Category: Jim’s Corner

Written by our Founder and CEO, the Celebrations Pulse letters aim to engage with our community. By welcoming your ideas and sharing your stories, we want to help you strengthen your relationships with the most important people in your life.

Our lives have been transformed by the accelerating advances of digital technology. PCs, tablets, and smartphones – combined with innovations in software and networks – have revolutionized how we work and play, as well as how we connect with other people.

But something changes in the frenetic weeks around Hanukkah, Christmas, and New Year’s: We slow down. We spend less time in front of screens and more time socializing with people in person: attending services, singing carols, playing board games, and other activities that engage with the physical world.

The shift in focus from the digital to the analog is a feast for our senses. We see the twinkling lights on trees, menorahs, and buildings. We hear the bells, songs, and the ripping of wrapping paper. We touch the ornaments and gifts. We smell the burning candles and fresh-cut trees. And we taste food – lots of it!

All these sensorial activities thankfully stick in our memories and get repeated year after year.. We pass along our experiences to our children and grandchildren who share them with their families, creating new holiday rituals and traditions. The analog magic of the season persists even as technology changes the rest of the world.

Understanding the persistence of the analog world

To understand what’s happening, I spoke with David Sax, who has studied the role of analog in our digital world. Back in 2015, he wrote The Revenge of the Analog, which called out several counterintuitive trends like the renewed popularity of vinyl records, film photography, and physical stationery despite the endless availability of streaming services, online video, and e-journals.

Last year, he published another book, The Future Is Digital, which explored how the pandemic forced us to rely more on digital technology as in-person interactions were limited. The results, he wrote, were far from a digital utopia promised by some Silicon Valley visionaries.

David argues that our affinity for the physical world results from the fact that we have always lived in an analog world. We’re hard-wired not for the ones and zeroes of computers but rather for the spectrum of senses that is reality.

We humans are analog. We are flesh and blood creatures. We’re souls living on the spinning rock called Earth. And that will continue to be true, and I imagine, and I hope it will be, for thousands of years, if not longer.

He adds that there’s a limit to what digital can give us because of the confines of our screens, and that we still relate to the world and one another in a way that is deeper, richer, and more meaningful than anything that we can build with technology.

Analog and our well-being

The pandemic, according to David, showed the dangers of an exclusively digital existence.  As humans, we must engage our senses with tangible realities rather than limiting ourselves to screens. Cultivating in-person connections, as opposed to relying solely on virtual relationships, is essential.

He points to statistics that show as reliance on digital devices and connections has increased, so have problems with our physical and mental health. The pandemic – and its over-dependence on all things digital – worsened the loneliness epidemic, wrecked educational progress, and destroyed work-life balance.

But David is not a Luddite. Rather, he believes digital solutions can make our lives better if we figure out the right balance.

If we can engage in critical thinking around digital technology, then we’re going to have a better relationship with it at the end of the day, regardless of how it evolves, or what the next iteration of it is.

A Christmas lesson

The holiday experience supports David’s point about technology. Yes, our smartphones help us find gifts, schedule get-togethers, and connect with friends and family all over the globe. But the tech is just a means of enhancing the analog end.

The holidays are also a reminder that our lives succeed or fail based on our relationships with other people, not gadgets. As we experience more of the analog world in the weeks ahead, perhaps we can figure out a better mix of the digital and analog for the new year.

After all, we don’t build rituals around our phones or computers. We build them around each other. Taking in those moments and appreciating the world around us are priceless, and there’s no better time to live in an analog world than at this time of year.

All the best,
Jim

Written by our Founder and CEO, the Celebrations Pulse letters aim to engage with our community. By welcoming your ideas and sharing your stories, we want to help you strengthen your relationships with the most important people in your life.

December is the season of rituals, 31 days packed with cultural, religious, and family activities that brighten short days and create cherished memories. Whether you celebrate Hanukkah, Christmas, Kwanzaa, and don’t forget about New Year’s, rituals connect us to each other and to past and future generations.

