St. Patrick's Day, or The Feast of St. Patrick, is a well-known holiday, known for fun (and sometimes crazy) parties all over the United States. Shamrocks are abundant and you'll be seeing in the color green just about everywhere you go on March 17th. However, many people celebrate the holiday without ever knowing WHY they are celebrating or WHAT the traditions mean. We're here to put those questions to rest.
What is St. Patrick's Day, Besides a Party?
St. Patricks' Day is when people, specifically those of Irish descent, recognize and remember St. Patrick, a historical figure of religious significance in Ireland. The day was traditionally celebrated as a feast day by those of the Catholic, Anglican, Orthodox and Lutheran churches.
Who Was Saint Patrick?
It is thought that St. Patrick was born a Roman Britain to a wealthy family in the fourth century. He was kidnapped by Irish raiders at age 16 and sold as a slave. He served as a shepherd in Gaelic Ireland for 6 years, and during that time, it is historically said that he "found God". According to the story, God told him to flee to the coast where a ship would be waiting to take him home. Once he made his way home, Patrick became a priest, and later returned to Ireland to convert the pagan society to Christianity. During his ministry, he converted thousands, and tradition holds that he passed away on March 17th.
Why All the Shamrocks?
According to the historical tales, St. Patrick used clover, a three-leaf plant, to explain the concept of the Holy Trinity to the pagan Irish.
Saints and Parties?
Traditionally, the Feast of St. Patrick was the one day that the restrictions of Lent were lifted, and people could indulge in the things they had given up, including alcoholic beverages. It was a time to honor and celebrate the patron saint Patrick and remember what he did for the Irish people. Today, St. Patricks Day is used as a huge marketing holiday for many food and beverage (specifically beer) companies since the day is celebrated with large parties around the world. They take advantage of the concept of "abundance" and extravagance that has come to be associated with St. Patricks' day.
So, this St. Patrick's Day, go green on March 17th knowing exactly why you're wearing those sparkly shamrock glasses and enjoying a fun party with your friends. Are you feeling like you’re out of luck when it comes to advertising your business or building your brand online? It’s time to call Newton Peach Marketing! We are Polk County’s top choice for online and small business marketing. We personalize the process of building your brand, and tailor a plan to you, your budget, and your business. Call us!
Happy St. Patty's Day!
Kids in the Kitchen: Holiday Baking is Healthy for Your Family!
The holidays are here, and chances are, you've seen the stores putting out all the baking needs. Festive sprinkles, colored frostings, chocolate chips, and candies galore adorn the entryway displays, and people are stocking up for Christmas baking.
We have a question for you though; How often, when pulling out those ingredients each year, have you heard the words "Can I help?" asked excitedly by your children? It's no secret that the kitchen tends to draw little ones (and even older ones!) in, but it's also well-known that baking with kids can be messy and take a good deal longer than it would if you were just left to your own devices. After all...isn't it quieter and cleaner to work on your own while the kids watch a favorite Christmas movie?
Maybe. Well...probably.
However, this year, we encourage you to bring your kids into the kitchen! Why? Well, here are some reasons experts say baking together can be beneficial for you and your kids this holiday season (even if the ingredients aren't necessarily on the healthy side)...
Family Bonding. Cooking and baking together gives you a common goal to work toward, and then everyone can enjoy taking pride in the results! Instead of everyone being engrossed in phones, tablets, video games, or the television, you're all engaged together. Some great conversations can take place around the kitchen island!
Hands-On Learning. Cooking offers practical application of math skills through measuring, weighing, following directions (recipe reading) and even reading temperatures! It's a great way for young students to continue what they've learned in the classroom over holiday breaks. For older kids, it helps give hands-on practice with life skills. You won't always be there with them to make the Christmas cookies or Grandma's famous cake!
Passing down traditions. Speaking of Grandma's famous cake, many families have recipes that have been made during certain holidays for generations. Letting your children participate in creating these recipes, and allowing them to see slips of paper in loved ones' handwriting or recipes clipped from old magazines, , you are passing down a love of, and appreciation for, family history without even realizing it. Tradition is often passed through the family line on a plate!
