Festivals, Family, and Food: A Guide to Seasonal Celebration

I bought this book when my daughter was a one, she is now twenty-four. This book brought us our family such joy. Now that my children are grown, 24, 27, and 29 and the oldest is married. This book is still one of the key elements of celebration in our home. We are on on our thrid book and this holiday season I will be purchacing three more to send home with my children.

This book covers many festivals, or holidays, throughout the year. For each, a selection of poetry or very short stories excerpted from longer works is provided. Sometimes the legend(s) behind that day are given. Also included are games, recipes, and craft projects. The recipes use British measurements and ingredients, so for Americans they will require some adjustment to find ingredients in some cases. This is a useful book, but given its length it could have been better. Perhaps it's that the recipes aren't as accessible for Americans; I can't quite put my finger on what left me underwhelmed. Common holidays in America are of course not covered. Still, it's a very useful resource. If you're just beginning with the celebration of seasonal holidays, I'd recommend Mrs. Sharp's Victorian Traditions by Breathnach instead to start off with, then add this one later when you're ready for more.

I was looking for a book exactly like this one. It is organized by Seasons and Holidays, with songs, stories, crafts and recipes that relate to the season/holiday. It is very easy to come up with nice additions to your family celebrations with this book. The holidays tend to be European Christian holidays, which is different than the typical American holidays, but not so much that you can't work in many of the activities in the book. Plus, you may discover new holidays. We have added Michealmas to our celebrations- it is a great way to distract my kids so that we don't have to start Halloween in September!

I found my copy of this book in a thrift store and soon had friends asking where to buy the book. It is a gem of information about holidays and how to celebrate them, including recipies (I baked the Autumn Nut Loaf for Thanksgiving this year) and games and songs. It's presented in an interesting and lovely manner, and even has a Birthday Calendar in the back to keep track of family and friend's birthdays. The author's premise is that the more celebrations and festivals you celebrate with your family, the closer you become. I second this opinion and urge you to read this book and start celebrating!!!