This could be good time for Lenox, and all things American. When the virus goes, people will want to have the family over for a large dinner. And in a time when we spend $1,000 for caterers or supplies for a dinner, why not spend the same amount for something decent, and not Pottery Barn, to serve it on.MORE HERE

ASTORIA, QUEENS – After the bankruptcy of the Great Atlantic & Pacific Tea Company, yearly customers of the company’s Jane Parker fruitcakes were left bereft of their favorite holiday treat. However, two Long Island food entrepreneurs, brothers Alex and Chris Ronacher, have revived the historic brand, which was nearly asMORE HERE

Nearly every consumer brand gets some play around Christmas, yet some brands are more distinctly associated with Christmas than others. Below, some posts from BrandlandUSA directly relating to Christmas, which is both a religious holiday and a secular consumer tradition. Below, some of the stories in no particular order. ChristmasMORE HERE

Recently, our parish priest “commissioned” another week’s worth of bell ringers for The Salvation Army. Our family adopted a kettle, and one star member of the congregation, Janet Trefry, helped organize a whole season’s worth of ringers. What an tremendous job. The whole effort was a boost to Publix, whichMORE HERE

Here, the famous song with Hillside Singers in a late 1970s commercial for Coca-Cola. Below is the original. And below is Lorri Hafer, who was the original lead, along with the Shaw Brothers, who performed the music. Interestingly, introducing the video is Herb Oscar Anderson, WABC morning man and fatherMORE HERE

For those who like a traditional looking Christmas, there is no substitute to light from incandescent C-7 and C-9 light bulb, and no name more synonymous with Christmas lights than General Electric. One can make the case that the outdoor Christmas light has been one of the greater (and mostMORE HERE