Over the holidays, some “secret santas” that paid off the layaway bills of random strangers made the news, but there’s an actual Random Acts of Kindness week, which happens to be this week in 2012.

Random Acts of Kindness Week’s history is not entirely clear, but mentions of Random Acts of Kindness Week (or RAK week) on the web go back well into the last decade- interestingly, it seems people are more into actually putting the practice of random acts of kindness into play that taking credit for popularizing the kindness-palooza. There is a site set up to celebrate general Random Acts of Kindness, but the group behind it does acknowledge the benefit of promoting the concept through a whole week of focusing on creating RAKs for your fellow man. RandomActsofKindness.org explains:

“RAK Week is February 14-20, 2011, and the second full week of February each year. Random Acts of Kindness Week is designed to give those who are either not currently aware of Random Acts of Kindness or those who wish to call attention to the value of kind actions a chance to experience the joy of passing along kindness. The week’s purpose is to raise awareness about kindness and to invite people to give and receive kindness daily.”

According to the site, Random Acts of Kindness Week celebrations are variable:

“Celebrations vary widely. An individual may celebrate kindness by performing anonymous kind acts all week long. An educator may lead a discussion about kindness and involve students in a brief kindness activity. Some celebrations are school wide. Some celebrations are community-based rather than school-based. The choice is up to you. For hundreds of ideas, consult our Kindness Ideas resource, or the Educators and Community sections on this website.”

Are you planning to celebrate Random Acts of Kindness Week 2012? Do you try to engage in RAKs all year round?

Random Acts of Kindness Week is a post from: The Inquisitr

You can call it the holiday wrapping paper index or whatever you’d like but if wrapping paper sales in the U.S. are any indication it will have been a very good holiday season for U.S. retailers.

In attempting to gather a quick measurement about American confidence and an economic rebound analysts have found that wrapping paper sales, a necessity for wrapping goods purchased have sprung back to 2007 highs.

According to the Wall Street Journal in 2010 gift wrapping accounts for $9.36 billion in sales, up 4% from 2009 and now that number is suspecting of increasing by 10% in 2011.

It should be noted that the Gift Wrap Company, a major supplier of gift wrapping points to lower-cost rolls and traditional motifs as reason for part of their success in 2011.

As a spokesman for the company revealed:

“It’s the traditional colors, traditional Santa icons and snowmen,” said a spokesman. “Those kinds of things never go out of style.”

However if the cost per roll is lower and buyers are purchasing even more rolls it could mean that the 10% number has meant even more wrapping bought and therefore more presents under Christmas trees around the country.

The Inquisitr also recently reported that Christmas tree and Christmas decor spending has increased this year, a possible sign of a strengthening economy.

Retails stores in my area have for the most part appeared to be much more full than the last several years.  In the meantime homeowners in my city have been decorating their homes with more lights and other decorations than they have in years, a sign that they have gotten back into American consumerism during the holidays.

Do you think American confidence has returned to the retail industry this holiday season or have buyers simply been trying to make up for sparse Christmas time gift giving since the 2008 mortgage meltdown?

[Image via ShutterStock.com]

Wrapping Paper Sales Point To Heavy Retail Traffic For 2011 Holiday Shopping is a post from: The Inquisitr

As millions of Americans spend time with friends, family and loved ones in celebration of the holiday season one family has received a much needed and welcomed gift, a $20,000 gift certificate from home improvement chain Home Depot.

A military family was awarded the prize as part of the company’s first Give the Gift of Good campaign, a months-long web contest that asked DIY and military bloggers to find a military family with the greatest need for home repairs.

The eventual winners were the Dilly family. Sgt. Kevin Dilly has served three tours in Iraq and Afghanistan and is currently stations in Greenland while his wile Tyrena is at home with their five children, two of which have spina bifida, a disease that has confined them to their wheelchairs.

Thanks to the money the family will be able to fix the roof on their 1950s built home while adding some much needed insulation for the cold winter months. They also plan to spread the money out to help fix some flooring issues in their home while adding ramps for their wheelchair bound kids.

