Kicking off the 2021 Christmas Season music - A Charlie Brown Christmas - Christmas Time is Here Song

What would Christmas be without Charles Schulz's beloved Charlie Brown? I am posting the gold standard classic - let's lighten it up and enter this Christmas season on a Palmetto Bay high note!

Try and get this music out of your head. Enjoy.

Preparing for this holiday week: Who remembers WKRP "As God as my witness, I thought turkeys could fly" Happy Thanksgiving

Who here remembers (and who watched the original airing, rather than in reruns) this infamous episode?

Les Nessman discovers that WKRP's Thanksgiving promotion just isn't going to fly.

Kicking off the 2020 Christmas music Season - A Charlie Brown Christmas - Christmas Time is Here

What would Christmas be without Charles Schulz's beloved Charlie Brown? I am posting the gold standard classic - let's lighten it up post election and enter this Christmas season on a Palmetto Bay high note.

Try and get this music out of your head. Enjoy.

Don't forget about your pets. Prepare them for the New Year's celebration.

Merry Christmas - 2019 - remembering the Christmas Truce in WWI - read History dot com account

Christmas Time - a time for a little truce and ponder the true meaning of Christmas.

One of my favorite Christmas events still remembered - Christmas in wartime - leading to the brief respite that came to be know as the Christmas truce. 

Read the full account on History.com: Christmas Truce of 1914

On December 7, 1914, Pope Benedict XV suggested a temporary hiatus of the war for the celebration of Christmas. The warring countries refused to create any official cease-fire, but on Christmas the soldiers in the trenches declared their own unofficial truce.

At the first light of dawn on Christmas Day, some German soldiers emerged from their trenches and approached the Allied lines across no-man’s-land, calling out “Merry Christmas” in their enemies’ native tongues. At first, the Allied soldiers feared it was a trick, but seeing the Germans unarmed they climbed out of their trenches and shook hands with the enemy soldiers. The men exchanged presents of cigarettes and plum puddings and sang carols and songs. There was even a documented case of soldiers from opposing sides playing a good-natured game of soccer.

Some soldiers used this short-lived ceasefire for a more somber task: the retrieval of the bodies of fellow combatants who had fallen within the no-man’s land between the lines.

The so-called Christmas Truce of 1914 came only five months after the outbreak of war in Europe and was one of the last examples of the outdated notion of chivalry between enemies in warfare. It was never repeated—future attempts at holiday ceasefires were quashed by officers’ threats of disciplinary action—but it served as heartening proof, however brief, that beneath the brutal clash of weapons, the soldiers’ essential humanity endured.

Info above taken verbatim from History.Com

Photo: “1914 Christmas Truce Monument, Messine.”

You're a Mean One Mr. Grinch, Original Version - 1966 (HD) (Song excerpt, not entire movie)

Memories - it is simply not the Christmas season without watching the original animated classic.

Happy Holidays! Merry Christmas.

Lyrics and copyright information included in the full video post on YouTube

Peanuts Gang : Christmas Song "Linus & Lucy"

It is that time of year. Time to lighten up and get into the holiday season. An all time classic.

Who doesn't tune in each year to watch the Peanuts Christmas classic?

Happy National Dog Day - Monday, Aug. 26, 2019, is celebrated as International Dog Day, in the United States.

Lil Timmy and Bailey are happy to wish everyone a "Happy National Dog" Day in Palmetto Bay, Miami-Dade County, FL.

Bailey - above left, Timmy - above right.

Happy National Dog Day - Monday, Aug. 26, 2019, is celebrated as International Dog Day, in the United States.

Lil Timmy loves to celebrate his "Gotcha Day" of June 29, 2014 - See Prior related Photo of the Day Post - It’s Lil Timmy's very first Gotcha Day! He is Meredith's loyal canine companion, adopted from the Miami-Dade County Animal Services.

Support your local pet rescue group. There are many more animals looking for a home where they help improve your own life. Don't take it from me, check out WebMD - 5 Ways Pets Can Improve Your Health.

CLICK HERE to view prior related posts relating to dogs and dog events previously held in Palmetto Bay.

Politics and dogs are intertwined, 

The friendship of a dog is precious. It becomes even more

so when one is so far removed from home….I have a 

Scottie. In him I find consolation and diversion…he is 

the one person to whom I can talk without the 

conversation coming back to war.

—Dwight D. Eisenhower

and, finally, one of the all time classics quotes:

I love a dog. He does nothing for political reasons.

—Will Rogers

Have you ever watch the famous "Checker's Speech" delivered by Richard Nixon? Here is your chance:

Dr. Henry E. Perrine Academy of the Arts Students Host Toy Drive for Toys for Tots, Report by The Florida Villager

Lessons on sharing and community citizenship. See: Palmetto Bay Students Host Toy Drive for Toys for Tots, by TFVstaff

Dr. Henry E. Perrine Academy of the Arts located in Palmetto Bay, held its 7th Annual Toys For Tots toy drive and we are happy to report that we collected a whopping 325 toys this holiday season.

