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NEWS&VIEWS by Jacqueline Bennett

Posts from the “Holiday Traditions” Category

Shady Glen Carolers – A Holiday Tradition

Posted on December 11, 2016

Article & Photos by Jacqueline Bennett newsandviewsjb.com   Since my childhood, not a Christmas season has passed without anticipation of seeing and hearing the carolers perched atop the roof of Shady Glen, a sandwich and ice cream shop in Manchester, Connecticut. In an ever changing world this holiday tradition has been a joyful constant.   Shady Glen Dairy Stores include two shops both in Manchester. The original store is located along the Routes 6 & 44 corridor, which connects Hartford County with the state’s “Quiet Corner”.  Shady Glen is well-known as a Nutmeg State treasure and “local institution”. Famously, former CBS news anchor Dan Rather stopped in here.   Among my earliest memories as a little girl are those of my father carrying me…

Categories: Christmas Special Ice Cream, Food, Holiday Traditions, Iconic New England Restaurant, Vintage Ambiance

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History of Valentine’s Day Romantic & Courageous

Posted on February 14, 2016

Write-Up & Photo by Jacqueline Bennett newsandviewsjb.com   Who would have thought the history of Valentine’s Day is rooted in both romance and courage?   Sweethearts will enjoy candlelight dinners this evening, while friends and loved ones exchange candy, flowers and cards throughout the day. In fact, the Greeting Card Association estimates that in America alone some 145 million Valentine’s Day cards, not figuring in classroom Valentines, are sent annually. Although there is more than one explanation as to how it all began, an especially heartwarming tale points to a priest named Valentine who centuries ago, on behalf of young lovers, stood up to what he considered an unjust decree from 3RD Century Roman Emperor Claudius II.   This legend, notes HISTORY.COM, goes that…

Categories: American culture, Holiday Traditions, Holidays, Romance & Courage, Single Soldiers Shall Not Marry, St. Valentine, Young Love

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Dreaming of a White Christmas?

Posted on December 19, 2015

Write-Up by Jacqueline Bennett newsandviewsjb.com   Unseasonably warm temperatures have New Englanders worrying aloud that a “White Christmas” may elude the northeastern region of the United States this year. Ever since crooner Bing Crosby sang the Irving Berlin tune, “White Christmas” in the film “Holiday Inn”, it has been an anthem of the Christmas season.   After “Holiday Inn” was released in 1942, American service members deployed abroad to fight in World War II are said to have requested to hear “White Christmas” over and over again. Concurrently, the sentimental song brought melancholy as distance kept them from loved ones back in the states, yet joyful memories of home. According to a documentary produced by public television, when visiting the troops, Crosby said it…

Categories: A White Christmas, American Standards, Holiday Traditions, NEWS, Winter in New England

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Meet Me at the ‘Kissing Balls Bridge’ in Farmington, Connecticut

Posted on December 14, 2015

                                        Article & Photos by Jacqueline Bennett newsandviewsjb.com   And if our love is true … Little tugs at the heartstrings more than plans for a clandestine love to be brought to light and sealed by a kiss in a future romantic rendezvous. Cary Grant and Deborah Kerr gave unforgettable authenticity to such a story in the 1957 classic film “An Affair to Remember”, with a promise to reunite atop the Empire State Building six months after they fell for each other on a cruise despite being engaged to other people. Timeless in its intent to stir the emotions, an Empire State Building meeting was reprised…

Categories: Clandestine Love & Romance, English traditions, Holiday displays, Holiday Traditions, Kissing Balls in New England, New England Bridges, NEWS, Symbols of Glad Blessings, Symbols of Welcome

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Christmas Tree Custom Thrives at Dzen Family Farm & Garden Market

Posted on December 5, 2015

    Story & Photos by Jacqueline Bennett newsandviewsjb.com   Through the centuries the Christmas Tree has evolved into one of the holiday season’s most beloved customs. In central Connecticut, when it comes time to cut your own or pick from the best of already cut trees, the name Dzen quickly comes to mind.     Dzen Garden Market at the Ellington five corners is currently adorned with evergreen logs, kissing balls, wreaths and trees galore – the latter making their way to the market from the Dzen Christmas Tree Farm just up the road in South Windsor, along Barber Hill Road. Folks who choose to cut their own at the farm are greeted by a festive looking arch decorated by longtime Dzen employee…

Categories: Christmas Tree History, Cut Your Own Christmas Trees in Connecticut, Holiday Traditions, NEWS, Oh Tannenbaum!

