It’s nearly time for the turkey. Whether it’s at Thanksgiving or at Christmas most of us like to feast with our families and friends. The trouble is that for many people it doesn’t stop at that. Obesity is a growing problem in the main caused by Junk food, that is so handy for those of us with busy lives but if we are honest it doesn’t take longer to prepare a salad than to heat those oven chips. Vitamins are essential to health and a good breakfast is the best possible start to the day. A smoothie makes much more sense than drinking coke and nowadays they are available in most stores. If you invest in a juicer you can easily get your five portions of fruit and vegetables a day in one easy drink. Good food affects your body and your health. It also helps your brainto function better.. So there is one other good reason to eat well and that is by doing so you can eat your way to genius.

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In the Catholic faith November is the month of the dead. It’s a time when we remember those loved ones we have lost. That, of course, is not something that is particular to any one faith or religion. Perhaps, though, it should be a time too when we consider how lucky we are to have loved ones who are still with us. A family re-union might be time to
express gratitude for family and friends. A grandmother’s 80th birthday is obviously an occasion to say how much she means in the life of the family. A father’s retirement day is the opportunity to say thank you for working so hard for us all the years. In a busy world we are inclined to take others for granted and, however much we love them, we rarely express that love. So if it is your own wedding anniversary tell those gathered to celebrate how much your spouse means to you. There is a saying that feeling appreciation and not expressing it is like wrapping a gift and not giving it. So go on, give that that gift. Some November you’ll be glad you did.

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Nelson Mandela probably comes top of the list when people are asked with whom they would like to share a meal. That’s understandable because his life has been such an interesting and inspiring one. Historically, though, there are others who would make fascinating dinner companions if they were still alive. Think of Winston Churchill and how he inspired a nation during the war. Did he actually write his own speeches or did some civil service get him to stiffen the backbone of the British people with his immortal words, “We shall fight them on the Beaches”? If you wanted glamour at your table Princes Diana would have been the perfect guest and wouldn’t it be interesting to find out exactly what went on behind the walls of Buckingham palace?  If Bill Gates came to dinner there is no doubt but that you would have plenty of questions to ask him about how became such an entrepreneur and, perhaps more interesting, why he became such a well known philanthropist. The good hostess knows that however famous a guest may be they also have to be charismatic and reach out to people and make them feel special. That person could be John F. Kennedy but as he and most of these people cannot come perhaps it would be wiser to invite your own special friends. At least you know they will listen to your stories!

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They are gone but not forgotten. How can they be when every year so many countries remembrance day or veteran’s day is celebrated? When we hear a eulogy for a mother or a eulogy for a father they are usually very personal, speaking of that person’s attributes and personalities. Remembrance Day is different because on that day we speak about the sacrifices of the collective armed forces. Words like courage, bravery and patriotism are an integral part of a remembrance oration or speech. Sometime Veteran’s day is called Armistice Day in commemoration of the ending of the first world war in November 1918. On that day we remember the poppies in Flanders, a symbol of the blood shed in the trenches. Monarchs and heads of State lay wreaths at the tombs of unknown soldiers. They are often flanked by today’s serving soldiers or by elderly veterans proudly wearing their medals. It is however, their families and friends who remember such patriots in their hearts.

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Every birthday has a special significance. The first birthday of a son is an occasion for oohing and aahing by grandparents and aunts. It’s a day for teddies and toys and balloons. A sweet sixteen birthday is about love and pride and hope for the future of a girl who has become a woman. The 40th birthday of a man is one when he takes the opportunity to celebrate an occasion that is more fun than his normal workaday world of job and mortgage.
We celebrate birthdays in all sorts of ways. There are the casual ones where those attending order a pitza and have a few cans at home with their friends. There are formal do’s in fancy hotels. You can celebrate your birthday by taking a trip down the country or a cruise around the world. There are black tie events and fancy dress parties.
Birthday gifts range from something hand made by your child at the crèche to hugely expensive jewellery or clothes. Some people have the knack of choosing just the ideal gift while others spend a fortune for something you don’t want or need.
Birthday cards come in all shapes and sizes. Some warm your heart while others tickle your fancy. There are birthday loving messages for mothers and crude comments for friends. Sometimes the cards are bigger and more expensive than the actual gift we give.
Whether it’s an 80th birthday for grandmother or a 21st for a niece birthdays are a time for looking back at times past and forward to the future. Their significance is that we have lived, loved and laughed for another year and that we are hoping that we have many more years left to us to do more of the same.

