Technology plus Vintage Art for a Merry Christmas 2022

Using Technology to Add Old-Fashioned Ambience – Merry Christmas 2022

Enhance the senses and sensations for a Merry Christmas, 2022 style.  Little can beat the aromas of a Christmas dinner cooking, or the tastes of Christmas cookies – including your favorites – shared during a holiday celebration with loved ones. Kids playing add to the visual and auditory delights.  The tactile senses earn high marks with a quotient of human warmth given long overdue hugs and handshakes.   Now we have a “tech” addition to the tastes and smells, the sights, sounds and touch of the holidays – YouTube.

If you’re one of the millions who “cut the cord” on cable and got a Roku or similar device, perhaps you’ll consider adding a playlist for holiday ambiance.  We have simple instructions to do so here.

First, add the YouTube channel to your Roku (or similar device).   Next, load up and go to the YouTube channel and Login using your Gmail account (*free* at https://www.gmail.com – you can also do this on your phone, possibly making it something of a TV remote in the process).

If you have a large computer monitor, or your computer is hooked up to your TV, you may be able to simply play whatever you’d like from your computer.

At YouTube, do a search for “Christmas Art” or “Vintage Christmas Scenes.”  For large monitors, computer or TV, you’ll want to select HD or 4K, etc., to get great looking pictures on your screen.  Choose one without sound (above) if you wish to play Christmas music separately.  Of course, you can do the same for videos with music by turning the sound down.  Some (below) are made to transition songs in time with the art.  The snow falling during each slide in the series is a great touch.

We hope this helps you enjoy a very Merry Christmas, 2022 style.

Regards,
Keith Klein
Keith Klein & the team at OnYourMark, LLC
Organizer, Wisconsin Business Owners

Thanks to our friends & clients, Paul Haut of WHaut.com and Mark Mullarky of GreatLakesTS.com who gave us the ideas for these holiday blog posts!

We welcome your comments, questions and suggestions.  Please contact us with questions.  Best to call, email or visit our site for the best response.  We do invite you to engage with us on social media (just not for immediate needs).

As always, if you like, you will find us on the following social media sites, among many others:

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NOTE:  Videos courtesy of their creators via YouTube (who cite open source artwork & music) and featured image courtesy of the submitter at Wikimedia.Org

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Thanksgiving Day Traditions

Happy Thanksgiving Day Traditions

Thanksgiving Day traditions vary widely, I’m sure.  In preparation for this holiday post, I looked up a lot of them.  While they included many great traditions, some of which we practice in our home, a couple of my favorites were missing.

First, the common traditions that we practice here are no doubt among the most common across the country. Macy’s Parade starts the day, very much as a background to the cooking and last-minute calls about who’s to bring what and when they’ll be here. It’s the ‘official’ start of Christmas movies and Christmas music playing virtually non-stop through the end of the year.  Pies and bread baking in the oven, along with a 14 to 20 pound bird and plenty of savory and sweet side dishes fill the house with mouth-watering aromas.  Gift exchanges are setup and our kids enjoy getting the names of their siblings in the secret Santa drawings.

Perhaps my favorite pastime – missing from the traditions I read about – is listening to the women in the kitchen.  Since the passing of my brother-in-law, Tom, many years ago – the family matriarchy presides over the kitchen absolutely.  Tom was perhaps the best conversationalist I’d ever known, and a great listener. Now it’s purely the women running the kitchen, from my wife and daughters to my wife’s sisters, (and formerly my mother-in-law before she passed) and they dominate the conversations about things that matter. The men are relegated to a mixing drinks, a steady stream of appetizers they can have now (vs. save that for the meal!), and to taking out the trash.  Conversations among the women range from the foods being prepared to dates for family camping in the coming year, to the progress of our adult children and our grandchildren in their pursuits and more. I enjoy the life they bring to the holiday, as well as the love and food they prepare for the table.  Of course, by this time, the guys are watching A Christmas Story or Miracle on 34th Street for the 211th time, and, of course, a football game.

The house is decorated for Thanksgiving, and the Christmas decorating begins in earnest on Thanksgiving weekend, if it hasn’t begun already.  Much like Christmas Eve, I enjoy the time after all the visitors have gone.  The time devoted to enjoying a glass of wine or a cocktail with my wife who evaluates what went well (or not), sharing some news that perhaps I hadn’t heard, and beginning plans for next year. That’s among the finest of traditions.

More Thanksgiving Day Traditions

Here are a few places to think explore more Thanksgiving Day Traditions to consider for your own family, along with a few comments.

I got a practical start to the research at a blog for International Boarding Schools, of all places.  The post, “Top 10 Thanksgiving traditions in the US” suggested this post was on the right track.