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A Father’s Dedication – Dad in the Car Trunk with the Christmas Tree

Posted on December 24, 2014

Holiday Reflection: By Jacqueline Bennett newsandviewsjb.com   *For several years after my father passed away, some of his grandsons (my nephews) – Lance, Eric and Glen Jr. – stepped in to carry on Dad’s Christmas tradition of visiting a Northeastern Connecticut tree farm that had special meaning to the family, sawing down our huge tree, then lugging it to the car. Once inside the house, we all – Lance, Eric, Glen Jr. Jillian, Deb, Candy, Mom/Nana, Aunt June and I –  had turns over time joining in the decorating !                        As the youngest of seven siblings, I had a big say in the selection of our family Christmas Tree. The ceilings in our…

Categories: Christmas in Connecticut, Christmas traditions, Family, Holiday adventures, Holiday Traditions, NEWS

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A Joyous Holiday Season

Posted on December 23, 2014

By: Jacqueline Bennett newsandviewsjb.com   With the arrival of Ole’ St. Nick mere hours away, I have been reflecting on what a joyous holiday season this has been. It began with the Manchester Road Race where I bumped into a good friend followed later that afternoon with Thanksgiving dinner hosted by Mike & Melane (held at their daughter Maryann’s house – my niece.)   Maryann and Melane had put together four tables in the dining room to seat all of us. Melane and the two girls, Maryann and Michelle, then spent days preparing for the holiday company, some of whom drove down from New Hampshire. It was a lovely day.           Soon enough it was time for the Gingerbread House Exhibit at Wood…

Categories: Christmas, Christmas in Connecticut, Holiday Traditions, Holidays, NEWS

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Mom’s Recipe Box: Hamburg Dressing – the Crowning Glory of My Mother’s Holiday Recipes, Plus New England Pumpkin Pie & Cinnamon Sugar Treats

Posted on December 19, 2014

            Hamburg Dressing – the Crowning Glory of My Mother’s Holiday Recipes   For me, and I would dare say all of us who grew up enjoying it, the aroma and taste of my mother’s hamburg dressing is quite simply the aroma and taste of Christmas and the holiday season. Assuming it was safely in Mom’s recipe box, the first Christmas after her passing in 2010 I went in search of her hamburg dressing recipe. It was nowhere to be found – leaving those of us who loved it so, to try and recreate the formula. Each of us could vividly recall Mom/Nana standing vigilant by the stove with her black, iron skillet – which had belonged to her mother…

Categories: American culture, Cooking, Family, Food, Holiday family recipes, Holiday Traditions, Holidays, NEWS, Recipes

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Mom’s Recipe Box: Holiday Encore & More from Candy – Pumpkin Cake, Banana Bread, Peanut Butter Bread and Cranberry Walnut Bread!

Posted on December 12, 2014

                Holiday Encore & More from Candy – Pumpkin Cake, Banana Bread, Peanut Butter Bread and Cranberry Walnut Bread!   I enjoy baking. It’s a feeling of accomplishment and anticipation of sharing. My Pumpkin Cake became a favorite to bring to family Christmas gatherings. I also would bake one for my school colleagues during the holidays. It’s my idea of a terrific recipe – easy to make and it can serve many people! The Banana Bread is my mother’s recipe. The bread always smelled good while it was baking as the aroma permeated the kitchen. Not every holiday, but often enough, Mom baked Peanut Butter Bread. I also bake it once in awhile and decided to add it to this…

Categories: Baking, Family, Holiday family recipes, Holiday Traditions, Holidays, NEWS, Recipes

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Snow Cleared For Thanksgiving Day – Always Fun – Manchester Road Race

Posted on December 3, 2014

Story & Photos by Jacqueline Bennett newsandviewsjb.com   Snow and freezing rain that fell just twenty-four hours before did not halt the 78th Manchester Road Race in Connecticut on Thanksgiving Day, November 27. Nor did temperatures in the mid-30 degree range keep some 15,000 registered runners – plus the strays who fall in after the event gets underway – and thousands more spectators from turning out. Town crews thoroughly cleared Main Street and once again the race started promptly at 10 a.m. as it does each year. A glitch with the sound system’s playing of the national anthem left the crowd to finish singing the “Star-Spangled Banner.”   As always, the Manchester Road Race was fun. Half the enjoyment of this 4.748 mile competition is seeing the costumes in which participants show up – from Stove…

Categories: Holiday Traditions, Holidays, New England Sports Events, NEWS, Thanksgiving Road Races

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