The Holiday Jar: A Tradition Of Literacy and Love

   When my children were young we began a holiday tradition of picking a holiday book title from our "Holiday Jar" every night for our bedtime story.  Our jar was filled with book titles for Christmas, Hanukkah, and Kwanzaa.  As a mother my goal was to raise children who respected all faiths, cultures, and people. My children were raised Christian with a touch of Judaism because their Grandfather is Jewish. We had a Christmas tree but we also had a menorah. We had friends who celebrated Kwanzaa so we read books about Kwanzaa to be able to share in our friends traditions. Since we love understanding all people and cultures in our world we also read about holiday traditions in other lands...real and make-believe. we threw in a few winter books because in Pennsylvania and in New York the places we lived it is cold and snowy during the holiday season. My children grew up to love and respect all people.They also love to read. Like their Mom they are collectors of books. Though my children are now grown we still have a holiday reading jar and still chose books to read ever night while my children are home visiting. 

Mitt Aubin's Holiday Jar Picks: