Detroit, Michigan – You probably thought America’s Thanksgiving Day Parade was in New York, didn’t you? Well, you were wrong, it’s right here in the Motor City. The Thanksgiving Day parade in Detroit started in 1924 — the same year…
Mummy’s Tomb – Part 2
Somerville, Mass – Last year for Halloween, we went a little crazy over Ancient Egypt. We decorated the front of the house like a haunted mummy’s tomb, and the twins dressed up like a Pharaoh mummy and a zombie archaeologist.…
4th of July
Boston, Massachusetts – Two years ago, we took the twins to watch the celebrated Boston Pops July-4th Spectacular (though we just went for the fireworks, not the Pops, and we watched from the Cambridge side of the river, which does…
Thanksgiving
Playa Hermosa, Costa Rica – We skipped Thanksgiving this year. Well, we didn’t totally skip it. We had a drastically scaled down, Thanksgiving dinner (with stuffing and pumpkin pie and, um, chicken) two days before the fact. But on Thanksgiving…
Beware the Mummy’s Tomb
Somerville, Mass – I’m not sure where it came from–perhaps from reading the Magic Tree House series–but the twins have become obsessed with Ancient Egypt. It was a no-brainer that one of them would want to be a mummy for…
Finnish Midsummer Feast
Somerville, Mass – We don’t get to go to Finland this summer, so we decided we better host our own summer solstice celebration. I wrote to my Finnish family get advice on exactly what this should entail. The Finns wrote back: “Midsummer…
Heritage Night
Somerville, Mass – Question: When is going to school like a trip around the world? Answer: When it’s Heritage Night This event was organized by the PTA and the arts council at the twins’ school. The tag line was…
Pirate Party
Somerville, Mass – Among the first European settlers of Belize were the British Baymen. These guys were essentially pirates and buccaneers, who hid out on the many islands and atolls off the coast of Belize, waiting for their next best…
First Night Family Festival
Boston, Mass – Boston held the country’s first First Night way back in 1975. For those not familiar with the New Year’s Eve event, it’s a jam-packed schedule of performances, art exhibits, interactive activities, ice sculptures and fireworks, held at venues all…
Christmas – Here vs There
Somerville, Mass – The twins brought home a worksheet from school that we were supposed to fill out and return. Some of the questions included: My family members come from these countries ____________________________________ During the holidays, we celebrate _______________________________________________ A special…