NATIONAL FAMILY PJ DAY – NATIONAL PICKLE DAY – NATIONAL SPICY GUACAMOLE DAY
How To Make Your Holiday Season More Eco-Friendly
From decking the halls to hosting festive get-togethers, we tend to create a lot more trash than normal during the holiday season. With wrapping paper, present packaging, and decorating, there are a lot of little ways to be more eco-friendly this time of year. So if you’re looking to go green this holiday, try these sustainable tips to cut down on waste.
- Use real dishes and silverware- Sure, washing it all is a pain, but it’s a lot less wasteful than tossing single-use items.
- Wrap presents with fabric and string- Swap your roll of gift wrap for reusable fabric tied nicely with a ribbon or string.
- Give plants as presents- They require little to no gift-wrapping and even help purify the air.
- Use cloth napkins- Like the dishware, these can be washed over and over again instead of ending up in a landfill like paper napkins.
- Give food as gifts- Everyone loves a tin of homemade cookies or a jar of homemade jam.
- Use decorations you already have- Instead of worrying about trends and buying new holiday decorations, use what you have and set them up in a new way so it feels fresh.
- Make salt dough ornaments- Get the kids involved in thisfamily craftthat you can give as gifts or use on your own Christmas tree. You can even add essential oil to make your house smell good.
- Give experiences as gifts- Tickets to concerts, museums, or some other event make a great present that’s easy to ship and wrap.
Source:PopSugar
You Won’t Believe How Much Food We Eat On Thanksgiving
It’s hard to believe, but Thanksgiving is almost here. So while you’re planning your turkey dinner and preparing for what is most Americans’second favorite holiday, topped only by Christmas, take a minute to digest these insane facts about the food we fill our plates with on Thanksgiving.
- About 46-million turkeys are eaten around Thanksgiving, according to the U.S. Poultry and Egg Association. And with the average turkey sold in supermarketsweighing in atjust over 30-pounds, that means Americans are feasting on close to 1.4-billion pounds of turkey for the holiday.
- Americans eat between2,500 and 4,500 caloriesat their Thanksgiving dinner. That’s equal to eating between four and eight Big Macs in one sitting.
- Campbell’s makes 40% of its annual sales of cream of mushroom soup ahead of Thanksgiving and most of it goes into the classic green bean casserole. “TheWashington Post” reports that around 20-million Americans serve the side dish with their turkey dinner.
- During Thanksgiving, we consume 80-million pounds of cranberries - enough to fill almost eight Olympic-sized swimming pools.
- People buy nearly 19-million ready-made pies for the holiday, with pumpkin being the top choice.
- And somehow, despite all those extra calories, you probably won’t see the scales tip much after Thanksgiving feasting. A study in theNew England Journal of Medicinefinds the average weight gain during the holidays is only eight-tenths of a pound. And that’s something we can all be thankful for.
Source:Insider
Bride Asking The Internet To Plan Her Entire Wedding
Jen Glantzhas been to hundreds of weddings and understands more about the process than a lot of us do because it’s her job. She’s been a professional bridesmaid for hire for the last five years and brides pay her to be in their wedding party, but when she got engaged, she felt like planning her own wedding and making all the decisions that requires would be too overwhelming. So she decided to let strangers handle all the details for her.
Glantz started getting unsolicited wedding advice as soon as she got engaged, so she came up with the idea of putting all the wedding planning in the hands of other people. She launched the websiteFinally the Bridewhere anyone can vote on every aspect of her wedding - from the size of her budget to the style of her dress.
The site poses multiple-choice questions like “Where should Jen go on her solo bachelorette party” and when voting closes, she adds follow-up questions based on the responses. So far, strangers on the Internet have decided she should only spend between $15,000 and $30,000 on the nuptials, that she can’t elope, and that it’s okay if she doesn’t have an open bar.
Lots of people have told the bride-to-be that she’s crazy for planning her wedding this way, but herfiancéis on board with her plan. Jen says the details aren’t what’s important “if the couple is getting married for the right reasons.”
Source:Insider
Wanna Shop On Thanksgiving? Here's Who's Open (And Not)
As we previously told you, for the first time Bed, Bath & Beyond will open its doors on Thanksgiving Day, but they are far from the only retailer hoping you’ll leave the turkey to find some holiday deals.
While you may be horrified by the idea of folks spending their Thanksgiving shopping, apparently a lot of Americans don’t feel the same way. In fact, a recent survey finds 58% of shoppers say they plan to shop on Thanksgiving Day, which is up 45% from last year.
Big stores like Kohl's, Macy's, Target and Best Buy will all be opening at 5 p.m. on the holiday, while J.C. Penney is going even earlier, opening at 2 pm. Other stores open on Thanksgiving include (click herefor a complete list):
- A.C. Moore
- Bass Pro Shops
- Big Lots
- Cabela’s
- Dick’s Sporting Goods
- Dollar General
- Family General
- GameStop
- Kmart
- Michaels
- New York & Company
- Old Navy
- Sears
- Walmart
- Whole Foods Market
As for stores thatwon’tbe open Costco, Sam’s Club and Apple all keep their doors shut on Thanksgiving. Others that won’t open include (click herefor the complete list)
- Barnes & Noble
- BJ's Wholesale Club
- Burlington
- Crate & Barrel
- Dillard’s
- H&M
- Home Depot
- HomeGoods
- Ikea
- Nordstrom
- REI
- TJ Maxx
- Trader Joe’s
Source:USA Today
Nickelodeon And Netflix Are Teaming Up For A Multi Year Deal -Some of your favorite Nickelodeon characters may end up on Netflix.
The streaming powerhouse announced a deal that will see Nick produce original animated films and series featuring both new and existing characters. The kids network has already given the reimagine treatment to “Rocko’s Modern Life” and “Invader Zim,” and upcoming projects include “The Loud House” and “Rise of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.”
The deal between the companies shows how serious the streaming war is becoming!
Source:UPI
What Vegetables Really Make You Sick?
I can’t eat brussels sprouts or cauliflower, they both make me so sick. Just the smell of those two vegetables gives me an upset stomach. Researchers with the University of Kentucky School of Medicine recently concluded that a specific gene may cause some people to be particularly sensitive to the taste of broccoli, brussels sprouts, cabbage, and other bitter-tasting veggies. So now I know why I hate them so much.
- What vegetables give you the worst reaction?