I’ve always been fascinated by claddagh rings. I’ve seen them all over jewelry stores and a friend of mine from high school had one. So I decided to do a little research and let everyone, who didn’t already know, what it’s true meaning is!

This traditional Irish ring is a symbol of love, friendship and loyalty. It originated in the Irish fishing village of Claddagh, located just outside the walls of Galway. The designs of the ring give you its meaning: the heart symbolizes love, the hands represent friendship and the crown signifies loyalty.

Depending on how the claddagh ring is worn on the hand usually tells the wearer’s romantic availability, or lack thereof. When worn on the right hand with the heart facing out, the person is still searching for love. When worn on the right hand with the heart facing in, he or she is in a relationship or ‘someone has captured their heart’. When the claddagh ring is worn on the left hand ring finger, facing outward, it indicates the wearer is engaged, and when the ring is worn on the left hand, facing in, it generally means the person is married.

The claddagh ring is recognized worldwide and many people of Irish and non-Irish descent wear it. It is used as both a cultural symbol and as an engagement/wedding ring. What I found amazing was that there are many legends of how this ring came about, including gifts from the heavens for doing charity work and unforgettable love. However it came to be, this ring is truly valuable to the Irish culture and indeed signifies the cherished qualities of love: heart, friendship and loyalty.

Source: thecharmingtouch.com

Are you looking to add a little spring to your apartment? Bringing the outside in is a perfect way to welcome the glorious weather and of course, Easter! So to help add festive decor to your home, here are 5 tips:

Flowers
The essence of spring is that plants/flowers start to bloom. Having the outside brought inside would have to include them, don’t you think? Typical buds for this time of year would be tulips and daffodils. So whether it’s a potted plant or a vase full of beautifully arranged flowers, definitely include them in your homes decor. They’ll instantly add a little bit of brightness to your space!

Baskets/Eggs
The essential Easter gift for all ages is a basket full of goodies! So use them when decorating your home this Easter. You can have baskets in various sizes and colors, filled with eggs or chocolates. Use ribbon to spruce them up and give them a more festive look. And if you get ones that are universal, they can have multiple uses throughout the rest of the year!

Peter Rabbit
Yes having the symbol of Easter-rabbits-in your home would be a perfect way to decorate for the holiday and spring. You can have sculptures, statues, stuffed animals, pillows, etc. A rabbit would go perfectly with the basket and eggs mentioned earlier!

Centerpieces
I’m not sure what your family’s traditions are for this holiday, but my family always sits down for a nice meal. We take time to enjoy each other’s company and have a wonderful dinner. And the center of every meal, besides obviously the food, would be the centerpiece. Having a nicely decorated centerpiece would be a great conversation starter or just “icing on the cake” for your well-prepared meal. Obviously reusing the above tips would be useful here; rabbits, flowers, baskets, eggs, ribbons, etc. would all be appropriate for your dinner table.

Wreaths
Finally, while we’re bringing the outdoors in, it might still be nice to have a little decoration on the outside of your home. Putting a nice wreath on your front door would let your neighbors or passersby know that you’re excited about the holiday and spring time! Your wreath can be something simple and handmade, or it can be store bought! Either way, you already know what ideas to stick to!  For ideas on creating your own wreath this Easter, check out our blog Cheap and Easy ways to Add Holiday Spirit to Your Apartment blog.

Most of these tips are pretty easy to do during this time of year. And a lot are reusable for each year, which will make them inexpensive too! I hope you found these helpful. Let us know if you have anymore ideas! We’d love to hear them!!

St. Patrick’s Day Celebrations

In the United States there are many festivities to celebrate Saint Patrick’s Day. It goes back to the first celebration in Boston, Massachusetts in 1737 where the first Saint Patrick’s Day Parade took place on March 17th.

From the major cities like Boston or New York to your home town. Here is a brief list of some major festivals, parades and events happening in the U.S. Feel free to add your city’s celebrations to our list!

Savannah, Georgia
Savannah’s Saint Patrick’s Day parade usually takes place on March 17th, regardless if it’s during the work week. However for 2008, the parade will take place on Friday, March 14th to honor Holy week in the Catholic faith. The parade route changes each year but usually travels through Savannah’s Historic Park District and Bay Street. In additional to the parade, Savannah’s Waterfront Association has an annual celebration on Historic River Street which mimics Mardi Gras on Bourbon Street.

New York City, New York
According to Wikipedia, the New York parade has become the largest St. Patrick’s Day parade in the world with more than 150,000 marchers and close to 2 million spectators on the street! The parade marches up 5th Avenue in Manhattan and ends by the U.S. 69th Infantry Regiment.

Seattle, Washington
A unique fact I did not know is that Seattle and Galway, Ireland are sister cities given that Seattle has many Irish residents! The annual Irish Week Festival is enormous and includes activities such as Irish step dancing, food, historical and modern exhibitions and Gaelic lessons. It starts on March 14th and goes through the 17th.

Chicago, Illinois
The dyeing of the Chicago River has been a tradition for over 40 years. While many cities have tried to mimic it, none can get as true of a St. Patrick’s color as Chicago’s river can. This year the dyeing is to take place on March 15th. Chicago also has a St. Patrick’s Day parade that takes place on the same day.

San Francisco, California
On March 15th, San Francisco will have the 156th anniversary of its Saint Patrick’s Day parade. At the end of the race there will be a family festival with games, music and various other ‘green’ activities!

If you enjoy celebrating St. Patrick’s Day, there are many options to choose from! Regardless of where you are, cheers to you having a great time!

Source: Wikipedia.com

I know many people view Easter as a child’s holiday and don’t see much of a point besides giving Easter baskets with candy in them. Although Easter has become commercialized, the actually holiday & its celebrations have some historical accuracies to it!

Easter was originally a pagan festival. It was celebrated by the ancient Saxons to commemorate their goddess of offspring and of springtime, Eastre. However, when Christian missionaries met the tribes of the north they were determined to convert them to Christianity. One of the ways they decided to spread their religious beliefs on the pagans was by allowing them to continue their feasts but in a Christian manner. Just so happens that the festival of Eastre is at the same time of year as the Resurrection of Christ, therefore the two holidays were joined and eventually changed to Easter.

The symbols of modern day Easter are the bunny and eggs. The actual Easter bunny originated with the pagan festival of Eastre. The goddess, Eastre, was worshipped by the Anglo-Saxons through her earthly symbol, the rabbit. And the Easter egg comes from the earliest times when the egg was a symbol of rebirth. Hence it’s association with the Resurrection of Christ.

Easter, like many other holidays, has become increasingly commercialized, it has significant meaning and should be celebrated. If you have kids, make sure they realize the importance of this holiday, besides the yummy treats the Easter bunny brings!!

Source: wilstar.com

With St. Patrick’s Day approaching the theme of merchandise available in stores will be shamrocks. And when you see one this holiday season, you’re going to know why it’s the symbol for this holiday and what it means to the Irish people.

The shamrock is a symbol of Ireland and is also a registered trademark of the Republic of Ireland. Its shape is a three-leaf old white clover which is frequently used as a name and symbol for Irish pubs throughout the world. Many (especially those of non-Irish origin) confuse the four leaf clover with the Shamrock.  While the four leaf clover is a symbol of good luck, the three leaf shamrock is mainly an Irish Christian symbol of the Holy Trinity and has a much greater significance.  The Holly Trinity is taught by Christians to represent the “three persons in one God”, the Father, Son and the Holly Spirit.  Traditionally the shamrock was used for it’s medical properties as well as being a popular motif in Victorian times, but today it is commonly associated to represent St. Patrick’s Day in decorations, face paintings, signs, etc.

When you’re thinking of images to decorate your Saint Patrick’s Day party this year, definitely use the shamrock. Not only for good luck but also for it’s meaning & representation to the Irish.

Source: wikipedia.com

We all know to wear green on St. Patty’s day or else you’ll get pinched! But do you know who the day actually celebrates? Do you know who Saint Patrick was and why he is remembered? If you’re like me and don’t know or simply want to read more on Irish culture, read on!

The holiday to commemorate St. Patrick takes place on March 17^th, the date on which Patrick is said to have died. He was taken into slavery by Irish Raiders and escaped after six years of captivity. Guided by visions from God, Patrick began religious training and returned to Ireland after his ordination to be a priest. Saint Patrick was known for bringing Christianity to Ireland so the Irish had a feast to honor him and from there the holiday has emerged. To many Irishmen this holiday is a religious one to memorialize St. Patrick and to others it is a day to celebrate their heritage and all things Irish. Originally March 17^th was a holiday in Ireland where all pubs were required to close, however in 1995 the Irish government decided that this would be a good day for tourism and a way to showcase Ireland to the rest of the world. Today, especially in North America, there are many celebrations all over the world such as parades & festival, wearing green, eating Irish food and/or green foods and drinking is how’s it’s celebrated. The symbols of this holiday are usually leprechauns and shamrocks.

So this St. Patrick’s Day when you put on your green clothing and shamrock head bands, remember Saint Patrick and all he had done for Ireland.

“May good luck be your friend in whatever you do and

may trouble be always a stranger to you.”