My favorite – and one of the earliest I remember – is the annual visit to Santa Claus. As a boy growing up in Queens, New York, I recall my mom taking all my brothers and sisters to sit on Santa’s lap at a certain department store on 34th Street in Midtown Manhattan.

For me, as well as my siblings, the ritual instilled a sense of the magic of Christmas and resulted in photos that we still cherish today. The visits also reinforced good behavior through the year as we tried to avoid Jolly Old St. Nick’s naughty list.

Like all rituals, the visit to Santa carried multiple layers of meaning that revealed themselves as I grew older. Santa’s generosity and kindness (thank you for overlooking a few “naughty” incidents over the years!) served as an introduction to the power of giving to children everywhere.

The spirit of Santa

Aside from some milk, a few cookies, and good behavior, Santa shared his wealth of toys and candy without getting anything in return. The joy of giving – and lighting up children’s faces on Christmas morning – was his reward.

Certain facts about Santa have come to light as we grew older. But his giving nature stayed with us, and as parents and grandparents, we use our own experiences to deepen the traditions for our children and grandchildren.

The rituals involving Santa are for many of us the starting point of a lifetime of giving. We give to others as Santa gave to us – for the joy we receive and the emotions it evokes. And it expands beyond family to our friends, neighbors, co-workers, and even strangers.

A few weeks ago, I asked the community to share stories about what motivates them to give, whether over the holidays or the rest of the year. The response was humbling, and it made clear that there’s a little bit – or a lot – of Santa in all of us, regardless of faith.

Why our community gives

For Patti, letting people know how special they are to her and how grateful she is for them, is the way she lives her life. She also remembers that it’s OK to be a gift recipient because she realizes other people most likely enjoy giving as much as she does.

The thought that someone is just thinking about you is such a special feeling, particularly when you least expect it. I believe, as humans, we all want to be seen and cared about. Gift giving is one way to do that. Small or large, goofy or practical, or maybe even just a card with a special note, it’s the love and thoughtfulness of gifting that really enhances life.

As a child, Rebecca tried to always listen to her grandmother who gave, shared, and prayed for family members and friends who needed assistance. Rebecca’s grandma always taught her not to be selfish by giving and helping others.

As an adult, I’ve carried my grandma’s caring thoughts throughout my life and given back to the community, family, and friends. As a child, our family didn’t have a lot, but we were thankful for what we had. Every day, I’m blessed that I can give back and share my blessings with others like Grandma did.

Connie shared how she learned how to give as a child, when her generous father allowed her to gift a makeup set with a friend who lived in a less fortunate family. The friend took it among herself to share it with other friends and spread the joy of the present.

Today, Connie sends popcorn and cookie gifts to friends and co-workers.

Life is meant to be shared. For me, giving gifts is a celebration of the abundance and richness of life. I have a fulfilling career and lots of loving family, friends, and colleagues. It’s my belief that sharing and giving back is an essential response to all the blessings I’ve received.

As the stories from our community show, Giving is the Gift.

All the best,
Jim

Written by our Founder and CEO, the Celebrations Pulse letters aim to engage with our community. By welcoming your ideas and sharing your stories, we want to help you strengthen your relationships with the most important people in your life.

What’s the best month for a birthday? Surveys show that most people prefer June to any other time of year, and it’s easy to see why: The weather is warm, friends and family are looking for things to do, and there tend to be few conflicts with other occasions.

Fast-forward six months, and you’ll find the least favored birthday month. Not only is the weather generally cooler, but December’s birthdays are more likely to collide with friends’ and families’ holiday plans, encounter strained budgets – or be forgotten altogether.

The internet is full of snarky memes like “All I want for Christmas is for someone to remember my December birthday” and “Thanks for my Birthday/Christmas present … said no one ever.” But what you see on the internet isn’t always the whole story.