It’s not just Home Depot trying to help out families this year, President Obama wished everyone a “Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays” this week and then asked that Americans do all they can to help the men and women serving in uniform over the holidays by visiting the website JoiningForces.gov.

In his remarks President Obama said:

“This night let us not forget those who still stand in harm’s way far from home so we can enjoy this season in peace and freedom.”

Have you done anything special to help out a military family this holiday season?

Home Depot Gives Military Family In Need $20,000 For Home Repairs is a post from: The Inquisitr

Holiday travelers with access to a Skype Wi-Fi account will be able to take advantage of the service for free starting on Wednesday, December 21st through December 27th.

Under the program Skype is offering one hour of completely free access to travelers passing through 50 different U.S. airports.

To activate the free service users of Skype for Windows, Skype for Mac and the Skype Wi-Fi iOS app simply log-in at any one of Skype’s accepted locations which can be found on Skype’s website (pictured above).

This isn’t the first time a tech company has offered free Wi-Fi, Google offered unlimited access to Wi-Fi networks (airports and in-flight) over several holiday periods , however unlike Google’s generosity Skype has a specific motive, introducing potential customers to their new Wi-Fi hotspot service.

Do you plan to take advantage of Skype Wi-Fi when traveling through any of their U.S. supported free Wi-Fi airports over the holiday season?

Skype Rolls Out Free Airport Wi-Fi For The Holidays is a post from: The Inquisitr

It is that time of year again.  We have the candles ready to light, the presents bought  and Adam Sandler is probably writing a nice little number to make us laugh during the Jewish Festival of Lights.

But as they say, no Jewish Holiday can be complete without the food!  Here are some recipes for the Hebrew Gourmet to enhance your Hanukkah table.

Tarragon Potato Latkes

Ingredients

Gourmet Hanukkah Recipes For Eveyone is a post from: The Inquisitr

Web monitoring firm comScore has marked a recent 15 percent weekly increase in online holiday sales in what could possibly be the busiest week of the year.

According to the research company shoppers have spent $30.9 billion online from Nov. 1 through Dec. 16, that number compares to just $26.9 billion during the same period of 2010.

The tracking company also found that during four days last week buyers purchased more than $1 billion worth of goods for a total of $6.31 billion, 15% better than last years best week total.

According to comScore chairman Gian Fulgoni that five day period:

“Will almost certainly be the heaviest week of the online holiday shopping season.”

The company notes that this years Cyber Monday is still the largest online shopping day ever recorded with a 22 percent increase to $1.25 billion (pictured above), a number that just barely surpassed $1 billion last year.

With holiday shopping expected to make up 40 percent of annual revenues for 2011 the growing trend towards online purchases is good news for online retailers and bad news for the more expensive to operate brick and mortar locations.

An interesting point of interest was also discovered through the company’s research, according to comScore more than half of all purchases made online for the current holiday shopping period were sent to customers using free shipping offers.

Do you believe online shopping sales figures will continue to see a large increase in the years to come thanks to the mobility of users who now take advantage of tablets, smartphones and other portable devices on a more regular basis?

Holiday Shopping Increases 15% Online, Shoppers Spend Billions is a post from: The Inquisitr

The Calgary Hitmen couldn’t defeat the Medicine Hat Tigers this weekend, but the night wasn’t a total loss. More than 25,000 children will have a new teddy bear thanks to the Calgary fans who donated a stuffed animal during the 2011 teddy bear toss.

Hitmen rookie Calder Brooks said that he wished the Hitmen could have won the game, but it was still an amazing experience to see all those teddy bears flying toward the ice.

Calder said:

“It’s unbelievable playing in front of all of those fans. I’ve never experienced anything close to that before. But I’m sure if we would have got the win, it would be a better mood inside the dressing room.”

Hitmen head coach Mike Williamson added:

“It’s such a good crowd, obviously. It’s a great thing for our players to have that experience to play in front of that many people and to have that energy.

According to Yahoo! Sports, the fans in Calgary hurled 25,303 stuffed animals onto the ice during the 2011 teddy bear toss. The 17th annual teddy bear toss saw 2,000 more stuffed animals than in 2010, but still fell short of the record, 26,919, set in 2007.

