Thanksgiving - An American Holiday

This Thursday, November 22 is the Thanksgiving holiday in America.  And it is this weeks theme at ESN so. It is tradition to have turkey, mashed potatoes, gravy, corn, cranberry sauce and then whatever else has evolved to become individual customs.  America has celebrated Thanksgiving as far back as at least 1621 when the pilgrims finally had a decent harvest thanks to the locals, Native Americans, but back in the day were called Indians.  President Abraham Lincoln declared in 1863 the last day in Thursday of November to be a "Day of Thanksgiving".  Over the course of about 75 years other presidents declared national days of Thanksgiving, but who knows what day any of those guys chose, so it must have got confusing for the general public because in 1941 Congress declared the 4th Thursday in the month of November as the official day of thanksgiving.  And, well, thankfully it was settled!  No one is truly sure of what that "first meal" consisted of, but rumor has it that the Indians brought deer, and perhaps a few wild turkeys were there as well.  Corn, squashes, and perhaps other veggies were available, but no potatoes, the pilgrims didn't know about them then, so no "mashers" on the first Thanksgiving! Of course being in Massachusetts and on the coast there must have been some pilgrim fisherman so I expect there was fish, crustaceans and other "fruits de mer" (fruits of the sea). Le Petit Marché doesn't have anything actually depicting Thanksgiving as such, but here's a cute set of dishes you might like for your next year celebration.  It's a Hallmark Expressions Decorative Flowers Dishes

Make your own custom with these dishes filled with nuts, olives, bits of cheese, dipping oil for a lovely bread or whatever new custom you would like to create for your own family!  Bon Appétit, et
Je souhaite une bonne santé! à la prochaine!  Happy Thanksgiving everyone, wherever you are!

What does Labor Day mean anyway?

I found a lot of different answers to this question on my quest to see what it means anymore.  To those who are unemployed, it's just another day off in a string of days off.   To those who work in retail it's just another day to work, no day off.  Seems to me there's not much to celebrate anymore with labor unions becoming a thing of the past as well.  But Labor day is the Ecrater Stores Network scavenger hunters theme this week, so this is what I found:  In the late 1880s labor organizations campaigned state legislatures to recognize labor with a state holiday in which New York was to be the first to declare it a state holiday in 1887. Congress made it a national holiday in 1894.  I saw some differing opinions on these statistics, but this is the one I chose.

Growing up labor day meant the start of school, and since it is always on the first Monday in Sept.  it was a 3 day week-end as well.  We had cookouts and played badminton, went to parades and celebrated the ending of summer.  Although the first day of Autumn isn't until Sept. 22nd. But that's what we did.  When I became an adult and worked it was a day off from the day job and I usually cleaned my house or cleaned out cupboards or closets.  I've labored for a loooong time! These days the "day" itself doesn't mean much to me, but "labor" does.   The paycheck is mighty nice, but labor also means to me commitment, belonging, responsibility, community, purpose, and gratitude that I do have a job in this troubling economy.

At Le Petit Marché I labor to get to get my listings on, take decent photos of the items I have for sale and to accurately describe the items.   And I bet the artist who painted this Russian Khokhloma Mini Decorative Spoon did it with a labor of love for his craft.  

Singing is Good for the Soul!

Singing is so much fun, even if you aren't good at it.  Isn't that why a lot of people sing in the shower?  Just to amuse themselves and act like a rock star in private?  And then there's the singers who sing while driving with windows open thinking no one can hear them, or don't care that anyone does.   ESN's theme this week is "singing".  There will be plenty of that going on with all the concerts this summer all over the world.  Our own Red Rocks will be hosting rock concerts all summer long.  I don't have a single thing in my store to represent singing per se, but Le Petit Marche has some lovely Christmas decorations that will get you in the mood to sing Christmas Carols.  Ok, so it's a little early in the season to be thinking Christmas and singing Christmas songs, or is it?  So pop on in and have a look at some of the fun Christmas stuff I have. Below are just two of a nice selection I have.

Holiday Style 14" Fiber Optic Angel

Things Remembered Musical Snow Globe