Get ready today to file your 2016 federal income tax return.

The IRS has launched a "Get Ready" communications and outreach campaign to educate as many taxpayers as possible about steps they can take in December regarding changes that could affect their ability to file their tax returns and get their refunds as quickly as possible.

 

Click on this handy link for detailed information:  www.IRS.gov/getready

Federal

1040 forms and instruction booklets are here.

All federal forms are available online at www.irs.gov or by calling 1-800-829-3676.

Happy Birthday Thomas Edison

Today is Thomas Edison's 164th birthday. Thomas Edison was one of the world's most famous inventors. Some of his inventions include the phonograph, the motion picture camera, and an electric light bulb. He has 1,093 U.S. patents under his belt making him one of, if not the, most achieved inventors of all time. Learn more about Thomas Edison and his inventions.

Shamrock

Many folks ask, "Why is the Shamrock the National Flower of Ireland?" The reason is that St. Patrick used it to explain the Holy Trinity to the pagans. Saint Patrick is believed to have been born in the late fourth century, and is often confused with Palladius, a bishop who was sent by Pope Celestine in 431 to be the first bishop to the Irish believers in Christ.

Find out more about St. Patrick and Irish History.

Valentine's Day

When we think of Valentine's Day, we often think of red roses, candy in heart-shaped boxes, mushy valentines, and winged cherubs flying about shooting starry-eyed lovers with arrows.

But did you know that the origin of Valentine's Day, or Saint Valentine's Day, comes from the life and death of a Christian martyr? According to author Martha Zimmerman, the date traditionally celebrated as St. Valentine's Day finds it origin in the Roman festival of romance called Lupercalia, when the gods Juno and Pan were honored. It was a fertility festival or a lover's holiday looking forward to the return of Spring. In the fifth century, in an attempt to abolish the pagan festival, Pope Gelasius changed Lupercalia and its February 15 date to February 14 and called it Saint Valentine's Day. Even though the names and the date were changed, the emphasis continued to be on love.

Pick up a juicy romance novel to get you in the Valentine's Day mood!