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When times get tough we have to do more than tighten our belts. It’s a time for us to re-evaluate our beliefs and to look at life in a different way.
We have to ask ourselves whether we can afford to buy something rather than build up credit card debt and hope to pay for it some time in the future.. It’s a time when we have to ask ourselves do we want something because of need or just greed. It’s a time when we get to realise that buying isn’t always the best or necessary thing to do.
Dig yourself out of debt may sound like too much hard work but it is really just a challenge. It says that with careful management we can pay our way.  That will make us feel better about ourselves and more in control.
Budgeting should become a way of life. It’s tough at first but after a while you will begin to realise that quite often you are paying for fancy wrapping paper rather than the actual product. You will see that there is a great feeling of achievement when you manage to track down something for half the price someone else pays.
If budgeting becomes a way of life for you may even begin to realise that winning the lottery is bad luck. After all how many people have you heard of going mad simply because they won a lot of money?  They throw up their jobs, buy huge houses and go travelling the world but never seem to manage their winnings sensibly. Then they run out of money and don’t know what happened to them and worse, they have no job and often lose their houses as well..
Money is only a commodity and one that we should use carefully. We cannot do without it it’s true but we can be much more sensible about the way we use it. Then a recession won’t frighten us any more.

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“God gave you a fit of 86,400 seconds today. Have you used one to say “Thank you?” This thought provoking saying by William Arthur Ward should make us think about gratitude and whether we express it or not.
In Britain and in continental Europe many churches have a harvest festival ceremony every year where parishioners give thanks for the fruits of the earth. Yet historically Thanksgiving Day as we now know it in the United States was first known when Spaniards landed in St. Augustine and said a mass of thanksgiving for their safe arrival. In Canada victory over enemies was the theme of some of the first thanksgiving days although today, officially, it is a day to thank God for his mercies. Nowadays it is often a more secular feast in America and Canada yet despite the football games and Macy’s parade families still gather together and celebrate and, whatever their religious beliefs, are thankful that they have such holiday and such a family reunion.  So whether you are letting off fireworks, having a barbeque or dining in style remember to stop for a second to say “Thank you.”

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“Trick or treat?” is the age old request of children at Halloween. Dressed up as witches they knock hopefully on hall doors hoping that you will put some goodies in their bags for them. Then they run home to play the traditional Halloween games such as Snap apple or to roast chestnuts on the fire.
Halloween then is a night for broomsticks and cats and tales of the supernatural. Most of us would firmly deny that there were such things as ghosts. If we were asked “Is there a ghost in the house?” we would laugh and say “Of course not”    Yet there is still a great interest in the whole topic of ghosts.  There are still people who believe in them. There are still experts who study the whole subject. Poltergeists, spirits or headless horsemen whatever their shape or make there are still those who think that they exist.
No self respecting castle would be without its haunted room or its story about a maiden who is seen walking and wailing for a lost lover. Priests are still called to exorcise demons. People claim to hear clanking noises in the middle of the night. Few of us would be brave enough to stay alone all night in a lonely tower that is reputed to be haunted. Every nation has its own stories of ghosts and goblins and things that go bump in the night.
Perhaps it is as well to have an open mind because as Shakespeare says
“There are more things in heaven and earth, Horatio,
Than are dreamt of in your philosophy”.

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Let’s get it right. Every formal occasion has its own protocol. Sometimes it’s difficult to know exactly what should be said on the night. That’s why an M.C.’s guide or a chairperson’s guide can be so useful.
At a dinner, for instance, you may be asked to give a toast to the ladies or thank a guest speaker. Obviously such speeches are given every day of the week so it’s nice to be able to say what is correct but in a different way. In fact, as we are told there is nothing new under the sun, it’s the only way to give a speech.
When people attend a social function they do not want to be bored. They prefer a speaker to be light-hearted . That is not to say you have to be a comedian. That calls for excellent jokes and good timing and is totally different from being a speaker. A speaker only has to remember that the audience is on a night out and they want to relax in a pleasant atmosphere. Your speech should reflect this fact.  You should be the oil that greases the occasion and makes it run smoothly.
If you know what to say you will create that right atmosphere. Your audience will enjoy the occasion more and, no matter how nervous you are, so will you.

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