Thursday 27 November 2014

Thanksgiving Day, what is it all about then?


I’ve always known that America celebrates Thanksgiving, and it’s a big national holiday, but I’ve never taken the time to see what it is about.  So, I’ve been reading all about it, and as I do, I wish that I could experience a true American Thanksgiving for myself, as it sounds so welcoming.

The essence of Thanksgiving is one of sharing, community, gratitude and compassion for others, which is a really important message; I find it refreshing to think that families come together to celebrate this reason.

The tradition of Thanksgiving goes back to 1620 where the Pilgrims left Plymouth, England in search civil and religious liberty in the New World.  They journeyed by sea until they saw land, which saw them arriving in Massachusetts, they searched for a suitable landing place and before they left the ship they signed the Mayflower Compact, which was America’s document of civil government.

The Pilgrims built shelter, but the harsh winter, illness and starvation took the lives of around half of their number before Spring.  With the help of neighbouring Native Americans, they enjoyed a plentiful harvest the following summer

On 13th December the Pilgrims then declared a three day feast to give thanks to God and to celebrate with their Native American friend.  There were so many people celebrating that the Pilgrims didn’t have enough food for everyone, so the Native Americans brought some of their own food to the feast including turkey, duck, deer, berries, squash and cornbread.  This feast would see America’s first Thanksgiving Festival.

These days it would seem that Thanksgiving is about families coming together to share a Thanksgiving dinner of turkey, mash potatoes, sweet potatoes, cranberry sauce, seasonal vegetables and gravy, and commonly pumpkin pie is shared. 

Being thankful is such an important thing, which can be easily forgotten so I think it is a brilliant idea to set aside some time to be thankful.  I read a quote recently that, in my opinion summed up Thanksgiving and it was by W. Clement Stone, it is:

“If you are really thankful, what do you do?  You share”

Beautiful!

Thursday 13 November 2014

CSM’s New e-Com+ Delivery Service


Introducing our latest e-commerce solution, eCom+, the new low cost way of sending your parcels. You can now ship up to 5Kg to any UK destinations for just £3.75 + VAT.

Our new service, designed specifically with online retailers in mind, offers a fully trackable 3-4 day delivery service, with the capability of text message alerts or e-mails on delivery. 

Our new eCom+ service covers the entire UK for the £3.75 fee; no additional charges will be made for deliveries to the Scottish Highlands and Islands, the Isle of Man, the Isle of Wight or the Scilly Isles.

We have proven success with seamless links with existing online retailers, to our online delivery booking system.  This developed feature is ready and available for new clients, potentially cutting down hours of website development time.

Alternatively, delivery data can be imported to your records via an import routine.

Our eCom+ rates join our range of next day delivery services giving our customers a wider range of delivery options with the same personal service they have come to accustomed to.

You can register your interest online by clicking here, alternative you can call your closest CSM branch to discuss your requirement, click here for the list of branches.

We are so excited to be able to offer this new service, we hope it can be of benefit to your business too.

Tuesday 11 November 2014

Remembrance Day Explained for Children


Have you had a child ask you about Remembrance Day recently?  I have, and although I know the basics, I wanted to give a full reflection of what it is about.  So I turned to the internet in search of a child friendly explanation of what the day is about and how it came to be, and I must say I really struggled to find an appropriate account.  So if you are in the same position maybe this would help.

Remembrance Day is also known as Armistice Day, and is commemorated every year on 11th November, to mark the armistice signed between the Allies of World War I and Germany.  An armistice is a formal agreement between warring sides to stop fighting. 

World War I started in 1914 and ended in 1918, and this year marks 100 years since the start of the war.

Each year, at 11am on 11th November, the country holds a two minute silence as a mark of respect and remembrance for all soldiers who lost their lives through war.  The tradition of the silence was introduced four days before the first anniversary of World War I by King George V, when he announced that a two minute would be observed.

Remembrance Sunday, is a day to remember British and Commonwealth soldiers who died during the two World Wars and all wars after these.  Remembrance Sunday is held on the second Sunday in November, and ceremonies are held at local war memorials in most cities and towns where wreaths of remembrance poppies are laid on the memorials and a two minute silence is held.

A national ceremony is held on Remembrance Sunday at a war memorial in London called The Cenotaph.  During this ceremony poppy wreaths are laid by the British Royal family along with the Prime Minister and leaders of other major political parties, the Foreign Secretary, the Commonwealth High Commissioner and representatives from the Army, Navy and the Air Force.  The two minute silence at this ceremony begins by the firing of a field gun on Horse Guards Parade with the sound of a bugle call, and is ended with a second bugle call.

In 1921 a senior British officer called Field Marshall Douglas Haig and the Royal British Legion took the poppy emblem as a symbol of remembrance.  Known today as the Poppy Appeal, paper poppies are made in The Poppy Factory in Richmond, London, and are sold by members of the Royal British Legion.  The money raised by this appeal goes to support ex-servicemen and their families who are in need.