While one perspective suggests honoring tools used to make holes, another points to a day created to throw a few punches at a punching bag. However, we will direct you toward the thirst-quenching version instead. Besides, this delicious, refreshing drink sparkles with celebration. A wide assortment of drinks, both alcoholic and non-alcoholic, fall into the category of punch.
A combination of fruit juice and a carbonated beverage, the colorful, bubbly drink sparkles with party personality. In fact, parties, weddings, and other celebrations serve punch as part of the centerpiece at the beverage table. Large wide bowls known as punch bowls provide a beautiful vessel for serving punch.
The word punch is a loanword from Hindi panch (meaning five). Originally, punch was made with five ingredients: alcohol, sugar, lemon, water, and tea or spices. It was called paantsch.
Soft drink manufacturers today distribute many types of “fruit punch” beverages. Most punch mixes are red in color. However, despite the name, they contain a small fraction of fruit juice. Sugar, corn syrup, citric acid, and artificial flavors make up the main ingredients.
Make some punch and make a toast! Thousands of punch recipes make the beverage versatile and easy to make. Check recipe books and online. Be sure to share your favorites, too! Use #NationalPunchDay to post on social media.
On the Sunday following Labor Day, National Grandparents Day, honors the love only grandparents can provide.
Grandparents and their grandchildren share a special bond. These hugging, caring and patient people in the lives of children offer more than a generous dose of love. Grandparents provide an abundance of wisdom. They also offer guidance and stability.
When grandchildren need a story, grandparents tell the best. A grandparent’s wealth of family history and lore offers lessons of their own. Through humorous stories and some serious ones, grandparents gently point grandchildren in the right direction.
In 2004, the National Grandparents Day Council of Chula Vista, California announced a song for the day. A Song for Grandma and Grandpa by Johnny Prill became the official song of the United States National Grandparents Day holiday. The Council presented Prill with the National Songwriter’s Award for his song, too.
The forget-me-not is the official flower for National Grandparents Day.
As the number of grandparents grows from 65 million in 2011 to 80 million in 2020, expect the observance to increase in significance, too.
NATIONAL GRANDPARENTS DAY HISTORY
Celebrated in the United States since 1978, the United States Senate and President Jimmy Carter nationally recognized Marian McQuade of Oak Hill, West Virginia as the founder of National Grandparents Day. McQuade made it her goal to educate the youth in the community about the significant contributions that seniors have made throughout history. It was also her hope to have the youth “adopt” a grandparent, not just for one day or a year, but rather for a lifetime.
The Joint Resolution
In February of 1977, Senator Randolph along with the concurrence of other senators introduced a joint resolution to the Senate. The resolution requested the president to “issue annually a proclamation designating the first Sunday of September after Labor Day of each year as National Grandparents Day.” After Congress passed the resolution, on August 3, 1978, President Jimmy Carter signed the proclamation. The statute cites the day’s purpose: “…to honor grandparents, to give grandparents an opportunity to show love for their children’s children, and to help children become aware of strength, information, and guidance older people can offer.”
Other Claims
Others claim the origin of this holiday resides with the efforts of Hermine Beckett Hanna of North Syracuse, New York. She recognized seniors and their importance as early as 1961. New York Congressman James T. Walsh awarded her efforts on February 21, 1990, in front of the United States House of Representatives. He also thanked Hermine Beckett Hanna “for her important role in the establishment of Grandparents Day.”
While we have our grandparents in our lives, it is important to cherish them. Spend time with your grandparents. Learn about their life and ask questions to keep the stories coming. Do the things they enjoy doing. Sometimes, they only want to spend time with you.
How else can you celebrate the day?
Pick up the phone! Surprise your grandparents with a much-awaited phone conversation.
Take your grandparents on an adventure. Plan a day doing their favorite things – one of which is probably spending time with you.
Write a letter to your grandparents. Share with them the things you’ve been doing. They will read your letter over and over.
Learn something from a grandparent. Have you always wanted to know how to make Grandma’s pecan pie or catch a whopper from the river? Grandma or Grandpa will probably show you how. You only need to ask.
Help them out. Clean out a flower bed. Take out the trash. Mow the lawn. Paint a room. Fix the internet. Run an errand. The list goes on.
Take a photo. Sometimes we forget to capture moments with the people we love the most. Take a photo with your grandparent and make sure they get a copy.
Speaking of photos, spend some time looking through old photos with your grandparents. Ask them questions about the people in them and record the information.
Adopt a grandparent. As surprising as it may seem, there are some of our older generations who have no grandchildren. However, they still have love and wisdom to share.
If you no longer have living grandparents, share a fond memory of them. Remember something each of them taught you or one of the fun things you used to do. You can also write down your memories to share with future generations.
Use #NationalGrandparentsDay to post on social media.
The first Friday in September each year ushers in a celebration worthy of a toast. National Chianti Day recognizes the most-recognized red wines from the Tuscany region of Italy.
Always leading with the Sangiovese grape, the ruby red wine is famous throughout the world, and Chianti Classico is represented by the iconic Gallo Nero logo, which is a black rooster inside a red circle. While Chianti is most associated with Tuscany, the smaller Chianti Classico region, located between Florence in the north and Siena in the south, is the historical heartland and most-respected area for red wines.
As essential to Italian cuisine as olive oil, Chianti Classico is a dry red wine that is medium to full-bodied. It shows red cherry and herbaceous notes, making it flexible with many cuisines and pairing particularly well with robust dishes like barbeque and grilled meats. And because Chianti Classico is the authentic taste of Tuscany and the ultimate expression of the region, the wines have a natural affinity to Italian dishes like pasta carbonara or pizza.