Photo credit - photo posted in original TFV Article.

Pictured here is a small representation of the students who donated to this worthy cause. Also pictured from left to right is Merlina the Magician, Maria Ibanez, and Mercy Diaz, toy coordinator. The school has collected over 2,500 toys since 2012.

Thank you to the Faculty, staff, volunteers and students for their community spirit!

2015 Facebook Memory - photo of the Day. Recognizing the original Palmetto Bay Canal Association for the annual Boat Parade and Canned Food Drive. May the tradition continue! Thank you to all who work hard to make this event happen.

A great Village Facebook post from 2015. It was my pleasure at that time to recognize the team behind the annual Palmetto Bay Boat Parade and Food Drive: (back) Dave Lundy and Noel Schael, and (front, l to r) Luis Fernandez, young Matthew and Victor, and Rainer Schael.

The Palmetto Bay Canal Association had been holding an annual Boat Parade and Canned Food Drive over many years. It provided a wonderful opportunity for friends and neighbors to get together as a community and express their holiday spirit through brightly lit boats cruising throughout the Village’s picturesque canals.

A very important component of the Boat Parade is the Canned Food Drive. Each year, the members of the Canal Association encourage boaters and parade watchers to donate canned goods that assists the Village of Palmetto Bay in its annual food drive effort. The cooperation and collaboration that the Village receives from the donations provided at the Boat Parade greatly increases the number of food items that we can provide to those less fortunate. Residents Rainer and Noël Schael have remained dedicated, tireless, and consistent in their coordination and leadership of the Palmetto Bay Canal Association and Canned Food Drive. With the service of these outstanding residents, the Village benefits from the festive and fun Boat Parade, but also feeds those who are in need of our help. Their giving spirit is commendable and invaluable.  Thank you to the Palmetto Bay Canal Association for your spirit of community and good will to all!

Prior posts relating to the Palmetto Bay Canal Association, Boat Parades:  (CLICK HERE).

Merry Christmas - 2018 - remembering the Christmas Truce in WWI - read History dot com account

Read the full account on History.com: Christmas Truce of 1914

On December 7, 1914, Pope Benedict XV suggested a temporary hiatus of the war for the celebration of Christmas. The warring countries refused to create any official cease-fire, but on Christmas the soldiers in the trenches declared their own unofficial truce.

At the first light of dawn on Christmas Day, some German soldiers emerged from their trenches and approached the Allied lines across no-man’s-land, calling out “Merry Christmas” in their enemies’ native tongues. At first, the Allied soldiers feared it was a trick, but seeing the Germans unarmed they climbed out of their trenches and shook hands with the enemy soldiers. The men exchanged presents of cigarettes and plum puddings and sang carols and songs. There was even a documented case of soldiers from opposing sides playing a good-natured game of soccer.

Some soldiers used this short-lived ceasefire for a more somber task: the retrieval of the bodies of fellow combatants who had fallen within the no-man’s land between the lines.

The so-called Christmas Truce of 1914 came only five months after the outbreak of war in Europe and was one of the last examples of the outdated notion of chivalry between enemies in warfare. It was never repeated—future attempts at holiday ceasefires were quashed by officers’ threats of disciplinary action—but it served as heartening proof, however brief, that beneath the brutal clash of weapons, the soldiers’ essential humanity endured.

Info above taken verbatim from History.Com

Photo: “1914 Christmas Truce Monument, Messine.”

Festivus for the rest of us. Festivus explained

Let the airing of grievances begin. 

Tonight we will meet for the feats of strength. 

Please, no tinsel, I find it distracting.

Best Christmas Ever - SNL "even when it's the worst, it's the best"

Too funny. Sometimes the humor is in the truth.

More Christmas Music - metal Christmas - Twisted Sister - "Oh Come All Ye Faithful"

Christmas Time: You're a Mean One Mr. Grinch, Original Version - 1966 (HD)

Memories - it is simply not the Christmas season without watching the original animated classic.

Happy Holidays! Merry Christmas.

12 days till Christmas - a little Christmas music - Vince Guaraldi Trio "Christmas Time Is Here" (vocal version from A Char...

Counting down with some Christmas time music - 12 days til Christmas.

Always a holiday classic!

It's on! Friends of the Miami-Dade Public Library is hosting the 26th Annual Book Sale from Dec. 12-15 at the Main Library in Downtown Miami.

Looking for something different to do? Here's a way to purchase a gift that is unique and supports our Miami-Dade County Library.

Here is something different for the holiday season (different to most). The Friends of the Miami-Dade Public Library book sale starts today! (December 12, 2018) Bring your bags – you’ll need them for all the great books you’ll find! http://social.miamidade.gov/0HB8

Find the perfect holiday gift without stretching your wallet thin. Friends of the Miami-Dade Public Library is hosting the 26th Annual Book Sale from Dec. 12-15 at the Main Library in Downtown Miami. The event will run from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.

