Archive for the ‘Holidays’ Category
Making Christmas Merry
Christmas 2011 provides a powerful opportunity for everyone wishing to live the true meaning of Christmas. Americans are some of the most generous people on earth. Citizens of Spokane, Washington have proven time and again that they are exceptionally generous. The economy this year has had a dramatic effect on the tone of the holiday in many homes. People who have always celebrated in abundance are now cutting back or going without. Not just are members of the middle class learning to tighten their belts, but the numbers of those without homes is continuing to swell. Statistics of those in need are reported regularly. Such statistics create an opportunity for the more blessed majority to make Christmas merry for themselves and the multitude less fortunate. There are plenty of people who truly need help, this year even more than last. Each member of any family who feels blessed this Christmas should make a conscious commitment to give part of what may have been given to each other, to someone or a family in greater need.
Often gifts are given because the exchange is expected. What if as a group your family did something for a needy person or other needy family? You will truly be amazed how much more fulfilling your Christmas will be. The giver and the gifted both will find Christmas more fulfilling.
The joy of Christmas season is best exemplified when Christ is kept in Christmas. I once had someone tell me how to keep joy in Christmas. I was told to think of joy as shorthand for the priorities of Christmas: Jesus first, Others second, and You third. JOY. If we all remember that order I’m sure more Christmas joy will be had by all and we will make Christmas 2011 merry.
Thanks for reading and blogging!
Dr. James G. Hood
* ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ *
Dental Care Associates of Spokane Valley, P.S.
Family and Cosmetic Dentistry Welcomes Patients
from Age 2 to 102!
James G. Hood, D.D.S., M.A.
507 North Sullivan Road, Suite A-1
Spokane Valley, WA 99037-8576 USA
Phone: (509) 928-9100 | Fax: (509) 928-0414
Email: drhood@drhood.com
Websites: www.drhood.com
www.dentalcareassociatesofspokanevalley.com
Blogs: www.drjamesghoodblog.com
www.dentalhealthandnutritionblog.com
www.dentalcareassociatesofspokanevalleyblog.com
www.jamesandkarenhoodfoundationblog.org
www.sjogrensblog.org
Online Store: www.dentalhealthandnutritionstore.com
Holidays and Dental Health
WOW! The Christmas holiday is rapidly approaching, which catches people off guard on how quickly 2011 ends and 2012 is upon us.
In the hustle-bustle of the hectic holiday season, many may forget about oral health maintenance. Dental insurance usually is contracted yearly, from January 1st through December 31st. Therefore, if you have dental insurance coverage that you or your employer has paid for, it needs to be taken advantage of before December 31st. Use it or lose it.
Many people think, “I’ll do the dental treatment I need in January, after things settle down.” Well … if you see your dentist and have dental treatment done before year’s end, you could have the insurance benefit of 2 years (one before Dec 31st and one after Dec 31st). Either way, you or your employer have paid for your dental insurance (if you’re lucky enough to have dental insurance), so you surely want to take full advantage of your benefits.
Whether or not you have dental insurance, maintenance is always cheaper than repair. As the conclusion of 2011 approaches, be diligent in assuring that you’ve followed the old adage: Brush your teeth twice a day, and see your dentist twice a year.
Dental health is more than just a dazzling smile. Good oral health can help minimize the effect of diabetes, heart disease, respiratory diseases, osteoporosis, and Alzheimer’s disease.
Enjoy the holiday season. Be aware of all the things that you can do to improve your overall health. We are all exposed to excessive amounts of good and not so good foods during this festive season. Be careful how you fuel your systems and understand that oral health is a most significant part of maintaining overall health.
On a final note, Christmas is a season to reflect on how many blessings we have. But in the interest of keeping Christ in Christmas, it is a time to generously be Christian. With our present economy, more people than ever are in need. Generously help someone in need. Perform random acts of kindness. Go out of your way to put smiles on faces of people you may not even know.
Sharing a joyful holiday season,
James G. Hood, DDS, MA
* ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ *
Dental Care Associates of Spokane Valley, P.S.
Family and Cosmetic Dentistry Welcomes Patients
from Age 2 to 102!
James G. Hood, D.D.S., M.A.
507 North Sullivan Road, Suite A-1
Spokane Valley, WA 99037-8576 USA
Phone: (509) 928-9100 | Fax: (509) 928-0414
Email: drhood@drhood.com
Websites: www.drhood.com
www.dentalcareassociatesofspokanevalley.com
Blogs: www.drjamesghoodblog.com
www.dentalhealthandnutritionblog.com
www.dentalcareassociatesofspokanevalleyblog.com
www.jamesandkarenhoodfoundationblog.org
www.sjogrensblog.org
Online Store: www.dentalhealthandnutritionstore.com
Thanksgiving, a Truly American Holiday
HAPPY THANKSGIVING!
Again, in 2011, the Thanksgiving holiday has come upon us quickly. The Christmas tree lot lights are set up and snow and ice greet us on our morning commutes.
A truly American holiday, Thanksgiving is a national day for us to express our gratitude for all the freedoms with which we have been gifted. This is a time to reflect on the many liberties we often take for granted.
Thank You to our service men and women who make our republic safe. Thank You to our forefathers with the vision to create a Constitution protecting our freedoms. Every person has the right to do what they wish with their life. Work hard and get ahead. Thank You for the Declaration of Independence which says all men are created equal, with the right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. Thank You.
