Under Jewish law, children are exempt from obeying the commandments of the law until they are old enough to understand and apply it. For girls, this occurs at age twelve, and for boys this happens at age thirteen. At that time, they have a bat mitzvah or bar mitzvah, which literally means “daughter (or son) of the commandment”. The bat mitzvah or bar mitzvah ceremony formally marks the beginning of the assumption of obligation to follow the commandments. It is an important milestone for both child and parent as the son or daughter comes of age and can now take part in religious services. It is a definite cause for celebration! Traditionally, the son or daughter is called up during Saturday Shabbat services to recite a blessing. In more recent times they may teach the entire lesson, read portions of the torah, or memorize the haftarah. A speech is customarily given, generally beginning with the phrase “Today I am a man” or “Today I am a woman”. A commitment is usually made by the child to continue to study the torah for the remainder of their lives. The service is followed by a reception that can be small or very...Read More
“If I’d had more time, I’d have written you a shorter letter” – Mark Twain Mark Twain effectively and famously summed up the importance of devoting care, thought, and time in order to communicate succinctly and efficiently. In this era of informal emails and casual text messages, many of us have lost that natural “knack” for communicating in a genuine, heartfelt, and meaningful way. Letter writing is becoming more than just a “disappearing art form,” as it’s recently been labeled, It’s also an important tradition and a practice worth preserving.. .for good reason! Letter writing can be a great way to communicate, to reconnect, and to build relationships. And, as Mark Twain reminds us, it shouldn’t always be about communicating quickly or even extensively rambling about the little details, but about communicating meaningfully. Whether you are a consistent letter-writer, or just learning the tricks of the trade, here are our top tips to help you craft beautiful correspondence and say what you want to say; be it in a friendly casual note or a flawless professional letter.  Over the next several days we will be posting articles with tips for writing both social and business letters. Read:  Intro  | Social Letters...Read More
While most kids aren’t typically involved in their parents’ anniversaries, there are some exceptions. These usually include the bigger anniversaries, such as the 25th and 50th. Everyone’s parents are different, so you should take your parents’ personalities into consideration when planning their party. Many couples, especially those who have been married for longer, enjoy celebrating their anniversaries with a party that involves their friends and family instead of a private celebration for the two of them. Decorations for an anniversary party create the atmosphere for a fun celebration. Remember that their relationship was the catalyst for your very existence. This makes their anniversary a cause to celebrate — not only for them but for you as well. Speak with your parents ahead of time before planning the party. While some parents might appreciate a surprise party, it’s usually a better idea to find out what they like and dislike. There’s still room for surprises, but getting their feedback will help ensure that they enjoy their party. You can collaborate with them on choosing a date so that you can budget your time. If this is the ultimate surprise party that you need an insider to their world. You will need help...Read More
All human beings make mistakes, feel unhappy, dislike certain things, and have issues with certain actions or individuals. Thus, at times we complain regarding certain things, instances or individuals, and this has given rise to the concept of complaint letters. While dealing with family and friends, we do not need complaint letters, because here we have the liberty to speak up our mind, and do not need to follow any formal procedures. However, in some cases, it is necessary to communicate your disagreement or complain regarding something or someone, through a proper medium like a letter. Thus, used mostly in a formal set up, this letter is a formal letter, and thus abides by the guidelines of the formal letter writing. Each one of us should know how to write this letter, because we might feel the need of writing this letter at any stage, or situation. There are many situations wherein this letter is written to express disagreement, dissatisfaction or anger. Although you express your anger, dissatisfaction or disagreement with this letter, you need to be careful about the language. You are not allowed to use abusive or provocative language. The letter has to be written in a polite and decent language....Read More
Kids love celebrating New Year’s Eve too, but bedtimes often mean they miss out on the fun! This New Year’s celebration won’t be held at midnight though, but in the afternoon! The kids get to celebrate and you and your adult guests will have time to get home for the babysitter, so you can go out on the town and celebrate New Year’s Eve too! I would call the party for about 5:00, so the kids have time to play before dinner. Dinner could be at 5:45 and then a New Year’s countdown around 6:15. Then everyone would hit the road around 6:30. I’ve found that an hour and half works well for parties with younger kids. You can have a longer or later party depending on the ages of the kids at your party! You should include on your invitation if parents are also invited to the party. If you’re hosting younger kids, then this is probably a great idea. Do you really want to watch a house full of little ones by yourself? Probably not and parents love to see their cute kiddos enjoying a party! It’s a great photo op. Get The Kids Involved: If your child is...Read More
