Last week I wrote about my most poignant Christmas memory, it involved my mother giving and then taking away a prized toy top on Christmas Day when I was a little boy. I wrote the blog from the heart and was surprised by how much credit my mom received for inspiring the birth of Gotham when she whispered to me "It's better to give than receive."W …
With Christmas days away, I would like to share my most poignant Christmas memory. I was about 3 or 4 years old and I vividly recall opening presents with my mom and dad under our Christmas tree. And there was this very very special present, which I remember all these years later as a whirling dervish, spinning top which I activated by pulling a s …
What are your true feelings about Valentine's Day? I ask while Tuesday is still fresh in your mind. Is it just some manufactured Hallmark Holiday or is it romantic nirvana? Over the arc of our marriage we have always exchanged Valentine's cards, except this year. We mutually agreed it had become a played out ritual. Yet, as it happened, we had …
Two of my favorite words and concepts are Tradition and Family. Tradition is the transmission of customs or beliefs from generation to generation. Family is synonymous with lineage, clan or Tribe. Combined together, Family Tradition constitutes very strong ties that bind. Very closely!Our 3 generation family has just observed our annual holiday …
I always believed in Santa Claus. Still do!Tonight we continue our Family tradition of decorating our hearth with Santas small and large and they inspire me to think, as I mature and whiten. Aren’t there really 4 stages of life:1) You believe in Santa2) You don’t believe in Santa3) You are Santa and4) You look like Santa!
My wife couldn’t get the Amazon app to open on her computer, but I could on my phone. So I agreed to help, in my way, with her holiday shopping. And so began the following innocent, incompetent and frustrating adventure exploring the Amazon.In my own way, I then ordered the wrong thing or the wrong size or the wrong color. Or I ordered the righ …
Inspired by my friend BingoJo Celi’s recent piece on the same subject and in the afterglow of being around the table with family yesterday, I realize I am blessed with a cornucopia of things to be thankful for.Rather than list them, suffice it to say, in addition to gratitude for my readers, my cup runneth over!And you?
Ever since our boys were young we’ve decorated our hearth with Santas big and small. As the years passed “Santas” became a hallowed, enjoyable family tradition with our grand kids replacing our now adult sons with me as the only constant. Then came COVID and we were compelled to break tradition last year. It was a very sad and difficult decision, …
The best word to describe the afterglow generated by last week’s annual Holiday Party is the Yiddish word Kvell, which I jokingly described as a “Legal term” during the party, but is more accurately defined as “to be extraordinarily pleased; to be bursting with pride, as over one’s family.”So many operative/descriptive words:I was extraordinarily p …
Thanksgiving is always a bountiful and enjoyable holiday, but this year’s was extra special as our immediate Family convened at (older son) David and Julie’s house. Yes, David carved the Turkey, but, unquestionably, the driving force was Julie. She did it all!Putting aside all her shopping and preparation while holding down a full time job, she ex …
When I was young I was afraid of the dark and everything that went with it, imagined, real or suggested. So fearful that I had extreme trouble falling asleep. Yesterday was the winter solstice, the shortest (day light) day of the year. One could call it Heart of Darkness Day and say it is the worst or best day of year, as darkness bottoms and sta …
Tuesday night was our annual Holiday Party, at the Friars Club, and it was attended by about 100 people despite the rain (how come it always rains when we have our party?).Highlights were the announcement of the 2 well deserving 2017 Networkers of the Year, Susan Zinder and Carly Meyer (pictured above) who continued our winning red heads tradition. …
We all know the benefits of a reverse commute, well a creative variation is heading into the city from Long Island and away from the beaches and Hamptons in Summertime. It is a little known fact that the city is "dead" in the long hot Summer-especially on Holiday weekends when residents escape to beat the heat. Consequently, Joanne and I enjoyed 2 …
Friday is not Black for this Fred!Thanksgiving is a uniquely American holiday on which families gather to feast and give thanks. This year I have so very much to be thankful for:I was born in America the Free and fortunate to have parents who wanted to make a better life and provided me and my sister with excellent values and extensive education. …
I know some label Mother's Day a "Hallmark Holiday" (does anyone know the first such holiday?), but as the years go by the day becomes more and more poignant to me. On Sunday I posted the above beautiful photo of my mom on fredslist saying "Happy Mother's Day mom. I miss you!"Oh how I wish she was still here and how well I remember her constant a …
Fridays With Fred
A perfect way to send you into your weekend