COVID-19 – ThePhillyFiles.com

January 6, 2021

Should you be worried about your mental health?

Mental health refers to the general state of how you regulate your behavior, feelings and thoughts. There’s no standard for measuring what’s normal for…

December 29, 2020

Video: Wanted for stealing booze on Christmas Eve

NORTHERN LIBERTIES — Four men are accused of spending their Christmas Eve not celebrating the holiday, but stealing from a nightclub. Philadelphia police say…

August 13, 2020

5 ways to save big on everyday essentials

With many Americans spending more time at home, they are also using more common household items such as cleaning supplies, pantry items and snacks,…

August 8, 2020

How you can help find a solution to COVID-19

The human immune system holds important clues about how people naturally detect and defend against disease. For COVID-19, many people have been able to…

August 8, 2020

New food trends can save time and money

As families continue to adjust their meal routines amidst a worldwide pandemic, there are trends you and your loved ones can follow to improve…

August 4, 2020

4 things to consider before adopting a pet

Across the country, people are fostering and adopting furry friends more, with the number of animals in foster homes 43% higher than it was…

July 26, 2020

Emotionally preparing your children for back-to-school season

Between sheltering-in-place, online learning and time away from friends, many children will need a little extra support as they head back to school this…

July 25, 2020

Create a family-friendly ‘staycation’

5 ways to fill your home with happiness With summer vacations looking a little different this year, infusing new energy into playtime – and…

July 21, 2020

4 ways to help transition pets to post-quarantine routines

As states ease COVID-19 restrictions and people get out of the house to return to work, pets around the country may see their daily…

July 14, 2020

4 tips for working from home with your pet

One of the perks of working from home is more time with your pets. While it can be exciting to have your furry friends…

July 11, 2020

4 tips for planning a summer family vacation

As stay-at-home orders ease, many families are eager to get out of the house and hit the road for a summer trip. However, vacation…

June 21, 2020

Travel online: 5 ideas for a virtual family adventure

A dream vacation is the perfect antidote to stress and the monotony of daily life. When a getaway isn’t in the cards, you can…

June 17, 2020

The best bottles of wine as Father’s Day gifts

We don’t think anyone will dispute the fact that the last several months have been challenging. For many the challenge has been struggling with…

June 9, 2020

Help teens manage mental strain

COVID-19 may have begun as a physical health crisis, but like their parents, children, teens and college students (or young adults) are likely to…

June 3, 2020

Nothing says welcoming each other and warm weather like rosé

Despite the death and economic chaos brought on by COVID-19, we are searching for normalcy in our world – a time when we went…

May 20, 2020

Planning for warm weather wine, post-pandemic

As we write this column, the black cloud of the Novel Coronavirus continues to wreak havoc on the health of our citizens and the…

May 17, 2020

Pa. primary election deadlines approaching, including vote-by-mail

HARRISBURG, Pa. — Pennsylvania’s primary election will be held two weeks from Tuesday, but you only have until this Monday to register if you…

May 7, 2020

$6.8 million in Pew grants to help 38 Philadelphia-area nonprofits overcome COVID-19 emergency

PHILADELPHIA — Millions of dollars are going to help dozens of area health and human service organizations. The Pew Charitable Trusts announced it’s going…

May 6, 2020

More wine on the mind: Q&A from recent seminar

There may not have been another time when people were so interested in wine. Sales show quite an uptick in consumption in recent years,…

April 29, 2020

Wine for Mom can complement acts of appreciation on her holiday

Since the Coronavirus struck the United States, there has been a heap of well-deserved praise for the sacrifices of first-response teams, medical workers, grocery…

April 24, 2020

Unleash your inner home chef

With many Americans staying home, the pressure is on to maintain fun and variety in the kitchen, so family meals don’t get boring. However,…

April 23, 2020

Get away without going away

5 family staycation ideas that won’t break your budget Family vacations are a great way to bond and take a step back from the…

April 21, 2020

4 ways to help nurses during the Coronavirus pandemic

America’s nurses are on the front lines of the fight against coronavirus, providing safe, quality, compassionate and nondiscriminatory care to those they serve, many…

April 18, 2020

3 things to know about asthma

More than 25 million Americans suffer from asthma, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s National Health Interview Survey. This chronic condition…

April 12, 2020

Tap into employer benefit resources in times of uncertainty

For many American workers, how they do their jobs dramatically changed with the spread of COVID-19. Some have shifted to working from home while…

April 1, 2020

Wine, memories and making plans

As we write this column, most people are confined largely to their homes as the Coronavirus continues to spread across the country. Like you,…

Presidents DayMonday, February 15, 2021

Presidents Day is an American holiday celebrated on the third Monday in February. It was originally established in 1885 in recognition of President George Washington, but the holiday became popularly known as Presidents Day after it was moved as part of 1971’s Uniform Monday Holiday Act, an attempt to create more three-day weekends for the nation’s workers. While several states still have individual holidays honoring the birthdays of Washington, Abraham Lincoln and other figures, Presidents Day is now popularly viewed as a day to celebrate all U.S. presidents, past and present.

PurimThursday, February 25, 2021

The jolly festival of Purim starts tonight, on the 14th of the Hebrew month of Adar. It commemorates the salvation of the Jewish people in ancient Persia from Haman’s plot “to destroy, kill and annihilate all the Jews, young and old, infants and women, in a single day,” as recorded in the Book of Esther. Purim means “lots” in ancient Persian, and Haman had thrown lots to determine which day he would carry out his diabolical scheme. One of the observances is a feast, which often includes wine or other intoxicating beverages.

Daylight Saving TimeSaturday, March 13, 2021

“Spring forward” tonight at 2am, the second Sunday in March. The idea of daylight saving was first conceived by (who else? Philadelphian) Benjamin Franklin to reduce electricity usage by extending daylight hours. People in about 70 countries observe Daylight Saving, but they don’t in Hawaii and most of Arizona. It’s also a good time to change batteries in your smoke and carbon monoxide detectors, and flashlights, and remove expired items from your refrigerator and first aid kit.

St. Patrick’s DayWednesday, March 17, 2021

The Feast of Saint Patrick is both a cultural and religious celebration held on March 17, the traditional date of death of the foremost patron saint of Ireland. Saint Patrick lived from about 385 to 461, but the day was only made an official Christian feast day in the early 1600s. It commemorates Saint Patrick and the arrival of Christianity in Ireland, and celebrates the heritage and culture of the Irish in general. Also, the Lenten restrictions on eating, and drinking alcohol, are lifted for the day.

Beginning of SpringSaturday, March 20, 2021

At the spring (or vernal) equinox, days and nights are approximately 12 hours long, with day length starting to increase and night length starting to decrease. As the season progresses, the Earth’s axis increases its tilt relative to the sun and the hemisphere warms significantly, causing new plant growth to “spring forth,” giving the season its name. “Springtime” can also refer to the ideas of rebirth, rejuvenation, renewal and regrowth.