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So what is National Freedom Day? Well, basically it is a celebration of the signing by Abraham Lincoln of what became the 13th Amendment to our Constitution in the United States. The abolishing of slavery was at the heart of this amendment.

The amount of controversy and violence associated with this important decision and the Amendment that was created has been written about throughout history. The amendment was a bright light in an otherwise dismal part of our history.

Many were unhappy with this Amendment which played a part in the assassination of Abraham Lincoln and the Civil War. Much of the South was not ready to change their way of life and abolishing slavery meant a huge change in their economic standards and higher class of living.

That was the turning point for the betterment of blacks at that time, but it was still a long road till they received the freedom that this amendment was meant for them to have and in some ways; there still is a bit further to go for that sought after equality. But, great strides have been made in the advancement of the black person and it started with the 13th amendment.

It is also a good day to be thankful for the freedom of every citizen of the US.

First grab up some appropriate decorations for your particular team or even both teams if you feel democratic about it or have rival team guests attending. Stick to the colors of those teams and locate some party decorating items just for the team if possible.

Make sure you have comfortable seating and a great TV. If weather is suitable, light the fireplace as this adds an element of warmth and comfort. No fireplace, just provide pillows and throws for anyone who wants to sack out on the floor for a closer view.

Snacks are the most important item to consider. Think hearty, hot and cold, but delicious. Chili seems traditional, but a homemade beef stew or something that sticks to the ribs could be a main dish. Lots of crispy snacks, dips and chips, chesses and summer sausage would also be welcome. It would not be a game without beer, pop or gallons of hot coffee.

If the flow of alcohol is pretty heavy, make sure guest are eating not just drinking. Cut off anyone if they get out of control as far as drinking since as host or hostess you are responsible for them. Take keys, have a designated driver or one of the party hosts must stay sober and plan on driving some people home.

You could add a gameswhich focus on answering questions about football stats for halftime if your like. A prize of a football stat book or football video might be fun. You probably will be too busy to do anything other than watch the game and eat, but if you need more aactivity, a short games could be fun.

Of course a little friendly rivalry and betting go without saying for the big game. Personal, non money bets between family members and friends can make it fun and noone will get angry if they lose.

First of all pick the most comfortable setting in your house to watch the game and host the party. You can add decorations as far as football theme items and hang streamers and balloons. Color scheme is one or both team colors. You choose.

Plan on plenty of food and drink. Have several non alcoholic choices and limit the amount of alcohol served unless everyone is staying overnight at your house. Always remember, hosts can be liable for any accidents or problems resulting from alcohol served at your house.

The key to a good time is lots of snacks and comfort food that please and seem to be favorites of sports fans everywhere. You can serve chili, hot wings, dips and chips, crackers, chips, and pretzels. Pizza and hot wings are always a good choice. Make humongous sandwiches on whole loaves of uncut bread. These giant hoagies are then sliced for portions. Keep in mind the time of the game and when guest will arrive. Lots of drinks of any kind followed by lots of hot coffee ending your party will ensure safety for your guest. Do not forget a designated driver.

You can make your party more exciting by adding some casual betting with a prize for those guessing the winner. You can play sports games outside or information type sports quizzes inside before or after the game. Add appropriate favors and game prizes and your game will turn into a full-fledged party.

It’s easy to start with the most common ones and then fill in. Make yourself a notebook and divide it into 12 months to start. Your first month will be January and the last one December, no matter when you actually make your theme party notebook.

Starting with January, your first section should be “Possible Theme Parties This Month.” For January you will surely have some ideas, but remember that a New Year’s Eve Party will belong in December. Let’s say that in January, you list a few possibilities. One could be a Snowman Party, a Resolution Party, a third a Sleigh Party, or an Après Ski Party.

Leave several pages between each month and we will come back later for details. Make the same section for the next month, February. Theme party ideas for February should bring to mind, Valentine’s Day and President’s Day. You might also add a Children’s Valentine Making Craft Party.

Moving on to March, the possibilities include St. Patrick’s Day and maybe Easter depending on when it is this year. Don’t forget the beginning of Spring which is always reason to celebrate.

April will definitely include Easter, an April’s Fool Party,

May will be a perfect time for a May Day party and a Mother’s Day party, and a Memorial Day theme party. June add a Summer solstice party and Father’s Day, and maybe a Graduation Party.

July will include a July 4th Patriotic Party and September a Labor Day celebration, a Back to School party, and Hay Ride Party.

October can feature a Columbus Day’s Party and of course Halloween, maybe a Celebrate the Harvest party.

November can feature a Thanksgiving theme Party and a Volunteer Party to help others less fortunate for the holidays.

December will certainly celebrate Christmas in many types of parties including a Cookie Exchange, a Gift Making Party for Kids, and a Caroling Party.

Now going back to the beginning, to January, let’s put in a few more details in our notebook. Behind each party idea- give a brief explanation about what that party is like or how you will celebrate that holiday. Continue through your notebook. Devote at least one whole page to put notes in about that theme party idea as they come to you. Whenever a thought comes to you about a prop, activity, costume, or food, write it down. Jot down color schemes or music you will have. Be specific and add where you can find the items you need.

Now add specific dates to your Months where a party may be required or wanted such as family birthdays, upcoming weddings, new baby arrivals, and anniversaries.

