The year 2013 will go down in history for many things, some more pleasant than others. By and large one of the happier highlights of the year will be the rare chance to celebrate two major holidays in one. This year Hanukkah coincides with Thanksgiving, giving families twice as much to celebrate. The first full day of Hanukkah falls on Thursday, November 28, the same day as Thanksgiving. This holiday convergence is so rare it has been dubbed “Thanksgivukkah.”

On Thanksgiving Day, American families will carve the turkey and light the second candle on the menorah on the same night. While the two holidays have shared the same space on the calendar before, the occasion is an extremely rare occurrence. So rare, that it last took place in the year 1888. But that’s nothing compared to the next time this pairing comes along. The next time Thanksgivukkah will be celebrated will not happen for another 70,000 years. Holiday table conversation will no doubt center on this rare event and the added significance of this particular Hanukkah and Thanksgiving. Thanksgivukkah is truly a once-in-a-lifetime event.

There is more to the hybrid holiday than the sight of candied yams and sweet potato latkes on the same table. American Jewish families have much to be grateful for and much to celebrate. While the Thanksgiving holiday is quite different than the Jewish Hanukkah, there are actually more similarities than one might think. Thanksgiving and Hanukkah share much common ground. Both stories began with escape from religious persecution. Pilgrims flocked to the New World because they disagreed with the beliefs of the Church of England. The Jews in ancient times also fled religious persecution, as they rebelled against the process of worshiping Greek gods and false idols. Both groups sought freedom from tyranny and the chance to live and believe as they wished.

This special year, along with the turkey,stuffing and cranberries, parents and grandparents can celebrate Thanksgivukkah with traditional Hanukkah gelt. But we couldn’t let a once-in-the-next-70,000-years event take place without coming up with some special commemorative designs. Wait’ll you see the awesome chocolate coin designs we have in store for Thanksgivukkah 2013. Savor the season and the tradition with festive chocolate coins… Thanksgivukkah gelt! Get ’em while you can because you won’t see them again in this lifetime.

Ready or not, the holidays are upon us. In today’s fast-paced world where holidays and traditions can sometimes lose their true meaning in the quest for the newest iPad, Thanksgivukkah is so rare of an event that it deserves to have us acknowledge, if only for one day, what’s really important.

So get ready to carve that turkey & pass the latkes! Happy Thanksgivukkah, y’all!

Hope everyone has a very fun and very safe Halloween. Until next time…

I have nothing witty to say. Thank God this bit ends tomorrow.

Have a nice day.

Who has two bolts and loves the 80’s? THIS GUY!!

This time of year always makes me nostalgic. I remember as a young boy writing my annual letter to my idol and forgoing trick-or-treating with the other kids to hang out and wait for him to show on Halloween night. All the other kids laughed at me, even this round-headed boy who was the very definition of uncool. Anyway, I was disappointed year after year, stood up repeatedy, cold and shivering in a pumpkin patch.

Oh, wait a minute…

True, most zombies do crave brains. But there’s a group of hipster zombies that avoid brains like the last plague. For these health-concious members of the walking dead, it’s grains they’re after. They’ll kill it for millet, go vulgar for bulgur, and get gnarly for barley.

So next time one starts drooling over your leg, offer them a legume instead.

Funerals can be such a downer. But with a Lucky Stiff event, it’ll go from solemn to bombin’ in no time! DJ Spooky spins the grooves including “Dead Man’s Party”, “Don’t Fear the Reaper”, & “Blurred Lines”. Through October 31st, buy one burial and get the second FREE! For your next loss of loved one, nobody beats Lucky Stiff Mortuary…They put the “FUN” in funeral!

Remember the movie The Omen and the scene where the Dad cuts his kid’s hair to find the 666 on his head? Talk about pure evil. My parents did the same thing to me but were relieved when they found the number 333. I’m only half evil.

Enough with the vampires already. At the risk of alienating my wife, who watches all 26 shows dealing with vampires, it’s time for the bloodsucker craze to crawl back into its collective casket. I may need to stage an intervention for her just to recapture my TV and watch something that doesn’t involve overly pretty people biting each other’s necks. It’s gotten so bad at my house that she’s taken to DVR’ing kid’s programs in the hopes of finding a rerun with this guy.