You may know Elizabeth Berg as the author of Talk Before Sleep, Joy School, Open House, or one of her other novels. She’s also the author of a non-fiction book called Family Traditions: Celebrations for Holidays and Everyday. It’s one of my favorite books on traditions, and one I often give as a wedding present. Family Traditions has many inspiring ideas for busy families. The book speaks to any family, even non-traditional ones.
The introduction has a sentence that I love, “The most important thing is that we understand the need for celebration: It lifts days away from other days, gives us something to look forward to, makes a formal statement that life is full of things to be grateful for.” Sometimes though, coming up with the ideas and energy to celebrate life is hard. With a book like this, at least the ideas are covered.
The book covers all sorts of Jewish and Christian holidays, as well as Valentine’s and Halloween, Memorial Day, and Mother’s and Father’s Day. Seasonal celebrations are included, too, as well as rituals for everyday, for snow days, for sick days, for and celebrations for no particular reason at all. There are also ideas for welcoming a new baby, honoring milestones in school, celebrating birthdays, and for family reunions. Some ideas are simple like picking out a Christmas ornament on your trips. Others, like building an ice rink or making constellation flash cards are more elaborate.
You’ll find recipes for special breads and treats, directions for crafts, background histories of the holidays, ideas for decorating, recommended movie and book lists, and even projects for the pets in your life. There are more ideas here than any family could use in a year. I love to browse the book for new ideas and for ways to make our own traditions even more special.
Also See:
Families Forum on Family Traditions
Everyday Traditions – Nava Atlas