At first glance, this unassuming little book may not seem worthwhile for genealogists. But after I began reading the introduction and Jennifer Trainer Thompson's vision for the project, I realized that this is the perfect book for genealogists because it is all about making connections across family generations. Her claim -- that traditions are about including and celebrating family-- fits in with our goals as genealogists. Therefore, this book would not only make a great gift for a couple starting their own family, but it will inform us about our ancestors' traditions and show us how to make new ones.

This book is beautifully designed and well organized around the seasons of the year, starting with Spring, then progressing to Summer, Fall, and Winter. By organizing her book in this way, she is able to suggest traditions and celebrations for small occasions, such as a full moon, along with a detailed section on ritualized holidays like Birthdays and Christmas. She has chosen lovely quotes, poems, and anecdotes from poets, philosophers, and authors that enrich her text and make it fun to either skim or read closely.

An added benefit to this book is that each section includes suggested activities for celebrating holidays and making new traditions with children, stepchildren, or grandchildren. For instance, in the first section, Spring, Thompson shows how to remember family through sharing family recipes and stories. She does this by baking her grandmother's brownies with her children. While they work together, Thompson teaches them about their great grandmother and passes on the family stories, rituals, and food in a fun way that her children are sure to remember. (Unfortunately for us readers she does not include the recipe!)

Summer focuses on the usual holidays, such as American Independence Day, Baseball Season, and Family Reunions; but the star of the section is her suggestions for celebrating birthdays. For instance, she suggests making the day special for children by constructing a birthday crown for them to wear. The special person also gets to "choose the day's meals, who sits where in the car, and which songs are played on the radio" (107). I can attest to the value of this tradition. My mother always made us each a simple crown out of yellow construction paper and cooked our favorite meal for dinner. It did not cost her much, but it meant a lot to me as a child in a large family to be spoiled on my birthday.

Thompson's information about coming-of-age rituals -- such as La Quinceanera, Bat Mitzvahs, and Bar Mitzvahs -- will be useful for those who are looking for a traditions celebrating the important milestones from childhood to adulthood.

Along with a focus on fall holidays, such as Rosh Hashanah, Halloween, and Dia de los Muertos, the Autumn chapter has many great ideas for celebrating weddings, anniversaries, and quiet times at home. Thompson gives a lot of history on different wedding traditions throughout the world, discussing the symbolism of clothing, food, and ceremonies. For instance, I learned that the tradition of "something blue" that modern-day brides wear has its roots in the blue ribbons ancient Israelite women wore to signal fidelity (158). All her discussion on weddings and anniversaries might also help a couple planning their wedding. This book would help them learn about ancient cultural traditions that they could implement into their celebration.

The last part of the chapter focuses on American Thanksgiving. It gives the history of the secular American holiday, which received official national recognition in 1863 from President Abraham Lincoln (at the prodding of newspaper editor, Sarah Josepha Hale). One tradition Thompson mentions, that I had not heard of before, is the Three Kernels (185). Apparently, the British colonists in Plymouth were down to their last three kernels of corn for personal rations when the supply ships from England appeared. Since then, New Englanders have placed three kernels of corn by their plates on Thanksgiving Day to remember the suffering British colonists. This background, and the traditions she suggests, would be useful for those new to the USA or others wishing to learn more about the holiday. It would especially be useful for newlyweds who are looking for ways to celebrate the holiday in a new family unit.

Winter discusses seasonal holidays and celebrations such as the solstice, Hanukah, Advent, Christmas, and Kwanzaa (to name a few). The section on Kwanzaa is especially useful for people like me, who know little about the holiday, and would like to learn more. Thompson gives detailed information about the seven principles and symbols that the celebration is based on, which would give the interested new practitioner basics about the holiday. Or it may just be something interesting for the curious reader.

Other useful features of this section are suggestions for homemade gifts, such as picture frames with shells glued on or a Snowman-Making Kit. This was an empty baby wipes box filled with "buttons, painted pebbles, an old scarf, and a hat, which was used all winter by the lucky recipient" (229). The winter section ends on an uplifting and meaningful note by suggesting ways family members can "give back" and continue to share the charitable holiday spirit.

In conclusion, even though this book is delightful in its inclusiveness of multinational traditions, it also excludes some ethnic groups. For one, there is no information about traditions for Americans of Pacific Island heritage. This topic is specifically interesting to me since my husband is Polynesian and I would like to integrate more of his cultural traditions into our family. Overall, though, this is a delightful resource that would make a great gift, supplement research for a family history you may be writing, or would just be an interesting book to see on the coffee table for an occasional browse. But perhaps best of all, this book celebrates the rich and varied traditions of our larger human family, showing us that indeed we have many more similarities than differences.

Click this link "The Joy of Family Traditions: A Season-by-Season Companion to 400 Celebrations and Activities" by Jennifer Trainer Thompson to purchase this book from Amazon.com. It's a small price to pay for a resource you will use again and again.

Article written by Larisa S. Asaeli