Time to talk. How often are your children attempting to talk to you, or you to them, with a phone, work project, or household task taking part of your attention? Being in the kitchen offers an opportunity to shut out the world around you and just focus on spending time around the mixing bowl with your family.
Share the gift of giving! Baked goods are a great way to show someone you care! Teach your children about the joy that can come from working hard to make something for someone else. It's a wonderful way to incorporate a lesson in what Christmas is supposed to be about.
We hope this year you'll consider making family time in the kitchen a new tradition of your own if it isn't already. Don't consider yourself a "chef extraordinaire"? Don't worry! Your kids won't care if it's a from-scratch recipe, or a box of cookie mix and some pre-made frosting. The memories made together go FAR beyond the results that come out of the oven. While you’re busy making memories with the ones you love, we’ll be busy continuing to grow your business behind the scenes. Social media never sleeps, and making sure you are represented well online is a 24-hour job. Let us take the work of branding yourself off your plate! Call Newton Peach Marketing and let us help your business reach its full potential in 2023!
A SPOOKtacular Halloween by the Pool: Celebrating Halloween Looks a Little Different in Florida!
Holidays in Florida always seem to look a little different. Christmas? Sometimes we wear flip-flops and grill out. Thanksgiving? Seafood is a great alternative to turkey! We're used to doing things our own way here. Halloween is around the corner, and it's time to start thinking about how you'll be celebrating. We might not have Fall leaves or chilly air, but we DO have plenty of swimming pools! Did you know, there are lots of ways to make your pool area the hottest party spot in the neighborhood for a scary bash? The best part? You don't have to try very hard or spend much cash to make your pool "spook-tacular".
Here are our favorite ways to bring your pool into the festivities...
Floating Decor
There are SO many possibilities when it comes to items you can float in your pool for decorative purposes. If you want to go all out, carve pumpkins, and float them in your pool after dark with tea-lights flickering inside. Floating jack-o-lanterns take things to a whole new level! If you want something a little easier (and cheaper), opt for the plastic pumpkin buckets available at most stores around the Halloween holiday. Go with all orange for a traditional look, or mix it up and pick an array of colors.
For a spooky glowing effect, blow up balloons with glow sticks inside. Float them in your pool as "glowing orbs". Give it an extra dose of creepy and put glow sticks inside of inflated rubber gloves for glowing hands to disperse in your pool.
Send The Skeletons Floating!
Plastic skeletons are a classic Halloween decoration, but did you know you can kick up the scary fun (and possibly laughs) by taking your skeleton poolside? Pose plastic skeletons in patio lounge chairs with sunglasses, sun hats, drinks, etc. You can even prop one in or on a pool float and send it sailing in your pool. Guests will get a kick out of the newest "swimmer" at the party. The best part? These guests won't eat all the snacks!
Go Big
If you're willing to go farther (and deal with a little more pool cleanup) you can opt for these fun ideas to really impress your guests!
Pool dye won't stain at all, but with one dose you can have a pool full of red "blood", or green "swamp water". After 3 or 4 days, the dye gets filtered out of the system and you're once again left with sparkling blue water ready for swimming.
Fog machines or dry ice are another creepy pool effect that can really amp up the spooky vibe of your party. Place around the exterior edge of your pool and crank up the Halloween tunes, and you'll officially have the best party on your street.
Newton Peach Marketing LOVES the Florida life, and appreciate all the things the make it unique. That includes our local businesses! Are you a small business owner in the Central Florida area? We are so glad to have you as part of our area. Supporting local is a big deal, and our business is built on making sure brands just like yours get the exposure they need to grow and thrive. Are you overwhelmed with managing social media accounts, answering comments, reading reviews, and making sure you’re represented well across the internet? Let us take the load off your shoulders and let you focus on what’s important: keeping your business running well.
Happy Halloween from NPM!