Month: October 2017

October 31- November 2 Dia de los Muertos

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Hey Unboxers, if you subscribed to our November Iriginal Holiday or Mini Trial Box, you get to start your celebration a day early because today marks the start of a 3 day celebration in the US for Dia de los Muertos. So pull out that Gigantic Big Mouth Inc Sugar Skull Beach Blanket and party with us for the next 3 days!

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Read on for more about the day…

Dia de los Muertos

This holiday, celebrated in Mexico is better known as the “Day of the Dead” day. It is a time to remember people, friends, family who have passed and to recognize family and friends who are still alive. It was created in the 19thcentury by Jose Gualupe Posada and promoted by the art work of Diego Rivera. It is similar to Halloween but a completely different holiday.

How to celebrate – Have a feast with those family members that can gather.  Throw a Day of the Dead party. Remember family members that are no longer among us.

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October 31st Halloween

October Holidays, Unboxing the Bizarre

In case you have been living under a rock for the last couple of months, today is Halloween Eve. Some find it a good thing, some a bad thing… most of us just find it a thing. It comes, probably, from the Celtic Harvest Festival and “Summers End”. It was, at one time, believed that by dressing up as ghouls and goblins a society might keep away the demons that might assault them over the coming year.

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Known also as All Hallow’s Eve and All Saints Eve, it really depends on your vision of what the day brings. I have always believed (And I am not saying I am right) that what you make it is what it is, if you think bad things will happen, that’s what you will find.

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I heard a minister put it the other day say that you can chase away people who celebrate Halloween as an evil thing or understand it’s a great way to meet your neighbors and give their kids candy. (Or toothbrushes if you so choose) What is the harm in that?

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Are there such things as ghosts and monsters, demons and evil? No doubt that there are and if that’s the way you see it then that’s what is alive to you and you combat. To me, and others, its just a night of weird fun. To be scared, not over frightened, is stimulating and fun. If you believe it is real, its a nightmare.

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So celebrate, or don’t, what you choose to believe in. I put out no clowns since idiots have turned them into a bad thing. I try not to put out demonic creatures because they frighten people and leave them with nightmares. I don’t mind scaring someone, so long as thy are allowed to laugh after their experience.

How to celebrate – Choose your medicine and share it, or don’t. Remember you will be perceived by what you project. There is nothing evil about sharing a laugh. 

October 30th National Candy Corn Day

October Holidays, Unboxing the Bizarre

It’s clear the holidays are upon us when we start to see candy corn in the stores and on people’s dining room tables. It is the traditional fall candy because… well, I don’t know why but that doesn’t really matter.

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It use to be that every piece of candy corn tried to look like corn, it was always yellow, orange and white. I use to always eat the white tip off first. Today it can be any color which really confuses us old timers because it doesn’t look like corn anymore.

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George Renninger and the Wunderle Candy Company first created candy corn, however it was the Goelite Candy company that first mass produced it. Today numerous companies produce candy corn and you can even produce it yourself. Here’s the recipe. However it may just be cheaper, and a lot easier, to just buy it.

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And for those you who might like to drink your candy corn, warning this is alcoholic, here’s another recipe. See, candy corn has changed a bit over the years! But, it is still a favorite whether with kids or adults.

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It’s also a favorite with Elves. As you can see it falls only under Syrup on their menu and ties with candy canes. Right there is a glowing endorsement!

How to celebrate – Start serving up the candy corn for the holidays. Always buy a little extra so there is some left over for the guests that visit. Make your own candy corn, or green beans, or broccoli, or asparagus, or…

October 29th National Hermit Day

October Holidays, Unboxing the Bizarre

National Hermit Day October 29th

Grand Canyon National Park: North Rim - Bright Angel Point 5150

The only thing a hermit really wants is to be left alone. They can be found anywhere but generally like to be in the woods or on a mountain top where they are difficult to find. The “Eremith” (Hermit in Latin) means “Of the dessert”.

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So I am guessing that the original hermits lived in the desert. It is believed the day comes from St. Colman who died in Ireland in 623 A.D.. Colman spent his last seven years in the Burren Forest.

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How to celebrate – See if you can find a hermit in your neighborhood. Become a hermit yourself, at least for the day. Build your own hermit shack somewhere away from the public.

October 28th Make A Difference Day

October Holidays, Unboxing the Bizarre

We are blessed everyday with the opportunity to make a difference in someone’s life, or something that will serve someone’s purpose. It may just be sitting beside them as they go through a rough time, helping someone build a home, or helping little old ladies across the street… make sure they want to cross before you take them there first.

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Older people often need help even with the little things. Maybe reading t them if their eyesight is bad or helping them shop for groceries. And sometimes it might just be sitting there with them so that they are not alone. Making a difference does not have to be something huge, the little things count as well.

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The homeless are always in need of help.  It really doesn’t matter in the end how they got there, if not for the grace of God it could be you! A meal, a cup of coffee, a sweater or a pair of shoes will make their lives better and who knows, maybe they will rescue someone in real trouble because they had a pair of shoes to help them make a difference of their own.

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Make a Difference Day is always the fourth Saturday in October. It began back in the 1990’s. And while people go out of their way to make a difference today, shouldn’t we all be doing that everyday?

How to celebrate – Think of all the people  that have made a difference in your life, both in big things and little things. Make yourself available to be of service to someone today. Don’t wait to be asked, just go ahead and do whatever it is that needs to be done. You will make a difference.