I asked my team to talk to the real experts – hundreds of our employees who happened to be born in December. Nearly everyone responded, very quickly; clearly, I touched on a hot topic, but I was surprised by the range of passionate responses.

The difficulties of December birthdays

One theme stood out in the responses: While every birthday is special, the timing of December birthdays is often a challenge. Hanukkah, Christmas, Kwanzaa, and New Year’s Eve are big holidays, and each often requires weeks of preparation and can drown out anything in their midst.

Having a birthday in December can come with disappointment. My birthday is Dec. 5, so folks are concentrating on Thanksgiving and then Christmas, so in between the birthdays get blurred.

Elaine, customer service manager at BloomNet

Others talked about how the holiday festivities made it difficult to round up friends to schedule birthday parties.

School was always out for the holiday break, so no one ever wrote ‘It’s Carolyn’s birthday’ on the chalkboard, like all the other kids got. Most of the other kids were on their way to visit relatives, or had relatives in town, so a birthday party was nearly impossible to set up.

Carolyn, senior accountant at Harry & David

And then there’s the dreaded “combo” present:

If my family or friends remembered, I got the famous Birthday/Christmas present, which virtually every December birthday knows about.

Toni, operations trainer at Harry & David

My younger self had imagined conspiratorial conversations occurring in smoke-filled rooms where parents and other family members would plot to only buy me 60% of my potential gifts in lieu of ‘making up for it’ on Christmas. Was this true? Maybe. Had I imagined it? Likely. But childhood toy-based greed notwithstanding, I never did without and always felt very loved.”

Anthony, customer experience manager at 1‑800‑Flowers.com

Making December birthdays special

Even those who had complaints about their December birthdays said there were positives, especially as they grew older. After all, a lot of employers pause work for a few days around the holidays, creating an opportunity to stretch out celebrations without requiring any vacation time. And New Year’s resolutions don’t take effect until Jan. 1!

But the biggest reasons for very special birthdays were the people around them.

My parents always made sure to make it special for me. My sister and I were born two days apart (and a few years) and we have so much fun with it. We have our birthday dinner with all of our families together. Christmas decorations are always up, so it’s so pretty in the house. I love it.

Meghan, customer service at Napco

The one downside to having a Christmas Eve birthday is that I rarely get to see my friends since it’s usually more of a family day, but my friends in adulthood have all been really wonderful in still making me feel special when we celebrate before or after, even if we can’t be together on my birthday itself.

Shannon, copywriter at Harry & David

As to all those aunts and cousins who handed me a holiday-wrapped gift saying, ‘Merry Christmas and Happy Birthday,’ it meant I was there with them; I would not have seen them if my birthday was any other time of year, and they did not send gifts when other siblings’ birthdays rolled around.

Jane, merchandise manager for fruit at Harry & David

Brenda, who oversees research and development at our Food Group brands, was born on Dec. 25. She loved how her parents made a big deal of both events and ensured that she and her siblings received the same number of birthday and Christmas gifts. The lesson has come in handy later in life:

My son’s birthday is Dec. 21, and I know firsthand how hard it was for my parents to maintain the birthday celebrations and the holidays at the same time. I appreciate everything they did as we were growing up.

What you can do

December babies have no choice when it comes to their birthdays, but we – their families, loved ones, and friends – do. We all have the power to make sure their special day isn’t lost or forgotten amid the hustle and bustle of the holidays.

If someone you know is celebrating a birthday this month, make it a point to reach out and ask about their plans. Let them know you’re not forgetting and, most importantly, you won’t be sending a combo “birthmas” gift (unless, of course, it’s really, really fabulous).

All the best,

Jim

Written by our Founder and CEO, the Celebrations Pulse letters aim to engage with our community. By welcoming your ideas and sharing your stories, we want to help you strengthen your relationships with the most important people in your life.

I hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving weekend full of friends and family, delicious food, and enriching rituals.