Here’s the video of the teddy bear toss.

And in case you need a different angle, here’s the view from the ice.

According to the Calgary Herald, the 25,303 stuffed animals will be delivered by the Hitmen to various local hospitals. The 2011 event was the second largest in teddy bear toss history.

Are you making any holiday donations this year?

Teddy Bear Toss: Hockey Fans Donate 25,000 Stuffed Animals in Two Minutes [Video] is a post from: The Inquisitr

When considering household cleanliness, fridges are almost forgettable, a place where leftovers and all kinds of science projects can collect behind the impermeable, sealed-shut door.

Yeah, you remember when you go in for a Mountain Dew that the Chinese food from Mumbletytember is still in the back, and little kids drip syrup, grape juice and every other imaginable thing in its many stainable crevices. And while laundry or a sink full of dishes sits there and taunts you, a messy fridge is easy to ignore even when sanctimoniously getting the rest of the house spotless.

One “come to Jesus” moment with refrigerators is a sudden influx of new food, like when you have a party and need to chill eighteen tons of beer, crudites and all your birth control rings. What? Anyway, given that next week is one of the biggest annual food orgies America sees each year, it makes sense that today, November 15th, is Clean Out Your Fridge Day.

An annual fridge overhaul is not a bad idea, although perhaps Clean Out Your Fridge Day should be considered at least a seasonal holiday. It’s a good time to go through your stocks of less-perishables, like jam, ketchup, mustard, mayo and soy sauce and plan to stock up on new ones. If you’ve got company coming next week, all the better to swap out old stuff for new and avoid the embarrassment of a guest requesting a little used condiment only to find it passed its best-buy date sometime in the middle of the second Bush administration.

If you need a bit of help to decide what to keep and what to toss, the website StillTasty.com is a good resource for determining how long perishables last in different forms of storage. Do you plan to “celebrate” Clean Out Your Fridge Day?

Clean Out Your Fridge Day Hits Ahead of Turkey Day is a post from: The Inquisitr

Actually, there are two.

One is in October, but today is often dubbed International Caps Lock Day- sorry, INTERNATIONAL CAPS LOCK DAY- because it also marks the anniversary of the unexpected death of popular TV pitchman Billy Mays. Mays passed away two years ago, and in tribute, many users re-named their Caps Lock key the “Billy Mays” key due to his habit of shouting phrases like “BUT WAIT, THERE’S MORE!”

The other Caps Lock day is October 22nd, but the official date should really move to June 28th to honor Mays the best way the internet knows how- with good natured ribbing, memes and other humorous tributes.

The original Caps Lock Day is marked with an official website (and Twitter account), and described by its creator thusly:

International Caps Lock Day is in fact a testament to the small mindedness of certain Western individuals: the majority of the world’s population writes in scripts which have no concept of letter casing. Therefore it is advised to laugh at anyone who invokes this day as an excuse to dismiss local typographical conventions: they are simply making an ass out of themselves.

Do you think the holiday should move in memory of Billy Mays?

HAPPY CAPS LOCK DAY, INTERNET is a post from: The Inquisitr

How did you spend your Christmas vacation?

[graphjam]

Chart: How you spent the holidays, expectations vs. reality is a post from: The Inquisitr

via @ZoliErdos and @KnutJensen

Get your very own TSA Travel Vouchers right here is a post from: The Inquisitr

It happens twice a year, and today is one of those two glorious celebratory days: INTERNATIONAL CAPS LOCK DAY!

The first instance of International Caps Lock Day, the less established one, was added in honor of the much beloved infomercial screamer Billy Mays for the date of his death, June 28th. The first, more established version of International Caps Lock Day was conceived in 2000 (and seems to mock not only CAPS LOCK cretins, but people who use poor spelling and grammar):

International Caps Lock Day is in fact a testament to the small mindedness of certain Western individuals: the majority of the world’s population writes in scripts which have no concept of letter casing. Therefore it is advised to laugh at anyone who invokes this day as an excuse to dismiss local typographical conventions: they are simply making an ass out of themselves.