The sale will have thousands of donated books, CD's and DVD's to choose from. All proceeds from the book sale will go to special education and cultural programs at libraries.

EDITOR'S NOTE: Here is the perfect opportunity to avoid downtown parking hassles – use the Metrorail – to the stop at the Government Center and walk over the Main Library (adjacent to the Government Center).

Yes Virginia, there will be a Palmetto Bay Boat Parade in 2018

I love a good parade #SmallTownUSA  The Palmetto Bay Boat Parade has been developing  for years.  The boat parade will move forward this year under new leadership.

The parade will take place on Saturday, December 15 -for those who live along the canal and the boat parade route, plan your backyard parties now. There is always a supportive group stationed along the banks of Coral Reef Park.

If you have a boat and would like to participate, please contact Jeri Schwartz-Allen for details of the parade route, time etc. For more information on the history of as well as to see photos from past events, please see my prior posts regarding the Palmetto Bay Boat Parades: (CLICK HERE)

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​​​​The plan to collect canned goods (as of today) is to have a couple of volunteer boats to collect the canned goods from the canal banks. There will also be a donation box at Coral Reef Park’s Boat Ramp where the boats as years past have gathered just before the parade starts.

Past start times have been 5:30 at Coral Reef Park but stay tuned for the updates.

The plan this year is for the boat parade to begin heading south from Coral Reef Park to the fork by Bill Sodowski Park. Boats will then turn around and head back north to go through Coral Reef Park a 2nd time and then on to the lake to circle around and head back.

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Join your fellow Palmetto Bay Friends and Residents to help us ring in the holiday season and support your neighbors in need. All canned foods gathered will support local families.

Spectators can enjoy the parade from Coral Reef Park, Bill Sadowski Park, or anywhere along the canal parade route. Gather your family and friends in the beautiful Palmetto Bay outdoors while celebrating the spirit of the holidays.

More information will follow - more work needs to be done, but it appears positive and I anticipate everything will fall into place, so I am advising that the Boat Parade is ON!

Small Business Saturday - there are many deserving businesses located within and near Palmetto Bay working for your business

Saturday November 24 is not just your usual Saturday. There is more going on than the UM v PITT, UF v FSU, Marshall v FIU, Charlotte v FAU games (though I will be attending and watching) - 

Note that the UCF v USF is/was Friday, November 23, 4:15 PM

Saturday, November 24, is SMALL BUSINESS SATURDAY!

Small Business Saturday falls annually on the Saturday after Thanksgiving, between “Black Friday” and “Cyber Monday.” It is a day to “celebrate and support the small, independently owned businesses that help boost local economies across the country.

Small Business Saturday was created in 2010 in response to small-business owners’ most pressing need — more customers — in the face of competition from the big-box and online retailers.

We are fortunate to have the Palmetto Bay Business Association - CLICK HERE to download and view a 30 page .PDF file listing business members of the Palmetto Bay Business Association. You might be surprised to find a business that you need right in your backyard.

Besides the listed PBBA Members, Palmetto Bay is home to a large variety of businesses including bicycle shops, florists, flooring & design, clothing stores, and many local jewelers.

And, of course, you can take a break at or dine locally post shopping at any of the numerous restaurants from $ to $$$$ that we are fortunate to have located here in Palmetto Bay. (Many of these establishments offer gift cards that make great holiday personal or business appreciation gifts).

As Mayor, I encourage everyone to make every effort to patronize Palmetto Bay’s small & independent businesses on Nov. 26. Heck, please make every day a "small business Saturday".

Credit: AMERICAN EXPRESS - In an effort to support local shops that make our communities strong, American Express launches Small Business Saturday on the Saturday after Thanksgiving to encourage people to Shop Small and bring more holiday shopping to small businesses.

Happy Thanksgiving - 2018. 25 years after the famous snow bowl gift

There is much to be grateful for this Thanksgiving. Alexandra, Katherine, Meredith and I wish you and your family the happiest of holidays.

Like millions of others across this great country, we will celebrate Thanksgiving, honoring a tradition older than the nation itself. The Continental Congress proclaimed that the "inhabitants of these states" observe a day of Thanksgiving back in 1782.  Ever since then we set this day aside to give thanks for all our blessings, and this year we have many things for which to be thankful.

Please also take the time to remember and help the less fortunate.  Many families and children are doing with less, Take the time to become involved in a local charity, with time, if not a donation. There are many ongoing charities that are looking for donations and volunteers. 

Thanksgiving is the busiest traveling season of the year. Please be aware and be safe.

One of my personal favorite quotes about a holiday:

On Thanksgiving Day all over America, families sit down to dinner at the same moment - halftime.

– (author unknown)

Speaking of football, this is the 25 year anniversary of the Dallas Cowboy, Leon Lett’s, Thanksgiving Day gift to the Miami Dolphins. I have embedded a video of the event.  

Have a happy and safe Thanksgiving holiday!