by
Julie Demoff-Larson
I love Christmas. Although I am not a believer in the
religion, I am a believer in the magic and tradition that encompasses the
holiday season. I love the lights. I love the music. I love to bake cookies and
nut rolls just like my grandma taught me—and I even share them. And I
especially love the traditions that have been passed down along with the new
ones we have started.
As we move through this technology driven world it is so
easy to lose parts of our family history. Some of my favorite holiday moments
are when my father and uncle have shared stories about growing up in an
immigrant rich neighborhood. Or my
grandmother’s telling of her Christmas mornings in the hills of Kentucky. When
they were excited just to receive one large apple and one large orange in a
stocking. We tried that a few years back with all of the great-grand kids and
they were confused and disappointed. Thank god for gift cards.
In my house, we host an all adult party the week before as a
respite from the hustle and bustle and exchange ornaments on Christmas Eve—all
new traditions that we have implemented. My favorite new tradition happens to
be about books—children’s books. About ten years ago I started giving my mother
a children’s Christmas book as a gift. Each year I search for something new with
beautiful rich illustrations. I look for stories that offer a twist on the
holiday season. Most of these books offer new traditions as well as a take on
old ones, but they are hard to find. Why aren’t there more available? So, here
is a grand idea, we should all write a children’s book that incorporates family
traditions. Even if you don’t plan on sending it off for publication, it would
make a great gift for family and friends.
Let’s keep our stories and traditions alive by writing them
down and passing them along. There is an audience for such writing. I know I
want to read them, all of them.
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