The holiday has an (ugly) official website and Twitter account, as well as its very own hashtag, #CAPSLOCKDAY. SO ARE YOU CELEBRATING AND STUFF OR WILL YOU TYPE IN PROPER CASE ALL DAY?

[TNW]

Internet holidays: International Caps Lock Day is a post from: The Inquisitr

As the popularity of text messages and other degraded forms of communication rise, “grammar nazis” have really gotten the short end of the stick, especially on the internet.

Heaven forbid you gently correct someone with an abomination of a status message on Facebook. All of a sudden, you’re the bad guy, and no one ever steps in to defend the poor person who spoke up against the mass defiling of the English language. Well, if there’s any day you should be able to “march forth” with your grammar preservation efforts, it’s- well, March 4th.

Maybe you’re one of the morons, and that’s okay, too. While we are judging (because we can, on Grammar Day!) take a few minutes out of your busy, language-raping schedule to brush up on your skillz. A quick visit to NationalGrammarDay.com offers some gentle reminders that you can talk pretty someday, too. For instance, a lesson on ending sentences with prepositions argues that avoidance of the practice results in clumsy syntax, and should therefore not necessarily be judged:

You can’t say, “What did you step?” You need to say, “What did you step on?” to make a grammatical sentence.

I can hear some of you gnashing your teeth right now, while you think, “What about saying, ‘On what did you step?’” But really, have you ever heard anyone talk that way? I’ve read long, contorted arguments from noted grammarians about why it’s OK to end sentences with prepositions when the preposition isn’t extraneous (1), but the driving point still seems to be, “Nobody in their right mind talks this way.” Yes, you could say, “On what did you step?” but not even grammarians think you should.

If you want to use a Sharpie to rogue-correct some abused apostrophes, though, I won’t tell.

March 4th is National Grammar Day- feel free to unleash your inner pedant is a post from: The Inquisitr

The first of two Google logos is a holiday postcard from the tropics. I guess the next one will show some snow. You can see the logo(s) on the Google logo landing page.

In more important news, for the first time in 15 years Denmark will have a white christmas. Yeah for us.

Google Wishes You Happy Holidays – New Logos Incoming is a post from: The Inquisitr

Like many holidays that became national tradition, what was meant as a day for low-key reflection, gratitude and in this case charity is on the road to becoming a crass bastion of consumerism.

The 87-year-old “Sweetest Day” began as a tradition in Cleveland by a candy store owner. The man would deliver candy and treats to orphans (awwww….), the elderly and the homebound as a charitable gesture. But as a growing number of people discover the holiday, it’s become a kind of Valentine’s Day: 2, an interlude between February and December to gift your girl (or boy) with lovey-dovey (and expensive) things.

One Chicago purveryor of chocolate isn’t letting the injustice stand, even if it means selling less sweets. Rhonda Dehn of Morkes Chocolate would really like to see the holiday celebrated properly, thank you very much. Dehn says:

“(Sweetest Day) is not about spending money. It’s about doing something nice.”

I think a lot of people are confused. They’re like, ‘Where did this holiday come from? What am I supposed to do?’ They come in (to Morkes Chocolates) and go, ‘Uh, I’ve got to get something.’”

But Dehn is putting her candy where her mouth is, spending the day doling out treats at a local senior’s home. (But what about the orphans, Rhonda?) Dehn hopes others will take the lead:

“It’s sad, but the people who should be remembered are forgotten,” Dehn said. “Wouldn’t it be nice if St. Joseph Home for the Elderly or Children’s Memorial Hospital had to have cops outside directing traffic, because of all the cars coming in on Sweetest Day?”

[Daily Herald]

Chicago candy store takes stand on meaning of Sweetest Day is a post from: The Inquisitr

 Blurp Charlie Mask – for a good dose of blood, gore and realistic looking tendons

Tattooed Terror Mask – for the kinky nose ring crowd

Dark Walker Demon Mask – for the fantasy demon lover

Pete Moss Mask – make them think you just clawed your way out of a grave or some similar dark and dank place

Sutured Werewolf Mask – and just back from the plastic surgeon who seems to have failed at the job

Skinner Skinned Mask – show everyone your beauty is more than just skin deep

Blasted Head Mask – just the sort of thing that happens after playing too much Half Life 2

Whisper Monster Whistle Mask – your more tender side exposed

Skinned Alive Old Man Mask – go for the extra treat by removing your skin

and of course it wouldn’t be Halloween without a president mask – Zombama Mask

10 Great Halloween Masks is a post from: The Inquisitr

Even to this day it absolutely  amazes me the degree to which people will post stuff on places like Twitter than any sane person would think twice of. It’s one thing to tell the world you’re taking a dump but it is another thing altogether different when you spread the word that you have left to go on your holidays, especially if for some idiotic reason you toss in some BrightKite info.

