through college, teachers are an important
part of our children's lives.
Mother's Day (Second Sunday in May)
On this day,
Americans honor their mothers by sending them flowers,
buying small gifts and taking them out to eat.
Father's Day (Third Sunday in June)
Fathers are honored on this day. Children give
them cards and gifts.
Memorial Day (Last Monday in May)
Official. Memorial
Day is dedicated to the memory of all Americans who died
in wars. Many families visit graves and decorate them
with flowers, and the day is also marked with patriotic
parades. This day is considered the beginning of the
summer season.
Independence Day/Fourth of July (July 4)
Official.
This is the U.S. National Day. It commemorates the day
the Declaration of Independence was signed in
Philadelphia in 1776. This holiday is celebrated all
over the country with picnics, parades, political
speeches, and community get-togethers that culminate in
fireworks displays.
Labor Day (First Monday in September)
Official. This
holiday was established in recognition of the labor
movement's contribution to the productivity of this
country. This day is the last holiday of the summer
season and is celebrated with picnics and other outings.
Grandparents
Day (September 10) the first Sunday
after Labor Day - It is only right and fitting that one
day of the year is set aside to honor our grandparents.
It is time to celebrate those special people who are
always there with a hug, a kiss, a cookie, something
special, or take us somewhere. National Grandparent's
Day originated in 1978. Then President Jimmy Carter
declared it to be the first Sunday after Labor Day.
Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur (3 days in September and
October) The holidays of Rosh Hashanah (New Year) and
Yom Kippur (Day of Atonement) and the ten-day interval
between them comprise the most sacred period in the
Jewish calendar. This period, known as the High Holy
Days, combines the welcoming of the New Year with
reflective examination of one's life during the past
year. Rosh Hashanah is characterized by family feasts
and sending New Year's greetings. Yom Kippur, the
holiest day in the Jewish year, is a time of fasting and
prayer.
Columbus Day (Second Monday in October)
Official in
many states, including Illinois. Columbus reached the
West Indies in 1492, and is popularly referred to as the
explorer who "discovered" America, although the
continent was already populated by native Americans and
had been visited by earlier seafarers. The holiday is
observed by Americans with parades and festivals. In the
Northeast, the long weekend is the high point of the
season for viewing the brilliantly colored fall leaves.
Boss's Day
(October 16) Always on October 16th -
Now here is a day that gives you a chance to both tell
and show the boss what you really think of him or her.
And, to give your boss the appreciation that he or she
truely deserves. So go right ahead and give it to
him.....give it to him good! After all, it only comes
around once a year.
Sweetest Day
(October 20) Third Saturday in October
- Now here is a day dedicated just for your sweetie. It
exists as an opportunity for you to recognize that sweet
and special someone. It doesn’t matter who that person
is, or what their relation to you. They just have to be
"sweet" in order to get a little recognition. Herbert
Birch Kingston, a Cleveland, Ohio philanthropist and
candy company employee started Sweetest Day. He wanted
to bring happiness to orphans, shut-ins and
under-privileged. His intent was to show these people
that they were not forgotten. In 1922, he started this
holiday by giving candy and small gifts. He often used
movie stars to distribute the gifts.
Halloween (October 31)
This was originally a
religious holiday--the day before All Soul's Day--but
its religious character has been lost in the U.S. and it
is now celebrated mostly as a children's day. Traditions
include carving out pumpkins with funny faces as well as
dressing in costumes and going around the neighborhood
to receive treats of candy, fruit and cookies. When they
knock on the door, children say "trick or treat". Adults
often use the occasion for costume parties. Colors of
the holiday are orange and black and symbols include
witches, ghosts, broomsticks and black cats.
Veteran's Day (November 11)
Originally established to
commemorate Armistice Day of the First World War, the
holiday was changed after World War II to serve as an
occasion to pay tribute to veterans of all wars. It is
marked by parades, speeches, and the laying of wreaths
at military cemeteries and war memorials.
Thanksgiving Day (Fourth Thursday in November)
Official. In 1621 the Pilgrims of Plymouth Colony in
Massachusetts prepared a feast which they shared with
some native Americans to give thanks for the bountiful
harvest and their survival over the wilderness. It was
made an official holiday in 1863. Americans give thanks
for the good life they enjoy by getting together with
family and friends to eat traditional foods such as
turkey, cranberry sauce, sweet potatoes and pumpkin pie.
Children frequently dress as pilgrims and native
Americans.
Hanukkah (late November or early December)
An
eight-day Jewish holiday marking the rededication of the
Temple. The "Festival of Lights" is celebrated by
exchanging gifts and lighting the candles of the
menorah.
Poinsettia
Day (December 12) Always on
December 12th These beautiful flowers are
recognized as a symbol of Christmas. Poinsettia Day was
pronounced as an Act of Congress. It is in honor of
Joel Roberts Poinsett, who died on December 12, 1851.
Poinsett was the first Ambassador to Mexico who brought
the plant back to his plantation in the U.S. He grew
the plants in his Greenville, S.C plantation and gave
them out as gifts to friends.
Christmas Day (December 25)
Official. Although
religious in origin (commemorating the birth of Christ),
Christmas is a holiday celebrated either in a secular or
religious way by almost everyone in the country. Family
members travel great distances to be together for this
day on which gifts are exchanged and a traditional
dinner is shared. Many houses are decorated with
Christmas trees, lights, candles and wreaths, and Santa
Claus brings gifts for children.
Kwanzaa (Seven days beginning December 26)
An
African-American holiday adapted from the traditional
African "harvest of first crops". It is highlighted by
exchanging gifts, feasting, lighting candles and
discussing special topics.
New Year's Eve (December 31)
People gather with
friends and family for parties to "ring out the old and
ring in the new," an expression that reflects the old
custom of ringing church bells to greet the new year.
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