Blue Helm

We just had a wonderful Independence Day weekend and in the spirit of the season I want to tell you about America’s Freedom Festival, a not-for-profit organization we have the privilege of working with. I do want to make it clear that they are one of our clients, but they are not paying me or even know that I’m writing this.

I have always loved America. I think our country is the best in the world, and I will always stand by that opinion. I’ve always celebrated patriotic holidays and honored our servicemen and women. US history was one of my favorite subjects in school and I get emotional every time I watch Gettysburg (one of my top ten favorite movies). But as I’ve worked with the people at the Freedom Festival, I’ve seen a whole new level of what love for America means.

America’s Freedom Festival is an organization devoted to Family, Freedom, God, and Country–the core values the Founding Fathers relied upon in the establishment of America. The Festival organizes around 30 annual events, the bulk of which take place in late June and early July. These events are big time. They organize a parade that attracts around 300,000 people. They organize Freedom Days, where hundreds of vendors come together to turn downtown Provo into an exciting patriotic shopping center. They put on a Patriotic Service where talented musical guests contribute to a patriotic message from a notable person to inspire the 10,000+ in attendance. They organize a massive production where thousands of fifth graders come together to put on a patriotic program that will stir your inner Patriot. And of course the main event, Stadium of Fire, where huge musical stars like Carrie Underwood, Miley Cyrus, the Jonas Brothers, and many more perform in front of 50,000 people and add their talents to an Independence Day production and fireworks show rivaled by few.

The question is, why? Why does this organization do it? Are they pushing some political agenda? Isn’t someone making a bunch of money off Stadium of Fire and rolling in it after the show? No. There is no monetary motivation, there is no political agenda. All of the money made off Stadium of Fire goes to pay for the 25+ other free events, which are not cheap to put on, as well as the next year’s Stadium of Fire. I’ve been in a ton of Freedom Festival meetings and I’ve worked in their offices for a year now and I am so surprised how little politics are spoken of. Honestly I can’t remember politics coming up once outside of the conversations my business partner Emory and I have.

I really wish you could spend a few days hanging out with the organizers and the volunteers in this organization. I’ve never met a group of people more genuinely in love with their country. When you see the work, the effort, the stress, the tears shed, and the volunteer time given to honoring America you can’t help but glean from the pure patriotic spirit that they radiate.

So what has the Freedom Festival taught me about what it means to love America? It means you serve regardless of your own interests. It means you give of your money, time, and even your life, for the good of others. It means you understand that freedom is not free as you try to empathize with the pain of parents and spouses who have survived the troops they sent out. It means you look and treat the American flag with respect and honor. It means that whenever you say the pledge or sing the national anthem you can’t help but think of the thousands of lives and the billions of hours that have been given to ensure freedom. It means so much more that a weekend of celebration.

So thank you to America’s Freedom Festival for opening my eyes a little more to what it means to love America. America is amazing!

We’re very excited about Christmas here a Blue Helm. One of my favorite parts of Christmas are all of the classic movies associated with it. Here are a few great clips from a few Christmas movies I love:

I love The Christmas Story. Such good writing:

The latest Christmas great:

I can’t believe this movie ever happened, but it still hilarious:

I’m always grateful when Heman explains things like Christmas to me:

This is a Classic:

What are some of your favorite Christmas movie clips?

A few weeks ago I wrote about four useful ways to use social media over Thanksgiving. In the spirit of consistency I decided to write a similar post about Christmas.

This post is more for personal rather than for business use. You can modify most of the ideas to apply to a business if you want. You can also modify most of the ideas in this post to apply to other religious beliefs or nonreligious holiday practices.

Christmas has always been a wonderful time for me. I love family, the traditions, the music, the movies, the decorations, the spirit of giving and love, and all the other elements associated with the Christmas season.

So how should you be using social media this Christmas? Here a few suggestions:

1. Share some of your favorite traditions with your Facebook friends or Twitter readers. As you hear of great traditions, make a list and post it on your blog or as a note on your Facebook profile.
2. I used this idea for Thanksgiving, but it fits well for Christmas too: Share your favorite recipes! We all love the delicious foods that accompany Christmas. Stop hoarding your favorite dish and share it with the world! (My favorite Christmas treat is my mother’s delicious cinnamon rolls.) After you’ve posted your recipe, ask for other people’s favorite recipes and try one of them this year.
3. Make and share a list of your top ten favorite Christmas movies, songs or T.V. specials. Here’s a link from one of my favorite holiday T.V. specials…I still can’t believe that ever aired.
4. Ask people to post pictures of their decorations on your Facebook wall. You could even get people to post pictures of the craziest decorations they’ve seen this year.
5. Share heartwarming Christmas stories you’ve heard. Here’s a link to a story I like.
6. If you have the courage, in this ever-politically correct world, share your gratitude for the birth of Jesus Christ. After all, that’s what Christmas is all about. Linus explains it well.

These are just a few of my ideas. What are some ways you’re using social media this Christmas season?

Thanksgiving is just around the corner. I’ve always loved Thanksgiving, a holiday that combines the four essential F groups: family, friends, food and football.

So what’s the best way to use social media this upcoming Thanksgiving week? Here are a few ideas:

1. Tell your family and friends (employees and clients if you’re a business) why you’re thankful for them. Write on their Facebook wall or tweet something nice about them. Expressing your gratitude for them will not only brighten this person’s day, it will make you feel great too.
2. Share your favorite recipes. We all love the delicious foods that accompany Thanksgiving dinner. Stop hoarding your favorite dish and share it with the world! Maybe someone else will love your stuffing, cranberry sauce or homemade apple pie. When you’ve posted the recipe, ask for other people’s favorite recipes and try one of them this year. If you’re a business, start a conversation about great recipes on your Facebook page, blog or on Twitter.
3. Make a list of things you’re thankful for and share it with everyone. It could be a list of the weirdest things you’re thankful for or even the top YouTube videos you’re thankful for. Just be thankful. That’s the idea of this holiday, right?
4. Share the best Black Friday deals! Not only is Thanksgiving Day awesome, but the day after is awesome too. Let people know where the best deals are. If you’re a business, let your followers know you’re having a killer deal. But don’t just share your own deals. Share deals for products from other businesses that will complement the items you sell. Karma pays dividends.

These are just a few of my ideas. How are you using social media to brighten your Thanksgiving?