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© John Norvell
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Category Archives: American holidays
Decoration Day then and now
70 years ago when I was young we celebrated “Decoration Day.” In those days the term Decoration Day was often used instead of the current term: Memorial Day. This older term has gone out of fashion now. It is a … Continue reading
Posted in American History, American holidays, Combat, NY, NY History, Veterans
Tagged American Civil War, Decoration Day, GAR
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Every year Santa came until 2015
Since 1971, Santa Claus has come to my house. That was the first year that a 12 inch-tall standup Christmas card of Santa, holding a pipe with a heart applique in the billowing smoke, arrived in the mail. It … Continue reading
Faded and cracked
They are all similar – old, cracked and sometimes faded; the newer ones in washed out color. There is a commonality to them that may not be readily apparent. They are photos of young American men and women in uniform. … Continue reading
My Mother and the Turkey — A Thanksgiving Fable
My mother wrote the following story many years ago: “When I was young, our neighbor came home with a parcel of turkeys and chickens. Since there wasn’t much traffic on our road, he let them run wild. This … Continue reading
Posted in American History, American holidays, Norvell Family History, NY, NY History, Thanksgiving
Tagged Fibber Magee, Thanksiving, Turkey
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Arlington
I have been to Arlington many, many times and it never fails to move me. The first time I visited this hallowed place was as a senior in high school. It is amazing to me all these years later the … Continue reading
Special Gifts
Did you ever get a really special Christmas ornament? Now this can be a good or bad question. For example, when our children were small they often made “special” ornaments in school. Like most parents we displayed them on the … Continue reading
John and Priscilla and Myles and Rose
John Alden and Priscilla Mullins Alden are my 8th great grandparents. Lets get this out of the way right at the start. Does this make any of me better than anybody else? Nope. So that said, I will share … Continue reading
Posted in American History, American holidays, Colonial History, Family History, Holidays, John Alden and Priscilla Mullins, Longfellow, Pilgrims, Plymouth, Thanksgiving
Tagged Courtship of Myles Standish, Famous John Alden Descendants, Longfellow, Pilgrims, Plymouth, Thanksgiving myths
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Punxsutaney Phil and me
Did you ever wonder where Phil lives? You have seen him on TV, I am sure, “living” in a fake tree stump, but you know that’s not where he really lives. Phil is probably the most famous ground hog in … Continue reading
A Norvell Family Christmas Vacation – or the holidays from h…
Chevy Chase as Clark Griswold in National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation: “Nobody’s walking out on this fun, old-fashioned family Christmas. No, no. We’re all in this together.” In 1989 my mother came to visit with us for 6 weeks (that’s 42 … Continue reading
The Strangest Thanksgiving Ever!
Everyone has a mental image of Thanksgiving that is right out of a Norman Rockwell painting: the family around the table, Dad carving the turkey, the children beautifully dressed and smiling. Well not all Thanksgivings are like that. I have … Continue reading
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