The funny thing about Thanksgiving is that its spirit never seems to fade even on the last day of the long weekend. Instead, it just morphs into the holiday season, where rituals, gratitude, and great food continue to abound. Perhaps this past week was just a trial run for all the celebrations ahead of us.

I was reminded of this while reading the Thanksgiving rituals shared by our community. In story after story, you wrote about activities that bring people together and deepen the celebration of gratitude. More than a few look ahead to the December holidays that are just a few weeks away.

I hope you find these stories as inspiring as I do.

Giving thanks all season long

At Kathy’s house, Thanksgiving is only the beginning of a multi-week celebration. She shared two special days with us: Soup Day and Fondue Night.

Soup Day takes place Thanksgiving weekend. Whoever cooked the turkeys for the big feast is responsible for making the soup out of the leftovers. Others then use an old family recipe to bake bread. After dinner, everyone sits down in the living room to look at Kathy’s photo albums – all 35 of them!

I have pictures going back from the late 1800s and the turn of the 20th century – all the way to today (or a few years ago, when I was still shooting film). Nobody seems to get tired of it, and we get to tell funny remembrances triggered by the photos.

Another tradition takes place at the end of the holidays. On New Year’s Eve, she celebrates Fondue Night – a tradition that started more than 60 years ago “mostly to keep folks off the streets.”

We can have as little as six folks or as many as 40, it doesn’t matter. We have cheese fondue, steak fondue, shrimp fondue, and chocolate fondue, with platters laden with stuff to dip in, and sauces for the plates. Little children under 5 have to sit on an adult’s lap to learn how to manage a fondue fork (no fork fights allowed!). We are five generations in now and I hope it will continue when I am gone.

Expanding the Thanksgiving table and other rituals

Last week, I wrote about how a relatively new McCann family tradition – Papa’s Turkey Tacos – has evolved in recent years. After we moved it from Thanksgiving to the following Sunday, we started inviting neighbors and friends to the backyard festivity.

Susan, a community member, shared how the inclusion of more people is a highlight of the holiday:

I’m grateful for how every year brings a new member of our family, and I love seeing everyone around the table.

Many people shared that their biggest Thanksgiving tradition is kicking off the holiday season. Lindsay wrote about how she gets everyone moving and burning off calories after the Thanksgiving feast:

Once everybody eats, we pull out all the Christmas stuff, and every year we try to do a little bit of a different theme. Our favorite Thanksgiving activity is to decorate the Christmas tree.

And, lastly, we heard from Ann, whose growing family has developed some very competitive rituals thanks to her two grown sons. She tells me they’re 20 months apart, the best of friends, and brutally competitive. During COVID, they invented the Dirty Pot Turkey Trot, a run to the end of a long field and back that everyone heads outside to watch the moment the Thanksgiving meal is over. Ann shares:

The fact that their meals have not even begun to digest is half the point. The loser is responsible for the kitchen cleanup and dishes. Needless to say, we all do pitch in and help, but the Dirty Pot Turkey Trot is now a much anticipated tradition that brings howls of laughter the year through. (Did I mention that neither of them are above cheating, throwing elbows, and foot swipes to win the race?)

Happy Thanksgiving to everyone in our community!

Jim

Written by our Founder and CEO, the Celebrations Pulse letters aim to engage with our community. By welcoming your ideas and sharing your stories, we want to help you strengthen your relationships with the most important people in your life.

If you’re like my family, on Thursday you’ll be enjoying turkey, stuffing, lots of side dishes, and too many desserts all wrapped up in a large serving of Thanksgiving rituals. Those activities – repeated year after year – are what make the holiday feast different from just another family dinner. They help build anticipation for the event and ultimately become the foundation of our memories.

The most fascinating part of rituals is how they evolve. Each year, we gather in anticipation of something familiar but keep layering on new activities and meanings. The rituals are grounded in the present, look to the future, and are rooted in traditions across generations.

