Thanksgiving Luncheon at the Senior Center at 189 Allen Street
On Wednesday, November 25th, students from our CCR-P class volunteered to serve Thanksgiving lunch to seniors at University Settlement’s Senior Center, located at 189 Allen Street. Our students helped prepare the dining area, greeted seniors as they arrived, and served a hot holiday meal to more than 100 community members. They worked alongside staff and other volunteers to create a warm, festive atmosphere, and many seniors expressed their appreciation for the kindness and support. It was a meaningful opportunity for our class to give back to the community and to experience the spirit of Thanksgiving in action.
Winter is a special season. The days are shorter, the nights are longer, and in many places, it is cold and snowy. Around the world, people celebrate different winter holidays with family, friends, food, and traditions. Let’s look at some of the most popular winter holidays.
Christmas
Christmas is celebrated on December 25th in many countries. People decorate a Christmas tree, hang lights, and give gifts. Families often eat a big meal together. In some traditions, children wait for Santa Claus to bring presents. Popular Christmas colors are red, green, and gold.
Hanukkah
Hanukkah is a Jewish holiday that usually happens in December. It lasts for eight nights. Families light a special candleholder called a menorah. They eat foods fried in oil, like latkes (potato pancakes) and sufganiyot (jelly doughnuts). Children often play with a small toy called a dreidel.
Kwanzaa
Kwanzaa is celebrated in the United States from December 26th to January 1st. It honors African traditions and culture. Families light candles in a holder called a kinara. Each day represents a different value, such as unity, creativity, or faith. Music, dancing, and storytelling are also part of Kwanzaa.
New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day
All around the world, people celebrate the New Year on December 31st and January 1st. Many people stay up until midnight to welcome the new year. Fireworks, parties, and special foods are common. People also make resolutions—promises to themselves about things they want to do in the new year.
Vocabulary to Remember
Tradition – something people do again and again over many years
Celebrate – to enjoy a holiday or special event
Candle – a stick of wax with fire at the top for light
Meal – food eaten together at one time
Resolution – a plan or promise for the future
✨ Winter holidays bring light, joy, and warmth during the cold season. Even though traditions are different, the message is often the same: spending time with loved ones and sharing happiness.
Traditionally(adverb) – in a way that is based on tradition or long-established customs.
Marks(verb) – to indicate or show something; to make a visible sign or impression.
DoorBusters (Noun, plural) – Special promotional sales, often with deep discounts, designed to attract large numbers of customers, particularly during big sales events like Black Friday.
Deals (Noun, plural) – Agreements or transactions, especially those involving discounts or special offers in shopping.
Mayhem (Noun) – Chaos, disorder, or violence, often involving confusion and destruction.
To mirror (Verb) – To reflect or resemble something closely.
Brick-and-mortar (Adjective) – Referring to traditional physical businesses (such as stores or offices) as opposed to online or digital businesses.
Black Friday is the Friday after Thanksgiving, which traditionallymarks the start of the Christmas shopping season in the United States – it’s also one of the busiest shopping days of the year.
Around 2003, many stores began opening as early as 5 a.m. with “doorbuster” deals – deep discounts on select items.
Its these huge discounts that cause the mayhem with people fighting over cheap TV’s and other discounted items.
In the early 2000’s stores extended their hours even earlier, opening on Thanksgiving night – staying open through Black Friday. These sales were often called “Black Thursday”. However, these sales were somewhat of a failure, and stores slowly began returning to closing on Thanksgiving, opening instead on Black Friday.
As the internet became more popular, many people started shopping online and in 2005, Cyber Monday was born. It was intended to mirror the brick-and-mortar sales stores offered on Black Friday. Black Friday became so popular that in 2015, Amazon even held a Black Friday sale in July!
Whether you’re looking for a new TV, a computer, or a pair of socks, it’s guaranteed you will be able to find a deal somewhere, either online or in person on Black Friday or Cyber Monday!
Halloween, which takes place every October 31st, is one of the most popular holidays in the United States. Originally based on the ancient Celtic festival of Samhain (pronounced “sow-in”), Halloween has evolved into a modern celebration where children of all ages dress up in costumes and go door-to-door “trick-or-treating,” asking for candy from friends & neighbors.
Halloween is also a time to enjoy the spookier side of life. People celebrate ghosts, zombies, haunted houses, and all things creepy and fun – often with Halloween parties for children and adults alike.
For more information about Halloween, check out wikipedia.
Halloween Vocabulary
🚪 Trick-or-treat – the Halloween activity where children dress up and go door to door for candy
🎃 Pumpkin – a round orange vegetable often carved into a jack-o’-lantern
👻 Ghost – the spirit of a dead person, often imagined as white and floating
🧙 Witch – a woman with magical powers, often shown with a broomstick and pointed hat
🧛 Vampire – a creature that drinks blood and avoids sunlight
🧟 Zombie – a dead person who comes back to life, usually walking slowly
🕷️ Spider – a creepy-crawly insect often used in Halloween decorations
🕸️ Web – what a spider makes to catch insects; also used as decoration
☠️ Skeleton – the bones of a body, often shown as decorations or costumes
🏚️ Haunted house – a spooky or abandoned house believed to have ghosts
😱 Scary – something that causes fear or makes you feel afraid
🦇 Bat – a flying animal often linked with vampires and the night
🍫 Chocolate / Candy – a sweet treat made from cocoa, popular during Halloween. Sweet treats given to children who go trick-or-treating.