-Irish Blessing

Source: History Channel

How much to you know about the United States’ first President? Did you know that there is actually no proof that he chopped down his father’s cherry tree with a little hatchet? And that contrary to popular belief, while he had several set of teeth made none of the sets were made from wood? There were actually comprised of hippopotamus and elephant ivory. To learn more about this honorable man read on!

George Washington, born in 1732 in present day Colonial Beach, Virginia, was the first President of the United States from 1789-1797. George Washington and Martha Custis married on January 6th,1750 just three weeks after they first met, at her home known as The White House. In 1775 Washington was chosen to be the commander-in-chief of the American revolutionary forces. As a result of his strategy, revolutionary forces captured the two main British combat armies — Saratoga & Yorktown - a big victory in the Revolutionary war. In the late 1780s, Washington presided over the Philadelphia Convention that drafted the United States Constitution. Washington became President of the United States in 1789 and established many of the customs and practices of the new government’s executive department. He supported plans to build a strong central government by funding the national debt, implementing an effective tax system, and creating a national bank.
Washington is a powerful symbol to the United States and he has consistently been ranked by scholars as one of the greatest U.S. Presidents. Henry Lee, a Revolutionary War comrade and father of the Civil War general Robert E. Lee, said of Washington in his funeral oration that of all Americans, he (Washington) was “first in war, first in peace, and first in the hearts of his countrymen.” Lee’s words set the standard by which Washington’s distinguished reputation was imprinted upon the American memory.

Today we remember a great man. Happy Birthday President Washington!

Source: wikipedia.org

Christmas time brings a treasured tradition for me-Gift Wrapping. I just love to gift wrap presents (for Christmas as well as other holidays). But during the Christmas season is when I really get to strut my creativity.

In my house, I’m the gift wrapper. I even wrap my own gifts from other family members (taped securely of course). Something about taking a plain box and wrapping it in holiday colors/themes, adding some decorative elements and putting it under the Christmas tree gives me such joy! So I wanted to give all you last minute wrappers a game plan as there are only a few more days till Christmas!!

Okay, so in order for you to wrap the most amount of gifts in a little amount of time you need to set up a gift wrapping station. Here’s what your station needs to have:

Wrapping paper

Now while I love to wrap gifts, I still have a budget so I rarely spend a whole bunch. I usually buy gift wrap at the Dollar Store or Target where I get great deals. Now for paper you have a variety of colors you can choose from. You could pick whatever colors your décor is, specific symbol or theme of Christmas you love (i.e. Santa or Snowmen), or choose metallic wrapping paper that are colors of the season. (Bonus: if you get plain red wrapping paper it can double as your Valentine’s Day wrapping paper too!)

Gift Bags

Plain, colored, with or without handles, gift bags are terrific for giving presents that don’t have to be in a box or that have multiple items. I usually purchase these at the Dollar Store as well because I am able to get two for a dollar (which if you go to many other retail shops they can be up to $3.99!) Plus, with a little bit of ribbon, you can dress up any bag to be festive! (Which brings me to the next items at your wrapping station….)

Ribbon

I usually use curling ribbon for my gifts because they are inexpensive and I can create a unique touch by using a variety of colors and curling the ends. But there are many other ribbons you can use to decorate the gifts you are wrapping, such as: Wired ribbon, silk ribbons and more! Whatever you like best, make sure you have a lot of on your station so you can add a little embellishment to your gifts.

Tissue Paper

When lining gift boxes or bags, cushioning delicate items or for actual wrapping paper, colorful tissue paper will add some holiday colors to your gifts. I also get these at the Dollar Store as many sheets of paper are…you guessed it…..a dollar. I can get a variety of colors depending on which will coordinate best with my wrapping paper. And buying a few bunches will last me well into the next year.

Tags

I like to splurge a little on the tags because I think of them as the final touch on the ‘masterpiece’. I have some that are little cards with envelops, some I create from scrape booking leftovers and others that are holiday stickers. The actual gift and the ornamentation will determine which tag I use. But these are a must on your wrapping table as they identify who the gift is for and who it is from.

So now that you have your essentials for decorating beautiful holiday gifts, here are a few more tools you’ll need to complete your wrapping station.

○ Scissors

○ Tape

○ Pens (have a variety of colors and/or metallic)

○ Baskets (should you have any gifts that need to go in Baskets)

○ Cellophane (for baskets, if needed)

As you scramble to wrap your holiday gifts this season, I hope these tips provide you with some organization to make the process a little less stressful! Happy wrapping!

How do you and your family celebrate for the holidays? Are there any traditions that you’ve always done or are you starting new ones? I’m still new to this whole ‘holiday on my own’ type thing, so here are some traditions that I’ve found (plus some that my family have always done).

