March is a month of birthdays in my growing family, so much so, that we now combine the celebration of a bunch of birthdays into one day. Of course, March 17th is Saint Patrick’s Day, always an important day on the calendar in my family since I was a kid. But as I’ve said before, not as important as July 4th, from a love-of-country point of view.… Read the rest
Category Archives: Holidays
A Holiday Gift for Yourself: A Fresh Start
My first impulse for this blog post, which is centered on wishing you the very best holiday season, was to search my past for a story that might resonate. Or, to try to think of a unique perspective or lesson from the holiday season that we could apply to the work of public relations.
But the truth is, if your holiday season is like mine, you have mixed feelings.… Read the rest
Pause This Memorial Day to Thank Someone Who Died for Your Freedoms
Memorial Day has become a lot of things, but as its very name implies, it’s not intended to be any of those things.
It’s a three-day weekend, the official start of summer in America, a chance to picnic with friends and family. Barbecue and cookout season is in full swing. What’s your favorite grill recipe?
It’s a day for parades, and perhaps a visit to the cemetery to remember our lost loved ones.… Read the rest
Lessons from Handling Public Relations for a St. Patrick’s Day Parade
With a name like O’Brien and having spent decades in the PR business, it was a no-brainer to take on handling public relations for the Pittsburgh St. Patrick’s Day Parade when that opportunity came along. When I say “opportunity,” to be clear, it was a pro bono opportunity, or what others in the communications business may call a passion project.… Read the rest
A PR Clinic in the Snow: Christmas Lessons at 6th and Grant
I’m not sure when school let out right before Christmas break, but I do remember a few times on the last school day before Christmas I was able to rush home and then with my mom take the trolley to Downtown before my dad finished work.
For me and just about every other kid, Downtown was the place to be around the holidays.… Read the rest
President Lincoln’s Thanksgiving: A Healing Holiday
The following post originally ran on November 20, 2012 on PR, Pure & Simple:
It was just a few years ago that I learned the Thanksgiving holiday as we know it today, at least the parts where the Dallas Cowboys and Detroit Lions aren’t playing football, is actually rooted in a decision by President Abraham Lincoln in 1863.… Read the rest
President Lincoln’s Thanksgiving
The following post originally ran on November 20, 2012 on PR, Pure & Simple:
It was just a few years ago that I learned the Thanksgiving holiday as we know it today, at least the one where the Dallas Cowboys and Detroit Lions aren’t playing football, is actually rooted in a decision by President Abraham Lincoln in 1863.… Read the rest