This however is exactly what an Arizona man did recently, minus the BrightKite info, only to come home after his and his wife’s holidays in Kansas City.

Israel Hyman posted to approximately 2,000 followers on Twitter that he and his wife were "preparing to head out of town," that they had "another 10 hours of driving ahead" and later, that they "made it to Kansas City."

When he came home, he found that someone had broken into his house and stolen thousands of dollars worth of video equipment he used for his video business, IzzyVideo.com, which he uses for his Twitter account.

"My wife thinks it could be a random thing, but I just have my suspicions," he told The Associated Press. "They didn’t take any of our normal consumer electronics."

Source: Security :: cnet news

I think that things like Twitter, Friendfeed and Facebook serve a great purpose however advertising you are leaving town for an extended period of time isn’t one of them. As we get sucked further into this rabbit hole of the real-time web and our desire to post everything about ourselves to the web we are leaving ourselves open to more and more things like this happening.

Of course when news of an increase of these types of things happening hit the mainstream it will be the fault of the big bad web and not the people who insist on exposing themselves to such a degree.

Here’s a hint – telling the Twittersphere you’ve left on holidays isn’t a bright idea is a post from: The Inquisitr

National Chocolate Chip Day

Not much is known about National Chocolate Chip Day other than that it’s a celebration of all things chocolate chip. And, really, that’s probably more than enough information for revelers.

I can tell you that National Chocolate Chip Day evidently falls on May 15th of every year. And I can suggest an activity that might just be fit for the occasion:

Mars’ Real Chocolate Relief program is in full effect today. The so-called “Free Chocolate Friday” promotion means you can get a free full-sized candy bar just by signing up. It might not technically have chocolate chips…but hey, I say it’s close enough.

Celebrate: It’s National Chocolate Chip Day! is a post from: The Inquisitr

National High Five Day Origins

National High Five Day is a relatively new celebration, started at the University of Virginia in 2002. The explanation of the holiday, according to the official National High Five Day Web site:

“Imagine that while on your way to class, you pass a dignified looking middle-aged man in a suit. You, of course, are wearing the same underwear as yesterday, a pair of pants off your floor, and a T-shirt with something ironic printed on it. Instead of noticing this respectable pillar of society fifteen seconds or so before your interaction is fated to occur, and lowering your head to avoid his disapproving scowl, you take another course of action. You confidently walk forward, and at the moment of passing, you and the businessman simultaneously raise your hands and wordlessly high-five. The sound of the perfect high five resonates, causing those nearby to silently and enviously take notice. You both walk on, and likely relate the story to whomever you eat dinner with that night. There is no reason why this should not happen with alarming frequency.”

National High Five Day: What to Do?

So how to celebrate National High Five Day? The official site suggests you simply “extend your outstretched hand to the next stranger who walks by, and repeat until the High Five is reciprocated.” Seems easy enough.

Need more info? Check out the following National High Five Day documentary. And hey, if it isn’t your thing, there’s always National PB&J Day, National Napping Day, National Pancake Day, Pi Day, or — perhaps most practical of all — National Squirrel Appreciation Day.

All About National High Five Day is a post from: The Inquisitr

“So here is a picture of one of my closets ~ I know it looks like a complete train wreck but I tore it apart for a good cause haha.  I actually went through all of my closets [...] and gave all of it to charity.  I really hope that they make someone’s christmas =)!”

Ceiling eyes aren’t so bad when they’re paired with an awesomely big heart. Go Audrina!

Audrina Patridge’s Closet Ransacked! is a post from: The Inquisitr