Years ago, my sister Julie started one of my favorite rituals. As the dinner host, she required everyone to share one thing they’re grateful for before diving into the feast. Over the years, the answers have shifted from jokes and “no comment” to stories that trigger tears and deep reflection. It’s a great way to catch up with everyone at the table.

A more recent McCann family ritual is Papa’s Turkey Tacos. It started during the pandemic when we celebrated Thanksgiving in the backyard, and I got a bit creative. The tacos were a hit with the grandkids, and they started looking forward to them as soon as the leaves began falling.

But even this new ritual has changed over the years. After ruining a few appetites on Thanksgiving Day, we moved the taco celebration to the Sunday after Thanksgiving. The change gave us something to do with leftovers – and more importantly, extend the holiday celebration with family and open it to neighbors and friends.

Extending your Thanksgiving rituals

At a time when loneliness has reached epidemic proportions, we should be thinking about our rituals and how we can invite others to join in. I was reminded of this by Jay, a community member who shared a Thanksgiving memory:

I happened to be all alone on Thanksgiving five years ago, and a friend of mine sent out a blast text that said, ‘Happy Thanksgiving.’ I responded with a nice note, and she wrote back and asked what I was doing. When I said ‘nothing,’ she invited me to her home, and so I went. There were 14 women, and me. When I walked in, I almost died, but everyone could not have been nicer. It ended up being one of the most memorable Thanksgivings I’ve ever experienced.

Jay’s story serves as a reminder that not everyone has a place to go on Thanksgiving. In fact, it can be one of the loneliest holidays for people who are far from their families or have lost their relatives, among other reasons. That’s why it’s important to use your power, like Jay’s friend, and reach out to friends. If someone has no plans, consider extending your table – and rituals.

Even if you can’t extend an invitation to dinner, think about other ways you can broaden your holiday rituals. If you decorate your home, why not do it along with a neighbor? Or if you partake in post-Thanksgiving celebrations or donate leftovers, why not invite a co-worker or friend to join you?

Psychologists point out that rituals are profoundly important to our lives. They weave together our culture, identity, and shared experiences, providing a structure for us to express emotions. They also create a sense of community – whether it’s just the extended family or the whole society. Very importantly, rituals foster a sense of belonging to something bigger than ourselves.

Have a wonderful Thanksgiving!

Jim

Written by our Founder and CEO, the Celebrations Pulse letters aim to engage with our community. By welcoming your ideas and sharing your stories, we want to help you strengthen your relationships with the most important people in your life.

As Veterans Day approaches, I’ve been thinking about my father-in-law who served in World War II. Bill Irwin Moore navigated a B-29 Superfortress for three years in the Pacific Theater before returning to civilian life in Pennsylvania and becoming a great dad to my wife, Marylou. But Irk – as he was known to family and friends – rarely talked about his military experience.

That changed late in his life when my oldest son, James, started asking him questions about the war. A grandchild’s curiosity helped him process his experiences, and the two talked often about his role in the Army Air Corps at this critical time of our nation’s history.

Irk, who became an engineer after leaving the service, lived long enough to be an early adopter of the internet, which he used to stay in touch with the men who flew with him on all those missions decades ago.

But I wish he could have met and shared stories with all my seven grandchildren. They could have heard first-hand about his sacrifices and those of the entire nation as it came together to defeat evil. Yet, I’m glad James asked the questions and collected the stories he’s now sharing with his siblings, children, and nieces and nephews.

Veterans Day (Saturday, Nov. 11), originally established in 1938 as Armistice Day to commemorate the end of World War I, is now a way for us to honor and express gratitude to all the men and women who served in our armed forces. It’s a time to thank vets for their service with parades and other ceremonies.

Most importantly, Veterans Day is an opportunity to ask questions of those who are still living and remember – and pass along – the stories of those who are no longer with us.