Leave some space for spur of the moment parties such as New Jobs, or a Party to celebrate moving into a new home.

Continue to look at your notebook regularly and make notes of things you see that will be perfect for some theme. If you are sure a party will be in the works and see the right thing, pick it up and store it. Be sure to note in your book what you found, where, and what it cost. Also make a note of its storage place in case it is so secret even you might forget.

When the time is getting closer and a party is decided upon, you will have half the work done since you already planned much of it.

For a guest it might be the reason for the party. Some silly excuse or theme may be used to make the party come alive. I read about Trailer Trash parties and Redneck Christmas parties. I’m sure they were quite memorable.

There might have been a party where the most lavish decorating went overboard. A party décor and your interpretation of a theme could be beyond beautiful. You guests will talk about it forever. Maybe you decorated with hundreds of sparkly balloons or doves were released as part of the party activities.

When a hostess is a good or creative cook and goes out of her way to serve something scrumptious, but in a fun way. Guests will take notice of that. While anyone can make a cheese ball, not everyone will take the time turn it into a turkey or a snowman.

The invitations you received could even be one highlight of the party. It is common to hand deliver invitations in bottle for an under the Sea party or gift boxed kimonos for your Chinese party with an invitation attached.

Don’t forget about the fun activities or games. Maybe the usual games were replaced by moonlight dancing or burying a time capsule or even a treasure hunt.

Whatever made the party special for you, a guest is probably why you hope to be on the list for their next extravaganza.

You are instructed to find something nice to say about people or if you cannot say anything nice as the old advice sates, keep your mouth closed.
The goal is to give out at least five compliments today to five different people. They should be sincere compliments and focus on something that is true and nice about a person.

You can easily find a compliment for your friends and family whom you already love and admire, so get out of your comfort zone and compliment someone out of your inner circle. This could be co-workers or it could be service people who drive your bus, serve you food or even doorman. In fact anyone whom you can sincerely compliment is appropriate.

Did you consider your day care provider or the clerk at the grocery store? Even someone walking down the street wearing a beautiful scarf can be a target for your campaign to complement.

So what are you waiting for? Get out there and compliment, compliment. Maybe you will even receive a compliment once people know about the day.

The second holiday celebrated today is Hugging Day. The hug which those of a political correctness bent is much maligned. It is the most intimate way to show you care about folks without resorting to kissing which of course is not always considered appropriate in our country. Everyone can benefit from a hug. Though I do not believe in passing out a card that says you just got a hug, I do realize that some people do not want to receive a hug and then a handshake or kind word is more in line. Hugs are intimate, but can be done in sidewise positions to keep that intimacy from being wrong in certain situations. Many churches engage in hugging and it should be accepted as a reflection of Christian love from one person to another. Forget being politically correct, but ask someone if you may hug them today.

The last day celebrated today is Squirrel Appreciation Day. As a person who absolutely adores watching squirrels, I already do what I can for them. Since they are also God’s Creatures, I feed them along with the birds. We often put out little treats. We have one or two who even play with the cat. They are fun to watch as they scamper round the trees and the yard. They cross the fence and wires as a trapeze artist. They engage in a dancing routine around the tree while trying to trick the cat as to where they are. They each engage in the game. Close calls are very infrequent as it is all about the game and they are friends. So feed them some extra treats. They like nuts of course, but also fruit which is past its prime. I sometimes spread birdseed over peanut butter covered pinecones for the birds and the squirrels love them as well.

So for some reason you decide that tomorrow should be a holiday. Make it personal by creating a day exactly as you like or need. Find significant things to celebrate honor or even forget. You can use your holiday t get rid of bad feelings or worrying, you can use your holiday to explore or experience another time period or culture. Having a theme is always a fun way to start planning any event or holiday.

If you have a theme, develop a decorating color scheme for your holiday. Find things that would answer both theme and color scheme and purchase them.

You can carry the theme on into your menu. Make a menu of those special foods that appeal to you and find ways to fit them into your theme such as by renaming them or coloring them with food colors.

If your holiday includes enough guests develop some creative activities or games. You can make any game fit in with the theme with a bit if imagination. Prizes must also be appropriate for the theme if you have guest who will try to win them. If your holiday just includes a couple or your family, you can adjust all things to suit your personal needs. You can also keep your holiday smaller and more personal depending what you wish and what you need.

So decide upon a celebration or holiday, plan it and do it for no reasons except you want to do it and it will be great.

Today, we remember him mainly for his work as a civil rights leader. He worked against segregation and did it non –violently. Most of us remember some of the words to his “I had a dream speech.” All of us remember the unwavering stance he took on civil rights and how his brilliant life was cut short by an assassin.

This civil rights leader did so much to further the cause of blacks and worked for other minorities as well. Today, we do not see racial issues as a big deal, but they still are, especially in politics. We need to continue to judge people by their values and not their skin color. Fighting against segregation and making people and their opportunities equal as the constitution declared was one of the main goals of MLK, but today we must go further in some areas since racism still exists, but unfortunately in all races.

What some do not realize is that this day was not intended as a day of, but a day on. We are called to celebrate by doing a service such as volunteering in your community. Everyone that has the ability to do this, should. What better way to honor this man?