For a more savory and earthy expression, look for the word Riserva. Chianti Classico Riserva demands that the wine is aged an additional two years and will develop subtle notes of balsamic and espresso notes during that time. These hedonistic wines work brilliantly with stews and braised dishes.
NATIONAL CHIANTI DAY HISTORY
Santa Margherita USA founded National Chianti Day to honor our Chianti Classico Riserva, a wine that embodies the traditions of Tuscany and the Chianti Classico region. Our Santa Margherita Chianti Classico Riserva is from a single vineyard called Salcentino located just outside of the town of Panzano. Dry, rich, and rewarding, the wine has complex aromas of red cherries and plums with a palate that unfolds to berry fruits and licorice, framed by light toasty notes of oak and finishes with a firm structure.
About Santa Margherita USA
Santa Margherita USA is a fine wine import company representing premium and ultra-premium wine estates from Italy. Since our founding in 1935, Count Gaetano Marzotto dedicated his life to establishing Santa Margherita and its estates as one of the leading ambassadors of Italian wine excellence around the world. With the establishment of Santa Margherita USA in 2016, we proudly carry on his vision in the United States.
Pick up a bottle of Chianti Classico to serve with dinner. To really elevate your meal, consider an aged bottle of Chianti Classico Riserva. While you’re exploring the wine aisle, be sure to plan your meal. May we suggest a charcuterie board with a selection of Italian meats and cheeses? Chianti Classico will also go well with a thick-cut porterhouse steak. But don’t stop there. The tangy acidity of Chianti Classico cuts through the richness on your plate, so explore all the ways this Italian wine complements a meal.
While you enjoy your wine, be sure to share your favorite pairings by using #NationalChiantiDay on social media.
National Macadamia Nut Day on September 4th recognizes a delicious nut found in many baked goods and desserts.
Delectable macadamia nuts have a creamy, buttery taste. These nuts add a subtle richness to everything they grace. Also versatile, macadamia nuts originated in Australia. They were named for the physician and chemist, John Macadam, who discovered them. Macadam also pursued furthering the cultivation of the tree in Australia making it more abundant.
Similar to large evergreens, the macadamia tree grows between 30 and 40 feet high. Although they are native to Australia, most of today’s world supply grows in Hawaii. Growers first began cultivating macadamia trees in Hawaii in 1921. Indonesia, South Africa, and California also grow this delicious nut commercially.
Like many nuts, macadamia may be eaten raw or roasted. Bakers particularly like to use them in baked goods, such as cookies. They pair exceptionally well with chocolate, too.
Since the macadamia is nutrient-rich, they are known for their health benefits. Being in the nut family has its benefits, too! Macadamias are a valuable source of energy, high in dietary fiber, gluten-free, high in mono-unsaturated fat. They also provide an excellent source of minerals and contain many essential B-complex vitamins.
Whether you seek a healthy snack or satisfaction for a sweet tooth, this nut has you covered. Try a new recipe. Grab a handful of macadamia nuts for a snack at your desk or bake them into a batch of cookies. Add some to your salad or mix them in with popcorn while watching a movie. Share your ideas, celebrations and more by using #MacadamiaNutDay to post on social media.
Intergeneration Month is an annual designation observed in September.
Setting aside time for family in today’s world is challenging, but spending time with family both young and old sets a positive message as children, grandchildren and so on see the examples of family. As they age into adulthood they will use that foundation.
They will draw on the experiences they had and build more in the generations to come. Communication passed down through generations tells of our past and prepares us for the future. In our family love is given unconditionally and I’m so glad it was. Many of my peers were not as lucky. I wouldn’t change places with anyone. Not for all the riches in the world.
HISTORY
In 1987, Fountain Institute, a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization, with a Board of Trustees, was formed by Sandy Kraemer, a Colorado Springs attorney, to research intergenerational issues. The resulting research identified the need to set aside a time each year to focus on intentionally connecting generations to better communicate age-related gratitude and needs.
To fulfill this need, in the year 2000, Fountain Institute changed its name to “Intergeneration Foundation” and launched “Intergeneration Day” worldwide, the first Sunday in October (later designated September). The research proved overwhelmingly correct, as 42 state governors proclaimed Intergeneration Day, plus scores of organizations joined in including American Library Association, American Association of Museums, American Council of Life Insurers, National Easter Seals, Centura Health, Microsoft Corporation, Stanford University Center on Longevity, plus uncountable community organizations and families.
While support for Intergeneration Day has verified the need to annually set aside time to intentionally connect all ages, further research showed organizations and families were not planning or staging “IG Events”. Two primary reasons were identified: (1) a single Day was too short to stage events; and (2) the Day competed with other established times, such as Grandparents’ Day – the first Sunday after Labor Day.
The need to annually set aside a time to intentionally connect generations is clear. In 2012, Intergeneration Foundation experimented with expanding Intergeneration Day to Intergeneration Month to increase the time for planning and staging “IG Events.” The response has been compellingly positive. After considering other months, research shows September to be the preferred month.
Intergeneration Day, started in the year 2000, is merging into Intergeneration Month: September. Intergeneration Month will be promoted in the United States, and worldwide as a time to intentionally connect generations and stage intergenerational events. Grandparents’ Day will be a kick-off “IG Event” for Intergeneration Month in the United States and Canada. Please participate to make the strengths of each generation meet the needs of all generations.