Talking to veterans

Like my father-in-law, many service members are reluctant to talk about their experiences once they return to civilian life. Sometimes the memories are too difficult, and veterans want to shield their families from the pain they experienced. They also might fear the reaction. My father-in-law, for instance, told James about very tough and challenging situations during the war.

As heavy as the stories might be, they contain important lessons about the power of sacrifice, camaraderie, and national unity during a difficult time. On Veterans Day – or any day of the year – you should not only thank those who served but also ask about their experiences and feelings during their service.

When asking questions, it’s important to be respectful and mindful of potential sensitivities, and ready to listen without judgment. Many veterans have deeply personal and emotional stories that they may choose to share.

Honoring veterans who have passed on

I recently had the pleasure of speaking with Karen Worcester about how she and her husband, Morrill, honor fallen veterans by keeping their names and stories alive. They started doing so over 30 years ago when their wreath company had a surplus from the holidays. They decided to place them on graves at Arlington National Cemetery.

This act of kindness grew over the years, and now thousands of volunteers work every December to place more than 3 million wreaths on veterans’ graves in cemeteries across the country with the help of the Worcesters’ organization, Wreaths Across America.

Very importantly, about a third of the participants are children, and Wreaths Across America turns the event into a teachable moment. As Karen said:

“It goes beyond just placing the wreaths on the graves. The volunteers are there in-person, placing a wreath and saying the name of the veteran out loud. It teaches the kids that this is something besides the stone.”

Karen told me how it is so important for us to teach the next generation about the fragility of freedom through the stories of veterans who have given so much.

A new family tradition

On Dec. 16, all my children and grandchildren will be participating in Wreaths Across America. The night before, we’ll gather and ask James to share the stories he heard from Grandpa Irk about his experiences during the war. Then we will visit Calverton National Cemetery on Long Island and lay a wreath on his grave.

It’s not only a wonderful opportunity for us to get together to share stories, but also learn a civics lesson on what distinguishes us from other countries.

If you have a family member or friend who served in the military, be sure to reach out to thank them on Veterans Day next Saturday. Let them know how grateful you are for all they have done. But also ask them questions about their experiences and what they learned while serving. You’ll learn a lot too.

All the best,

Jim

Written by our Founder and CEO, the Celebrations Pulse letters aim to engage with our community. By welcoming your ideas and sharing your stories, we want to help you strengthen your relationships with the most important people in your life.

Happy Halloween! The actual day isn’t until Tuesday, but I suspect many of you have been celebrating the season of spookiness for weeks now. As I wrote in last week’s Celebrations Pulse, the holiday has greatly changed since my days of trick-or-treating in Queens, New York.

These days, Halloween is much more than an evening of knocking on neighbors’ doors and collecting candy. It’s about whole communities coming together to deck the porches with coordinated cobwebs, graveyards, and skeletons. It’s about entire downtowns opening their doors to trick-or-treaters. And it’s about people connecting and strengthening their relationships.

Above all, Halloween is – and has always been – about creating memories that become the stories you share with your children and grandchildren. That was clear in the dozens of stories you shared with me over the past couple of weeks.

I’d like to share some of the stories from the community. I hope you find these as enjoyable and inspiring as I do.

Trek for treat

Kitty, a community member from Florida, shared a tale that read like a classic Halloween ghost story. A fan of the holiday for as long as she remembers, she recounted a particularly harrowing time when she and her friends ventured into a new neighborhood to trick-or-treat.

The first house was an old Victorian, where they went all out with their decorating. They had tombstones in a graveyard, skeletons, and cobwebs. They played scary music as well!

When we finally got the courage to ring the doorbell, a very nice man dressed as Lurch from The Addams Family came to the door. As he attempted to project a low-volume Lurch grumble, he reached into a hinged ‘Thing Box,’ and pulled out full-size candy bars for each of us!

After Kitty and her friends ignored Lurch’s warnings to go home, they rode their bikes to the next house. It was tiny and in disrepair, with only one lit pumpkin on the porch. The doorbell went unanswered, so they turned around to go home.