Oprah offers a nifty slide-show of 34 Unique Thanksgiving Traditions Your Family and Friends Will Adore   You may get a pop-up or two to start with, but I found the slide show easy to glide through, with nifty matching graphics and a few sentences bringing the ideas in each slide to life.

Country living shares the 30 Best Thanksgiving Traditions to Try With Your Family This Year on a single long page of “fun and unusual activities will keep the crew entertained.”

I could (maybe next Thanksgiving) do a post about Friendsgiving – a tradition I witnessed my own adult kids getting into perhaps a decade ago – and mentioned several times in the research, including the links above.  We enjoy having friends over on Thanksgiving, as well as family. I think the whole idea of Friendsgiving is a great one.  My wife has a great banner on her website, CindyCooks.com:  Treat Friends Like Family, and Family Like Friends.   The flip side of this research was learning that some traditions flat out don’t match up with what we learned about the origins of Thanksgiving, between the Pilgrims and Native Americans, in grade school. While many traditions are no doubt shared, if you Google “native american thanksgiving traditions” you may find links to “a day of mourning.”

When all is said and done, Thanksgiving to me is simply a day to celebrate our blessings and to give thanks…a shared day of celebration and thanks if you’re lucky.  Be lucky.  Happy Thanksgiving!

With all best wishes for you and yours to enjoy a Happy Thanksgiving!

Regards,

Keith Klein
Organizer, Wisconsin Business Owners
Founder & CEO, OnYourMark, LLC

We welcome your comments, questions and suggestions.  Please contact us with questions.  Best to call, email or visit our site for the best response.  We do invite you to engage with us on social media (just not for immediate needs).

As always, if you like, you will find us on the following social media sites, among many others:

Facebook
LinkedIn
Twitter

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Thanks to our friends at OnYourMark, LLC, for preparing this post so we could share the message, and our wishes for a Happy Thanksgiving, with you.

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Veterans Day 2022 – Thank you for your service!

Veterans Day 2022 – and every year – falls on November 11th. This is the day when you should absolutely thank a veteran. Memorial Day is to remember those who died serving. Veterans Day is for thanking those who are still with us.

This year our son, Sean “Sarge”, is a civilian. He and many like him, think they have done nothing noteworthy or deserving of recognition. I contend that the Armed Forces are huge machines, requiring large numbers of support personnel to be effective. Every cog in the machine serves a necessary function. Some are worthy of special honors. All are deserving of our recognition and worthy of our gratitude.

Milwaukee’s Veterans Day 2022 parade is Saturday the 5th at 11:00 AM.  My wife, Anne, and I went in 2018 and the weather was awful. Here’s a photo with snow on the grass. Attendance was sparse, which made me sad. We were thanked by MANY vets as they passed by. They were so appreciative of the few people who showed up.

This year looks like it will be windy and rainy, with temps in the upper fifties. The parade will go on, with some older participants riding in vehicles. Others will march through the rain and wind (which probably brings back memories). If you’re able, please dress for the weather and show up to thank our vets. They deserve it.

 

 

 

Support the Veterans Day 2022 Parade

Support for the Wisconsin Veterans Day 2022 Celebration comes from the generous support of our supporters and sponsors. All proceeds from the Wisconsin Veterans Day Parade cover costs associated with the parade planning, promotion, and execution, and remaining proceeds are donated to the Wisconsin Veterans Community Foundation, a 501(c)(3) charity dedicated to supporting service providers and community organizations addressing critical needs of Wisconsin veterans, service members, and their families. Sponsorship inquiries can be directed to info@wiveteranschamber.org.

Details for the Wisconsin Veterans Day 2022 parade are here at https://wiveteransday.org/wivetsparade

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Thanks to our friend and vendor, Mark Mullarky of Great Lakes Tech Services, LLC for posting this originally, and sharing it with us – to share with you.

We share his sentiments:  Happy Veterans Day!  Thank you for your service!

Regards,

Keith Klein
Organizer, Wisconsin Business Owners
Founder & CEO, OnYourMark, LLC

We welcome your comments, questions and suggestions.  Please contact us with questions.  Best to call, email or visit our site for the best response.  We do invite you to engage with us on social media (just not for immediate needs).  As always, if you like, you will find us on the following social media sites, among many others:
Facebook
LinkedIn
Twitter

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Long Live The Grand Experiment: Happy Independence Day 2022!

Long Live “The Grand Experiment!”  Happy Independence Day! Allow us to share original thoughts of some great Americans to celebrate the 4th of July, the anniversary of the American Experiment; The Grand Experiment. “No experiment can be more interesting than that we are now trying, and which we trust will end in establishing the fact, […]

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