🎭 Costume – special clothing worn to look like someone or something else
💀 Skull – the bone part of a head, often used as a spooky symbol
Here are 5 fun & interesting facts about Halloween:
🎃 Origins in Ancient Celtic Festival: Halloween comes from the ancient Celtic festival Samhain (pronounced “sow-in”), celebrated on October 31st. It marked the end of the harvest and the beginning of winter, a time when people believed the boundary between the living and the dead became blurred.
👻 Costumes to Scare Spirits: People originally wore costumes and masks to scare away or confuse ghosts and evil spirits that were thought to return on Halloween night.
🍬 Trick-or-Treating Traditions: The practice of trick-or-treating began in medieval Europe as “souling,” when poor people would go door-to-door on All Souls’ Day (Nov 2), offering prayers for the dead in exchange for food.
🕯️ Jack-o’-Lanterns Came from Turnips: Before pumpkins, the Irish carved turnips into lanterns to ward off evil spirits. When they immigrated to America, they found that pumpkins were more plentiful and easier to carve.
🦇 Popular with Americans: Halloween is one of the most popular holidays in the U.S., with Americans spending billions of dollars each year on costumes, candy, decorations, and parties.
Many beer halls and venues across the city host Oktoberfest celebrations with German food 🥨, beer, and lively music. Grab your lederhosen and join in the fun!
Come join Alexander Hamilton, Simba, and Galinda 🧙🏻 & Elphaba in all the fun! Fall marks the beginning of the new Broadway season, making it a great time to see a new production or a classic favorite.
Broadway.com: (A comprehensive site for tickets and information on Broadway shows): https://www.broadway.com/
Are you an athlete – or do you know one? Watch- or, if you’re feeling energetic, run – the New York City Marathon. 🏃♂️ 🏃🏼♀️ 🏃🏽♂️ Sunday, November 2nd
Go Apple or Pumpkin Picking (outside the city): 🍎 While not in NYC itself, a short trip to the Hudson Valley or Long Island allows for classic, fun fall activities like apple and pumpkin picking at local farms. Many offer hayrides, corn mazes, and fresh cider donuts.
For foodies, this annual festival in October brings together renowned chefs and culinary experiences, offering tastings, cooking demonstrations, and more.
The first Monday in September is Labor Day in the USA. Unlike many US holidays, it is a celebration without rituals – except for shopping and barbecuing. For most of us, it marks the last weekend of summer holidays and the start of the school year.
Ritual – n., an established form for a ceremony or observance
Founder – n., someone who takes the first steps in building something
Envision – v., to imagine, to picture to oneself
Means – n., things that are useful or help to achieve a desired end
Unify – v., to make different things into one unit
Reduction – n., to make something smaller, to decrease
Recall – v., to remember
Struggle – n, the act of working hard or fighting for something
Maypole — n., a tall pole decorated with flowers and ribbons
The holiday’s founders in the late 19th century envisioned something very different from what the day has become. The founders were looking for two things: a means of unifying union workers and a reduction in work time.
If you’re living in the USA, don’t confuse this day with May 1st, (May Day), which is International Workers’ Day.
This day is celebrated in over 160 countries to recall the struggles and achievements of the labor movement.
In France, people carry and give lilies-of-the-valley. Many countries, such as Italy and Nicaragua, celebrate with dances around a Maypole.
In America, Labor Day is less political and more about fun.
Many people like summer sunshine, but too much heat can be dangerous and unhealthy. Hot and humid weather can cause heat illness and even death. If you or someone you know has these symptoms, you need to cool down quickly!
Heavy sweating
Muscle cramps
Light headedness, feeling faint
Headache
Decreased energy
Loss of appetite, nausea
Luckily, New York City has increased the number of ways to Keep Cool during heat emergencies. The parks department has concentrated on water features, drinking fountains, and tree cover as ways to beat the heat outside.
Here’s a link to a map of all the places where you can cool off:
Spray showers are fun and feel great for kids. The sprinklers are turned on when the temperature reaches 80 degrees F. These are indicated on the map as well as the beaches and outdoor pools that are open to all. NYC even provides free sunscreen at the pools.
There are thousands of drinking fountains across the city – even some for pets!
The map also shows the parks with thick tree coverage, as well as the shadiest blocks to walk.
Another option: If you’re looking for a fun and safe way to beat the heat, consider requesting an official hydrant opening. You can go to your local firehouse and they might open and close a hydrant safely for you.
And if you’re not an “outdoors person,” NYC has many cooling centers. They are located in air-conditioned facilities that offer people relief from the heat, such as:
Most important: drink lots of water even if you’re not thirsty, wear loose light-colored clothing, and avoid sun and strenuous outdoor activity between 11 AM and 4 PM.