In general New Years Eve party planning is not a difficult process. There are a number of standard elements which are common in any type of party such as invitations, location, food, beverages and entertainment which should be considered but beside from that there aren’t many unique aspects of a New Years Eve party which require special consideration. The late hour of a New Years Eve party is somewhat unusual and results in some unique food option such as offering cocktails and appetizers in the evening and cocktails such as the Bloody Mary and the Mimosa in the morning along with a breakfast buffet. However, New Years Eve party planning does prevent a challenge when it is necessary to complete this planning on a tight budget. The first step in planning a New Years Eve party on a budget is to establish an ultimate budget. Once this is done, you can list all of the individual aspects of the party such as invitations, decorations, location, food, beverages and entertainment and determine the percentage of your total budget you wish to spend on each of these components. When planning a New Years Eve party on a budget, it is important to...Read More
While the holidays are supposed to be about giving, admit it, we’ve all experienced some disappointment after receiving a dull gift. Maybe you’ve even been on the opposite end. Perhaps you felt ashamed after giving someone a lousy gift because you couldn’t get creative. Giving gifts unconditionally is not necessarily simple. Gift giving can sometimes feel like a chore that makes us resentful. Other times we give gifts in order to get something in return, even if it is simply the gratitude from the recipient. Sometimes, you’ll have plenty of ideas of what to buy someone: maybe your sister is into knitting and always wants unusual wools and accessories, or maybe your aunt loves gourmet food baskets. But, some people are just hard to buy for – especially if you don’t know them well. Don’t be afraid to ask if there’s anything they’d particularly like – you might want to approach one of their close friends or a family member to find out. Many people will hint at gifts they’d like to receive – some more blatantly than others! Listen out for phrases like “I’d really love a new scarf” or “Maybe I’ll wait till the January sales to buy myself...Read More
Throwing a holiday work party is not as easy as it used to be. In an era of political correctness and workplace diversity you have to be a little more careful. Don’t worry; the party can still be fun and a good way to celebrate a year of hard work and to share Season’s Greetings with all. Winter is the perfect theme for your office holiday party. People are very busy during the holiday season. Make sure you get on the calendar with an unforgettable invite. Personalized holiday invitations are perfect for a winter themed holiday party. If you are going to have a theme or activity at the party, let your guests know on the invite so that they can be prepared. Here are a few fun suggestions: Gift exchange Ugly Sweater Contest Cookie exchange Potluck/recipe exchange Scavenger hunt Everyone will be excited for this office holiday party! Decorate the party room like a winter wonderland! It’s easy to do so that everyone can enjoy the beauty, but not the cold, of winter. Use winter colors – White, silver and light blue are the perfect colors for this party, so use them for all of your decorations and party supplies. Cover tables...Read More
It’s the holiday season, and for most people, that means sending out cards to friends and relatives. If you have the time, it’s customary to jot a little note in each card. With lots of kids, we’re lucky if we remember to get the cards in the mail at all, much less in time for holiday delivery. We all want to communicate with our friends and family and keep up with their activities, writing an annual holiday letter is a great way to do that. A holiday letter will more or less cover the holiday you are having, providing details on the destinations that have been visited and anything else worthy of note. When done properly, holiday letters can be a wonderful thing. Sometimes the only contact we have with certain family and friends is at weddings, funerals, and through the yearly holiday card. Therefore, if done right, a Christmas letter is a great communication tool. The idea of letter writing may terrify most people–there doesn’t seem to be a lot of middle ground. How do you write a holiday letter that people want to read, and actually look forward too? As with any writing project, a holiday letter is...Read More
January 1 represents the fresh start of a new year after a period of remembrance of the passing year, including on radio, television and in newspapers, which starts in early December in countries around the world. Publications have year-end articles that review the changes during the previous year. In some cases publications may set their entire year work alight in hope that the smoke emitted from the flame brings new life to the company. There are also articles on planned or expected changes in the coming year. This day is traditionally a religious feast, but since the 1900s has also become an occasion to celebrate the night of December 31, called New Year’s Eve. Happy New Year Holiday Cards Send cheerful New Years greetings with these fun cards. Inside, we’ll print your personalized message. Folded Size: 4 5/8″ x 6 1/4″ Set includes 25 cards and 25 plain White envelopes Optional printed envelopes available Records show that around 2000 BC, the Babylonians began celebrating New Year’s on March 23, the beginning of spring. Although references show that they themselves had no written calendar. They had a regular festival going on that lasted for eleven days. For Romans, New Year’s began on March 25...Read More
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