We had not even gotten to the driveway when all of a sudden, a group of scary-looking characters came out from around the house grunting and howling at us. We ran like we were running the 100-yard dash down that dark road, screaming ‘HELP!’ with every step!

Eventually, Lurch appeared in the street, and everyone had a good laugh. It turned out that the two houses were owned by the same family of farmers, and they had coordinated the entire thing.

The incident didn’t scare Kitty out of loving Halloween. In fact, she passed her passion on to her daughter, who insisted on buying a home in a “Halloween friendly” neighborhood. “It is a boo-ti-ful thing to behold!” Kitty says.

More memorable Halloween stories – and birthdays

Cheri wrote about how she grew up in a small subdivision and how trick-or-treating helped them connect with neighbors. When she and her husband moved to their own house in a rural area, they continued the tradition even though the homes were an acre apart. She also passed her love of Halloween to her daughter.

When my oldest daughter grew up and moved away, her own home became the best decorated in the neighborhood. All our family gathers at her house for big Halloween parties. We love that she carried on the excitement of Halloween.

When I can’t get there in time to help prepare, I order Cheryl’s Cookies to add to the table. My other daughter orders Cheryl’s Halloween cookies and takes them into the office, which makes her coworkers very happy.

A few members of our community wrote to us about how they also celebrate their birthdays on Oct. 31. Ramona writes:

“I pretty much always celebrate Halloween the same way, with a birthday celebration! One of the first people I met in college was my friend Janis. We met on pledge night at our sorority and discovered that we shared the same Halloween birthday.

“Forty-four years later, and there is no one I would rather share my birthday and Halloween with than my sorority sister, tennis partner, neighbor, and lifelong best friend, Janis.”

Another community member, Linda, also celebrates her birthday on Oct. 31. This year, it’s even more special as Linda’s turning 80!

I am having a party for mostly family and a few good friends with a Halloween theme. This will be a three-day event with lots of decorations, Halloween food, and games. I am excited to see everyone, especially those coming from out of town. Of course, I will be ordering treats from Harry & David to help celebrate since turning 80 calls for a big celebration!

A Halloween legacy

Another Linda in our community recalled how she and her friends won first prize at their middle school costume contest in 1979. They dressed as characters from the TV show The Munsters, and Linda was Lily with long black hair and a strip of cotton for the character’s iconic white streak.

But Halloween didn’t come alive for her until she met her husband, Jon. Linda recounted how they lived near Anoka, Minnesota, the Halloween capital of the world. “There was no shortage of events and activities to share with my beloved Halloween partner,” Linda writes.

Today, she relishes the memories.

I no longer need that white cotton in my hair to look like Lily, since it has its own white streaks. And Jon is gone now. I miss him so much. This year, I have a new great-niece in Virginia, and I sent her first Halloween gifts.

I also wrote her stories about her great uncle she will never meet. I told her about his carved pumpkin masterpieces and how he bravely walked through the scariest haunted houses, with his arms folded across his chest, and me cowering behind his broad shoulders.

Thank you, Linda, for sharing such special stories with your great-niece – and with our community.

May this year bring you all your favorite treats, lots of warm smiles with your family and friends, and plenty of new memories to share.

All the best,

Jim

Written by our Founder and CEO, the Celebrations Pulse letters aim to engage with our community. By welcoming your ideas and sharing your stories, we want to help you strengthen your relationships with the most important people in your life.

Halloween was always fun growing up, but back then, the holiday had a different vibe. We carved pumpkins, of course, and carefully placed them on our porch. Then we’d borrow some sheets and whatever else we could find around the house to become ghosts, goblins, mummies, and more.

Then, for a few hours on Oct. 31, crowds of costumed kids roamed the streets of my Queens, New York, neighborhood, trick-or-treating for a mix of apples, candy, and homemade treats. Afterward, we traded with friends and gorged on the haul in our pillowcases. By the next day, it was over (except for the occasional bellyache).