October 27th Navy Day

October Holidays, Unboxing the Bizarre

Today is Teddy Roosevelt’s birthday! Now you may ask, what does that have to do with the navy? Well, until Teddy Roosevelt helped build up the image of the navy it really wasn’t thought that highly of.

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You may remember the Great White Fleet. (Or you may not) It was Roosevelt’s idea to send a powerful American navy around the world to show both that power and the fact that the world wasn’t so big that we could just ignore each other. The reason for white was simply that most ships in Roosevelt’s era were painted white.

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Now heroes such as John Paul Jones had already proven that a navy was critical to America’s future. That said, it took months news of victories at sea  to reach the land, in some cases wars were already decided by the news of a victory could be reported. So while the navy kept the enemy from our shores it wasn’t as visible as a land battle.

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Today, the most elite military force, the Navy Seals, changes our image of the navy a little bit, or a lot. There is no doubt that the navy stands as our primary source of protection. This is not down playing the air force or army and, of course, the Marines are a part of the navy. It is just that unless it is on our own land that the crisis is taking place, even the army and air force require the navy to get them where they are needed.

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The navies real birth date is October 13th, 1775. But if not for Teddy Roosevelt, perhaps no one would care.

How to celebrate –  Thank a service person for their sacrifices. Visit a Naval History museum.  Play the game battleship.

October 26th National Mincemeat Pie Day

October Holidays, Unboxing the Bizarre

How long has it been since you had a good mincemeat pie? Ah, how long has it been since you ever had mincemeat pie? Did you know it has been the traditional Thanksgiving pie since Thanksgiving began? Well, it lost it’s popularity in the early 1900’s but then so did a lot of other things we ought to bring back.

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I’m really not sure that mincemeat, or Mince Meat, pie was served at the first Thanksgiving. I guess it could have been but I doubt the pilgrims had all the ingredients to make it with. That would be beef, generally ground up, raisins, apples, pears and perhaps a little brandy or rum added to it.  And why would you need anything else with it? It’s your meal and your dessert served up on the plate!

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If you’ve never made one, the above gives you the ingredients and how to make it. It might be nice for a change at Thanksgiving, or any family meal. It’s been around since the midieval times, a lot more popular then than now,

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Maybe it’s because it is so dark, made with meat or just something that people today do not find all that tempting but that doesn’t mean it does not deserve a place at your table. (Unless you are a vegetarian) Give it another try, or try it for the first time. You just might like it and find once again that something old can be new!

How to celebrate – Serve up a Mincemeat Pie for dinner tonight! Dress up like a pilgrim for Thanksgiving this year. Serve a medieval banquet.

October 25th Punk For A Day

October Holidays, Unboxing the Bizarre

I’m not sure that I completely understand the punk movement. While I was growing up the thought of being a punk was one of the worse things one could become. I understand rebellion, I don’t understand looking like death warmed over.

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Of course, my parents didn’t understand me wanting to play rock and roll so I guess it’s a generational thing. Oddly though, much of the punk look is going back to the way Native American warrior looked when they went to war.

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It seems that mutilating parts of your body goes along with being a punker. While I guess that’s fine for youth I wonder how they will feel when they reach seventy. And I come from an era where having something hanging from you nose was considered gross.

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But its youth and so they rarely think about the future. (Or at least their future) They are too busy protesting the present. And for many they don’t even have a cause that concerns them, they just like looking that way.  I guess there are those who found Frankenstein attractive as well.

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One area I do kind of find interesting is the Steam Punk movement.  It sort of mixes the old days with modern times. Though the picture above is supposed to represent a Steam Punk Christmas which I don’t really see.

How to celebrate – Dress up like a punk for the day. (Just remember not to make it permanent!) Create your own punk era. Join a punk rock band and go rock out!

Announcing our Newest Box Release – the Mini Holiday Box (Trial Box)

Press Releases, Unboxing the Bizarre

​The Mini Holiday Box is a trial version of our Original Standard Holiday Box. Great for people who want to try it out or want a more budget friendly box. The Mini Box includes 1-2 items based on a weird, wacky, and offbeat holiday for the upcoming month along with an information card that includes some brief trivia about the holiday and some interesting suggestions on ways you can celebrate in all of the wackiness.

Check it out at unboxingthebizarre.com

October 24th National Bologna Day

October Holidays, Unboxing the Bizarre

When I was a child I use to love Bologna sandwiches. Add a little cheese and mayo or mustard, or both, and my day was made! It didn’t matter if it was German bologna, Beef bologna or Kosher bologna, I just knew it was good!

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And occasionally my mom would fry the bologna and I was in Heaven. I am not sure what made it even better when it was fried but it was. Every once in a while we got it for breakfast as a special treat.

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And then, as I got older, I started to question what was in bologna.  It is made from sausage or mortadella, a cubed sausage. Black pepper, nutmeg, allspice, celery seed, coriander and myrtle berry is added for flavoring. It does come from Bologna, Italy originally.

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I tend not to eat too many things that are ground up and mixed together before I get the chance to know what all is really in there. Like hotdogs which are perfectly safe but may contain parts I am not openly willing to eat. You are pretty safe if it is Kosher though so maybe I should give it a chance again. It really was good!

How to celebrate – Have a bologna sandwich for lunch today. Make up your own bologna recipe. (Use is sort of like Spam) Treat your kids to bologna, even if they don’t eat much of anything they will probably like bologna… just don’t tell them what’s in it.