A Thanksgiving Story

Are you interested in learning about the history of this fall holiday? Are you wondering when it is celebrated? Were you ever curious about how we determined which day to celebrate this post-harvest holiday?

When is The Holiday Observed?

Thanksgiving Day in the United States is always observed on the fourth Thursday in the month of November.

In Canada, this harvest holiday is celebrated in October, not in November. The Canadian holiday is not on the fourth Thursday of the month, but on the second Monday in October.

When Was the First Holiday Observed?

The first Thanksgiving was held in 1621.

Important Dates and Milestones for this Autumn Holiday

1621: A harvest feast was held by the Pilgrims and the Wampanoag (Scholastic.com)

1777: George Washington calls December 18, 1777 "a day for solemn Thanksgiving and Praise."

1817: The State of New York adopts Thanksgiving as an annual custom. (http://www.holidays.net)

1863 President Lincoln issued a Thanksgiving Day proclamation. It was this proclamation that determined that the holiday should be held on the fourth Thursday of November. (http://www.holidays.net)

1927: The first giant balloons appeared in the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade (macy's)

1934: The NFL game that may have started the whole football on Thanksgiving Day is believed to be the game between the Lions and the Bears (Pro Football Hall of Fame).

1939: President Franklin Roosevelt changes observance of the holiday from the last Thursday in November to the third Thursday in November. (Scholastic.com)

1941: President Franklin Roosevelt give this feating holiday a fixed celebration day: he signed the legislation that determined the fourth Thursday in November was Thanksgiving.

1971: Actress Christina Applegate was born on Thanksgiving Day, November 25, 1971.

The Friday After The Holiday

The Friday after Thanksgiving has gained status as its own kind of holiday of sorts. For some, the day after Thanksgiving is also known as "Black Friday." Black Friday is officially the first day of the holiday shopping season. Many retailers hold special sales events on this day.

The Friday and the weekend after the celebration is also a traditional day for early birds to find and purchase a Christmas tree. Christmas tree farms tend to open on the Friday after the holiday celebration, or on the weekend after the holiday.

The Friday following the holiday is also a day when some people choose to hang up their holiday decorations.

Verizon

I am, quite frankly, a bit of a mess. I am constantly forgetting things and my memory seems to have rapidly deteriorated within the past several years. It is quite often when I have to return to a previous locale and attempt to locate my personal belongings. I cannot count how many times I have lost a hat or various articles of clothing. Another item I seem to have difficulty holding on to is cell phones. Cell phones are convenient because they are portable - but for me that is also their downfall. I will set them down somewhere and go about my business, and not remember where I have left it - so for me, when I went to Verizon Wireless to pick up my new cell phone, their insurance policy was extremely attractive.

In previous years I have had to resort to buying phones on eBay after losing my cell because I refused to get insurance (This time I won't lose it! I'll be extra careful! etc.). The full retail price to purchase the phone again was much too expensive and eBay offered a moderately cheap replacement of a different model. This year I went with a different route. Verizon's insurance policy involves paying $6 a month and a $50 deductible when you are in need of a replacement. The phone I bought this past April was a Samsung Flipshot tagged at a hefty $220 price - something I would not want to pay again. I must say it has payed off so far.

Me being the klutz I am, I left it out in a locker room and it was stolen within my first month of ownership. I deactivated my phone and then filled out the necessary paperwork before being shipped a replacement in about two weeks.

Several downsides of Verizon's insurance program were the $50 deductible (I could have gotten a working replacement on eBay for this amount) and the fact that you had to pay for the

Verizon service while your phone is out of commission. Also one cannot simply go to the Verizon Store to replace your phone. You have to mail it to Verizon's insurance company and then wait for them to process your claim.
Regardless I decided I made out quite well because I really liked the make and model of my phone and wanted to keep it. Several months later I left it in a hotel room and when I called to see if it had been reported missing I had no such luck. I ended up filing the insurance report again and received another replacement.

How much did I save? The math:
2 new phones = $220 each * 2 = $440
2 $50 dollar deductibles = $100
6 months of insurance = 6*6 = $36
$440 - $136 = Approximately $300 in savings

For me getting insurance was definitely worth it. Unfortunately Verizon's insurance company will only replace 2 of your phones a year so I will have to be extra careful for the next 6 months or I will have to resort to eBay again. Moral of the Story? If you purchase an expensive phone and have a past history of losing or forgetting your cell insurance is a bargain.

Home Insulation Basics: Higher R-Values = Higher Insulating Values

Whether you live in Bangor, Maine, or Bakersfield, California, your home will be more comfortable and energy efficient with the right insulation. Insulation helps reduce the costs of heating and cooling your home. Here's how: Heat travels. In the winter, heat flows out; in the summer, heats flow in. A properly insulated home reduces heat flow, using less energy in the winter for heating and less energy in the summer for cooling. That could mean money in your pocket.
To help you get the most for your insulation dollar, the Federal Trade Commission offers answers to some basic questions about home insulation.
Q. What's the first thing I should look for when buying insulation?
Look for the "R-value." "R" means resistance to heat flow. The higher the R-value, the greater the insulation power. The R-value must be disclosed for most insulation products. (Pipe and duct insulation are the exceptions, although duct wrap is covered.) For instance, if you buy loose-fill insulation with an R-value of 38 from Company A, it will have the same insulating power as loose-fill insulation with an R-value of 38 from Company B. You also can compare the R-value of one type of insulation to another, such as loose-fill to blanket.
Q. How do I know how much insulation R-value my home needs?
Several factors affect the R-value your home needs:
Where you live — You'll need a higher R-value if you live in the Northeast than if you live in Southern California. How your home is built — For example, is it a single-level or multi-level structure? Do you have cathedral ceilings? Is there a basement or is your home built on a slab? How you heat and cool your home — Do you have a furnace, a central air conditioner, or a heat pump?
Q. Should I use the same R-value of insulation throughout my home?
It's more efficient to use insulation with higher R-values in the attic and in rooms with cathedral ceilings than in wood frame walls and basements or crawl spaces with walls.
Your local home improvement store (or its website) may have information to help you calculate your insulation needs.
Your state energy office, local building department, or your gas or electric company, can tell you how to conduct an energy audit to help detect waste and gauge the efficiency of your current heating system. Your utility company may offer free or low-cost energy audits, or you can conduct your own. The Department of Energy offers instructions at www.homeenergysaver.lbl.gov.
As the colder weather sets in, I hope that this information is useful for you. At the same time, if you or someone you know may be thinking about buying a home or refinancing an existing home, please give me a call.