Our country is a religious country with freedom for everyone to practice whatever religion they wish. And appreciative Americans pray often the shortest prayer on earth: Thank You. But, Thanksgiving is not a religious holiday. Americans are naturally thankful. Religious or not, Americans realize how fortunate we are to live in such a beautiful country, rich in natural resources, with religious and civil freedoms for all. Thank You is a tremendously American expression.
And if there be anyone who wishes to know how to have a Happy Thanksgiving, merely analyze the expression. It is by giving thanks that we make ourselves and others happy. There are plenty of people that have less than “we,” no matter who “we” are. Therefore, to have a truly Happy Thanksgiving, simply give thanks by doing something for someone who has less than “we” do. “Amen, I say to you, whatever you did for the least brothers of mine you did for me.” Find someone who needs anything and be the provider of that need. Such giving can be anonymous, which can be most rewarding. Give thanks often.
Share a smile!
James G. Hood, DDS, MA
* ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ *
Dental Care Associates of Spokane Valley, P.S.
Family and Cosmetic Dentistry Welcomes
Patients fr om Age 2 to 102!
James G. Hood, D.D.S., M.A.
507 North Sullivan Road, Suite A-1
Spokane Valley, WA 99037-8576 USA
Phone: (509) 928-9100 | Fax: (509) 928-0414
Email: drhood@drhood.com
Websites: www.drhood.com
www.dentalcareassociatesofspokanevalley.com
Blogs: www.drjamesghoodblog.com
www.dentalhealthandnutritionblog.com
www.dentalcareassociatesofspokanevalleyblog.com
www.jamesandkarenhoodfoundationblog.org
www.sjogrensblog.org
Online Store: www.dentalhealthandnutritionstore.com
Halloween is Just Around the Corner!
All Hallow’s Eve is less than a week away, and if you haven’t started planning for the holiday, you may be in a panic right now wondering what costume you will wear, how you will decorate your house, and what to do for the party you promised all your friends. Not to fear! First, take a deep breath and take a look at some of the excellent articles preceding this one. From costumes to harvest festivals, they’ll give you some great ideas to get started on your Halloween celebration no matter how much you’ve procrastinated.
Another quick and easy tip to jumpstart your Halloween planning is to peruse a copy of Karen Jean Matsko Hood’s Halloween Delights. Far more than just a cookbook, Halloween Delights is a treasure trove of ideas that will help you create the most memorable Halloween possible. Packed with innovative recipes that will both delight the tastebuds and send shivers up and down your spine, this book gives you everything you need to quickly develop a theme around which to plan your entire holiday. You will find yourself inspired by just a brief glance at the recipes–there are over 200 to choose from, and they can help create an atmosphere that is spectacularly ghoulish, fun and playful, or anything in between.
For example, you may be inspired to use a monster theme by such treats as Goblin Dip with Bone Crackers and Eerie Eyeballs , or perhaps the Graveyard Cake and Disappearing Ghost Cookies will prompt you to decorate your house as a cemetery and dress up as a haunting spirit. Doubling as both a decorative centerpiece and a tasty treat is the Bleeding Human Heart, a delicious red gelatin that bleeds when you slice it. You could design an entire party around that one item: imagine the lair of a mad scientist, perhaps even Dr. Frankenstein himself, and all the grisly things you might encounter there. Witches, vampire bats, even less frightful symbols of Halloween like the black cat and jack-o-lantern, and so much more can be found in Halloween Delights. You will be thrilled with the abundance of creative ideas, and your party guests will be impressed and delightfully spooked.
Halloween Delights Cookbook – Paperback ©2008
Halloween Parties
Perhaps the easiest way to plan any party is to pick a theme and design your food, activities, favors, and decor around that central idea. If you have already chosen a theme for your Halloween decorations, as discussed in our earlier article, why not use this as the theme of your party as well?
For example, if you chose to decorate your house as a spooky graveyard, build on this by serving creepy skeletal treats like Brittle Meringue Bones or create an entire edible cemetery with the Haunted Halloween Forest Platter, both fabulous recipes from Karen Hood’s idea-filled cookbook Halloween Delights. Play Pin the Skull on the Skeleton, bob for apples in a coffin–whatever you do, be sure to include plenty of ghosts, vampires, and other creatures of the night!
A great party idea for younger kids who may frighten easily is to base it on the classic holiday cartoon It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown. Decorate your house as a pumpkin patch with hay bales and pumpkins; serve pumpkin bars, roasted pumpkin seeds, and pumpkin-shaped cookies as treats; hold a Jack-o-lantern carving contest–and be sure to designate one very special gourd to be the Great Pumpkin himself!
Party ideas for Halloween are almost endless. Invite your friends to a Monster Mash, and you decide whether the theme is traditional Hollywood monsters like The Mummy and The Wolfman, or a more open theme that welcomes all beasts of fur, scale, claw, and fang. A creative costume contest for this party would be a blast. Go with today’s popular trends and throw a vampire party complete with Blood Punch, flitting bat and coffin decor, and party games like Mafia are easily adapted to suit the undead. Another trendy choice is, of course, the zombie apocalypse. A ghoulish game of tag would be the perfect end to the evening.
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