When you think of Christmas, what is one thing you know you’ve got to have? Well, the Christmas tree of course. Traditions start around this significant symbol in many ways, from picking out the Christmas tree, having special memories of ornaments, to sitting around the tree opening gifts. So that’s where my traditions start. Usually, my family and I would go to one lot and pick out a tree. Each year we’d take turns as to who got to pick it out. However, the last two years (the start of my ‘on your own holiday’) I have put up my fake tree. My old traditions with my family have been replaced by new traditions. And as far as time frames, I always put the tree up after Thanksgiving!! I say, let one holiday pass before you start celebrating another! And another tradition that surrounds the Christmas tree for me is ornaments. Every year my boyfriend and I pick out a Grinch ornament for our tree, since ‘How the Grinch Stole Christmas´ is our favorite Christmas movie. So we get at least one Grinch ornament every year. (Pretty soon our whole tree will be all Grinch ornaments!)

Other decorative Christmas things that I’ve found (and do) are advent calendars. At my parents place, the advent calendar was a blank Christmas tree and each day we’d open up the calendar door that contained a surprise ornament. The 24th of December was always the star of the tree. Another decorative element that can be a tradition in your home is the dinning room table; whether it’s holiday dishware, a centerpiece or table cloth. I’ve never had holiday dishware but centerpieces we’ve had. It was always a large candle with a berry & holly wreath wrapped around it.

An extraordinary holiday tradition that I want to get into the habit of is giving to the less fortunate. When I was in high school I did the Angel tree with our National Honor Society and since then I’ve only done it once. I’d like to get back into the habit of doing that and maybe even doing some volunteer work too. Christmas is after all about giving not receiving!

What other holiday traditions do you and your families do? Are there any you’d like to incorporate in the future? We’d love to hear your ideas!

ForRent.com would like to acknowledge all the celebrations that happen during the holiday season. Today at sun down starts Hanukkah!

Hanukkah is an eight-day Jewish holiday beginning on the 25^th day of Kislev, which may fall anytime from late November to late December. This festival celebrates the re-kindling of the Temple Menorah and is observed in Jewish homes by illuminating candles on each night of the holiday.

The number eight has special significance in Jewish theology. Seven is known as the number of days of creation. Eight, being one step after seven, would represent infinity. The number eight for Hanukkah symbolizes when the Maccabees returned to Jerusalem to rebuild their temple after it was destroyed. As they rebuilt the temple they searched for pure oil to relight the ner tamid, the “light that always burned.” They found only one jar of oil, enough to burn for one day. They used this oil to light the ner tamid, but rather than burning for just one day the ner tamid stayed lit for 8 days, enough time to obtain more oil.

On the twenty-fifth day of the Hebrew month of Kislev in 164 to 175 B.C.E., the temple was rededicated to God. The Jews celebrated for 8 days and Judah declared that an 8 day holiday called Hanukkah, or “dedication,” would be celebrated each year beginning on this day. This is considered the holiday’s miracle.

Hanukkah is celebrated by a series of rituals that take place every day during the eight day holiday. Among these rituals are additional daily prayer services and blessings after meals. The primary custom is to light a candle each night for eight nights, with the number of candles lit increase with each passing night. An extra light called shamash, meaning guard or servant is also lit each night. The significance of the Hanukkah lights is not for the ‘lighting of the house within’ but rather the ‘illumination of the house without’ so that passers-by should see it and be reminded of the holiday’s miracle.

The candles should be lit for at least a half an hour after it gets dark, although some backgrounds differ. On Friday night, however, the candles must burn longer, as they also acknowledge the start of Shabbat, which is the weekly day of rest in Judaism. There are typically three blessings that are recited during Hanukkah. On the first night, Jews recite all three blessings, on the following nights only the first two are recited.

The first blessing roughly translates to “Blessed are You, Lord our God, King of the Universe, Who sanctified us with His commandments and commanded us to kindle the Hanukkah lights.” The second blessing “Blessed are You, Lord our God, King of the universe, Who performed wondrous deeds for our ancestors, in those days, at this moment.” And the third blessing, only to be recited on the first night, “Blessed are You, Lord our God, King of the universe, Who has kept us in life, sustained us, and brought us to this moment.”

After the lighting of the candles a prayer is recited, which translates into: “We light these lights for the miracles and the wonders, for the redemption and the battles that you made for our forefathers, in those days at this season, through your holy priests. During all eight days of Hanukkah these lights are sacred and we are not permitted to make them serve except for to look at them in order to express thanks and praise to Your great Name and for your miracles, Your wonders and Your salvations.” In North America, it is a common practice to exchange gifts or give children presents at this time.

Source: Wikipedia