Vahana’s Holiday Haven |

I don’t know what it is about the simple act of changing a calendar year, but New Year’s Day is always a time of resolutions and renewal in our home. We take this chance to start fresh and change things which we have not been happy with the previous year. While some things cannot be changed, such as medical issues and the nagging car repairs that come at the most inopportune time, there are many things about our lives which we can change when we set our minds to the task.

The first tradition we have at our home is that of buying a wonderful and decorative calendar to hang on our wall. Sometimes we are given one for the holidays, other times we purchase our own. Every New Year’s Day I remove our old calendar and hang our new one. In the process, I first copy over any important family dates such as birthdays or anniversaries which I need to remember throughout the New Year.

Many people set out to celebrate New Year’s Day by making resolutions which they really don’t have any real desire to fight to keep going throughout the year. If you have ever been in a health club or gym in January, then you know how many people can be there that you will never see again come February. It would be almost funny, if it wasn’t so sad.

The First World War was known as “the War to end all Wars” and was a war with a large social and political impact on the world even still today. Many men fought in the war, and while the United States entered the war late, and suffered the fewest casualties of all of the participating nations, the number of casualties the U.S. suffered was about 116,000 in total, the war was still devastating.

The official end of the war date was November 11, 1918, and at the one year anniversary President Wilson proclaimed November 11, 1919 to be “Armistice Day.” This was the first nationwide commemoration of the First World War.

On November 11, 1920 the countries of England and France held ceremonies to commemorate the war through the laying of rest an unknown soldier. The following year, the United States did the same by relocating an unknown U.S. soldier from his grave in Europe into the current day Tomb of the Unknown Soldier in Washington D.C. There was great ceremony around the event and the casket was placed into the tomb at exactly 11:00am on the morning of the 11th of November, 1920. President Harding requested that all flags be flown at half-mast to commemorate the day and the great loss of life of the soldiers who fought in the war.

Each year here in the United States, the celebrations of the Easter Holiday tend to take on two distinctly different meanings. Traditionally, the celebration of Easter is about the resurrection of Christ. However, celebrating Easter as a secular holiday is all about the Easter Bunny and eggs. Whether you are a religious family who celebrates Christ’s resurrection, or you choose to have the day be about Easter egg and basket hunts, here are ten tips for making your Easter gathering a success:

Tip #1 – As with planning for any party, you want to plan your Easter Sunday gathering as far in advance as possible. People often tend to make plans for holiday celebrations many months in advance, and the last thing you want to happen is to plan a party and then find out that all of your potential guests are unavailable.

Tip #2 – It is important to plan your menu for Easter early as well. You will find many special deals on foods such as ham and roasts near the Easter holiday. By planning ahead, you will know which deals to be on the lookout for. To save yourself time and a lot of aggravation make sure to write down a list of things you will need.

Valentines Day, also known as Saint Valentines Day, is a holiday which is celebrated each year on February 14th. Valentines Day is the traditional day in which lovers express their love for each other by sending each other Valentines cards, flowers, or candy. The holiday is named after two Christian martyrs named Valentine. They became associated with romantic love and the day came to be.

Today, most people associate Valentines Day with the exchange of love notes and other symbols of their love. If you are looking for some ways to show your love this Valentines Day, here are some tips to get you started:

Tip #1 – One of the best things you can do on Valentines Day is to write your lover a love note. Don’t send an electronic greeting or purchase a card, spend the time to write an actual, traditional love note to someone you care about. Your love note does not need to be long; however, it needs to be handwritten with some thought having gone into it.