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History of Santa Claus

December 21, 2011 By Leave a Comment
History of Santa

As many of us are struggling with our last minute Christmas shopping, and with much of that shopping done in the name of one Kris Kringle, many of us are wondering why we're busting our humps all for the benefit of Jolly Old St. Nick. Well, to perhaps put this into perspective, we here at BuildDirect figured that a little history was in order. After all, just who is this Santa Claus anyhow? Where did he come from? How has his image and mythical standing in our culture developed over the decades … [Read more...]

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Happy Chanukah From BuildDirect

December 20, 2011 By Leave a Comment
Menorah

Happy Chanukah! For those who don't know the nature of the holiday, Chanukah (or 'Hanukkah', meaning 'dedicate') is the Jewish Festival of Lights, as symbolized by the menorah. Eight nights long, each night is represented by a candle on the menorah, not including the ninth 'helper' candle that lights the others. Here's the story. The Hebrew temple was restored and rededicated after a period of rule under the religiously-repressive Syrian empire in 165 B.C.E.  There was only enough oil to … [Read more...]

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The Complete Guide To Holiday Season History

December 19, 2011 By Leave a Comment
Holiday Seasons

The Holidays are times when we can come together and celebrate our traditions with our friends and family. There has been a lot of noise in the press and on the Internet lately, it seems to me, about how use of the term "The Holidays" is a nod to political correctness. Personally, I don't think of it that way. To me, it's a mark of 21st Century awareness that celebration takes many forms. And I don't know about you, but, I'd rather have more celebrations rather than fewer. With all that in … [Read more...]

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Christmas Toy Shopping: Over 100 Years of “It Toy” History

December 16, 2011 By Leave a Comment
Hottest Toys of The Holidays

When it comes to Christmas toy shopping, many of us are trolling the Internet, or are jockeying for position at the local toy stores, for the latest holiday "it" toy. You know the one I mean - it's the one that the kids are all talking about. It's the one they say they can't live without. Yet, that's a pretty familiar feeling, isn't it? That's because for every era since the invention of the department store catalog, there has been an "it" toy for every decade, every generation of child who's … [Read more...]

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Seasonal Sweaters & Quilts: The Good The Bad & The Butt-Ugly

December 14, 2011 By Leave a Comment
Horrible Sweater

Between the ornate decor and the many themed parties, Christmas is a festive time of year – the problem, is that some people wouldn’t know tacky if it bit them on the butt. That said, we’ve compiled a list of common offenders – a gallery of seasonal sweaters and quilts that define The Good, The Bad and the Butt-Ugly. Kitty Tassels Our Christmas wish is that this piece was not created in seriousness and that only one cat was harmed in the making of this sweater. This has to be one of the … [Read more...]

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Home Ownership: How To Play The Home Buying Game

December 9, 2011 By Leave a Comment
Courtesy of brithulsizer, via visual.ly

Beyond the rising costs of buying a home, another barrier to home ownership is plain, old-fashioned inexperience. There are many stages in the process of buying a home, but when you've never engaged in that process before, it's hard to know what the steps actually are when you're just starting out. Even if you have gone through the process, the goal of home ownership can seem like a tangled garden for many. Luckily, there is a path through that garden. Take a look at this graphic that traces … [Read more...]

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History of the Fireplace

November 30, 2011 By Leave a Comment
History Of The Fire Place

The first example of technology in the world that many of us can think of is the discovery of fire, and the development of the fireplace. In the mythology of Ancient Greece, the titan Prometheus stole fire from the gods and delivered it to humanity. He left the rest up to us, while he served his time for the crime (chained to a rock, having his ever-regenerating liver eaten daily by a really big bird - that's another story ...). And what have we done with it since then? Well, a lot. Fire has … [Read more...]

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Happy Thanksgiving 2011!

November 24, 2011 By Leave a Comment
Thanksgiving turkey

This is a just a brief note to say "HAPPY THANKSGIVING" from us to you in the United States this Thanksgiving day, 2011. Enjoy the comfort of your family and friends, and may your tryptophanic slumber at the end of it all be deep and refreshing. Cheers, Rob. … [Read more...]

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Thanksgiving Tables: Sumptuous Spreads to be Thankful For

November 23, 2011 By Leave a Comment
Thanksgiving dinner

Thanksgiving is a day to give thanks for all that we have; our family, our friends, our health, our freedom and the bounty of food on the table that we often take for granted. With that in mind, we’ve decided to compile a gallery of extravagant Thanksgiving spreads from the people that are REALLY grateful for the food in their lives – sumptuous spreads that anyone would be thankful for. Feeding an Army This doesn’t necessarily look like the ambiance or décor of a military mess hall but it’s … [Read more...]

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Energy (in)Efficiency: The Great Heat Escape

November 16, 2011 By 5 Comments
The great heat escape small

One of the most popular war films ever made is 1963's The Great Escape, with a full-on, all-star cast that includes James Garner, Charles Bronson, James Coburn, Donald Pleasence, Richard Attenborough, and of course the exceptionally cool Steve McQueen as the laid back and unflappable "Cooler King". It's kind of a guy-film. For those who don't know, it's about prisoners of war held in a German prison camp, and it depicts the various ways and means the Allied POWs undertake to escape the camp, … [Read more...]

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