All Year Round: A Calendar of Celebrations

I just got this book, so I have not had the chance to make any of the wonderful-looking crafts yet. But I love, love, love it! As an American, I find it charmingly quaint and British. And although the subtitle is "Christian calendar of celebrations," the authors give a nice treatment of the pre-Christian traditions from which they are derived, and point out the correlations between the Christian and pre-Christian celebrations. As a Christian with great respect for other traditions and paths, I found it quite refreshing that they lack the weird American fundamentalist propensity to deny (or occasionally acknowledge and vilify) the fact that so many of our holiday dates and customs were ripped off from the pagans. If you are Christian, you will enjoy this book's focus on the Christian holidays; if you're Pagan, ignore the Christian stuff and you'll enjoy (and be able to make good use of) the rest. If you are neither Christian nor Pagan, there are plenty of ideas that can be used for each season in general without being associated with any particular Christian/Pagan holiday. I should note that this book is quite similar to Festivals Family and Food; but for only a couple dollars extra, you get about 50% more pages in this book. The two complement each other nicely, though, because I don't believe that many of the crafts are identical.

I love, love, love this book. Little crafts and ideas for each season of the year. Such a great resource. It has really helped me make the transition into a more waldorf/natural lifestyle especially when it comes to holidays. I especially love the Christmas/advent celebration ideas. So wonderful. If you are going to buy one craft book, make this the one!

Brimming with stories, poems, songs, and things to make and cook, this book offers itself as a friendly guide to the seasonal round of festivals. Arranged by season, each chapter includes a calendar of holidays to celebrate and, believe me, there are enough to keep you partying all year long! Some of my favorites are the more obscure ones that have fallen out of favor in our modern world, such as Shrove Tuesday celebrated prior to Lent, Whitsunday, and St. Nicholas Day. This book has so many ideas, you can't possibly do them in one year and that's why it's such a value. As I have, you will return to it again and again.

Brimming with stories, poems, and activities, things to make and songs, "All Year Round" offers a friendly guide to the seasonal round of festivals. Helpful drawings and diagrams illustrate this practical book. It contains a wealth of experience that can help families find their own way around the year. Parents are encouraged to develop their traditions and family ways using this as a springboard. As the authors say, "The words are ours, the festivals are yours." "All Year Round" arose from the families of the authors, who also have run festivals workshops for years at "Lifeways" conferences. Whilst many parents they worked with still had living, festive, seasonal and family traditions, an increasing number of people lacked these and asked, "Why bother with festivals?" The authors believe that observing a round of festivals is an enjoyable way of bringing rhythm into children's lives, a way of providing meaningful landmarks to look forward to. Experiencing the unfolding year through stories, poems, and making seasonal tables encourages a love of nature. Each festival has a character of its own, bringing a special gift to family life. Celebrating together is important for families in all kinds of ways. This book offers suggestions about how to get going and helps all those who wish to deepen their understanding of festivals. Marije Rowling is a painter and art teacher, and also illustrated "The Children's Year". This was co-authored by Christine Fynes-Clinton who teaches music and crafts. Ann Druitt trained as an artist and teaches adult education. Her twelve stories round off the book.