Halloween feels like a much bigger affair today. Entire neighborhoods work for weeks to festoon yards, not only with expertly carved jack-o’-lanterns, but also well-dressed and positioned skeletons, customized tombstones, and massive inflatable monsters. Towns have parades and costume competitions. Downtown shops open their doors to trick-or-treaters. Police even close streets due to the sheer number of people walking around at night.

Halloween is not just for kids anymore, either – it’s become an occasion for people of all ages.

As a parent and grandparent, I can’t wait to hear about the increasingly elaborate costumes, office parties, and decoration plans. At least for my circle of family and friends, it seems the planning starts earlier and earlier each year.

Embracing Halloween rituals

The rituals of Halloween may have grown more elaborate over the years, but at its heart, the occasion remains an opportunity to connect with other people before the weather turns and attention shifts to the cozy, family-focused holidays of Thanksgiving, Hanukkah, and Christmas.

Now, Halloween is a community-wide event that requires friends, neighbors, block associations, and strangers to work together on a common goal of outdoing last year’s festivities. The result is more and bigger jack-o’-lanterns, fancier displays, and, yes, even stronger relationships.

For anyone who still thinks Halloween is just for kids, give it a try and roll with it! Join the fun by wearing a pirate hat at the office or decorating your cubicle with cobwebs and pumpkins. Or challenge your neighbor to a porch-decorating contest. Others around you will have fun – and I promise you’ll enjoy it too.

A Halloween trendsetter

Over the summer, our team started looking for an individual who epitomized the spirit of Halloween, especially how it helps build relationships. We searched for someone who obsessed over every detail, including home décor, entertaining, costumes for adults and children, neighborhood decorations, and community events.

We found Liz Henderson, an Amazing Mom and lifestyle expert who was already planning for Halloween in August! She was already picking the costumes for her three children, ages 20 months to seven years. She was also planning to move into a new home this fall in northern Indiana, so she and her husband, Mike, planned to use Halloween as a networking opportunity.

Our family enjoys Halloween because it’s a great time to get to know our neighbors! We love seeing kids in cute costumes, handing out treats, and making the day fun for everyone.”

Like me, Liz has fond memories of Halloween growing up. She shared that her most memorable Oct. 31 took place when she turned 13 and her mom allowed her to host her first Halloween party. She planned a costume contest, s’mores around a bonfire, and games. “It was also the first night I wore a LOT of makeup – and I’m sure that was quite the frightening scene in and of itself!” she says.

How has Halloween changed for you?

I’d love to hear your Halloween stories about how it’s changed since you were young. How is your family and your community celebrating Halloween this year? We’ll pick a few to share in a special Halloween Celebrations Pulse next week. Send me an email today!

A lot has changed since I used to trick-or-treat with nothing but a sheet and a sack. Yes, the holiday has gone from modest and simple to a bit more commercial, but so what?! It is an opportunity for the old and young alike to have some fun and get to know each other better.

All the best,

Jim

Our favorite Halloween Treats

My assistant, Patty, is a legend around our office for her incredible administrative skills – and the stories she brings back to the office the day after Halloween.

For years, she’s been ordering a box of 100 Cheryl’s cookies, which are individually sealed and perfect for dropping into the plastic pumpkins and cauldrons of her neighborhood’s trick-or-treaters. She told me last year that the kids (and their parents) are now regularly returning to her door for seconds and thirds!

Vote for your favorites

Pick yours from the list below. In Patty’s honor, we’ll randomly select one entry and send a box of 100 cookies to surprise and delight the ghouls and goblins who show up on your porch on Oct. 31. Be sure to be quick. Voting closes at 5 p.m. EDT on Tuesday, Oct. 24.

• Chocolate Bars
• Gummy Worms
• Cookies
• Candy Corn
• Peanut Butter Cups
• Lollipops

Email your vote to celebrationspulse@1800flowers.com.