A Note from Ms. Kate (she/they)
Executive Director, Storytime Solidary and Lavender Librarian
The Solidarity Team and I come from a variety of faith backgrounds and are committed to welcoming every child to storytime. For this reason, we believe it is often best to avoid holiday programming (I recommend checking out this SLJ article about why).
Still, many library stakeholders expect holiday* programming and many families enjoy it. If your library is including this type of programming consider the ways that you can provide your families with windows into a variety of cultural traditions. Ms. Rosie includes some excellent books in this piece and you’ll want to check out this list by Jessica King, an expert on Caribbean children’s literature, of Books Celebrating Caribbean Christmas for more diverse content to include in your holiday celebrations and book displays.
In Solidarity,
Kate
*Almost always Christmas
By Rosie Camargo,
Ms. Rosie (she/her/ella)
Director of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion, Storytime Solidarity
Navidad, Noche Buena, Christmas, etc.
Whatever you want to call it, if you were to travel to South America or Central America during December time you would get to experience a variety of seasonal traditions. All varying by region, full of family interactions, crafts, and food.
Each celebration catered to its community. I am going to share some ideas you could do for your storytime if you’d like to celebrate some of these traditions.
My personal background is Colombian. I grew up loving this time of season. My mother cooked natilla, buñuelos, and arroz con leche for Christmas Eve. I remember her in the kitchen surrounded by delicious smells and she would be singing along to her favorite villancicos/carols. These memories are shared between everyone of all cultures. This is what brings us joy and sometimes sadness. Tradition helps to continue a culture’s legacy.
Suggested books:
- FELIZ NEW YEAR, AVA GABRIELA! By Alexandra Alessandri.
- N IS FOR NAVIDAD by Susan Middleton Elya.
- LEGEND OF THE POINSETTIA by Tomie dePaola.
- ‘TWAS NOCHEBUENA by Roseanne Greenfield Thong.
- A PIÑATA IN A PINE TREE: A LATINO TWELVE DAYS OF CHRISTMAS by Pat Mora.
- THE NIGHT OF LAS POSADAS by Tomie dePaola.
- TRES REYES MAGOS: COLORS / COLORES by Patty Rodriguez.
- MERRY NAVIDAD!: VILLANCICOS EN ESPANOL E INGLES / CHRISTMAS CAROLS IN SPANISH AND ENGLISH by Alma Flor Ada.
- TOO MANY TAMALES by Gary Soto.
- LA NOCHE BUENA: A CHRISTMAS STORY by Antonio Sacre
On Dec 7th we celebrate La Noche de las Veritas and light candles or make farolitos (luminarias).
Little Candles Day or Immaculate Conception Eve
(Spanish: Día de las velitas) is a widely observed traditional holiday in Colombia. It is celebrated on December 7 on the eve of the Immaculate Conception, which is a public holiday in Colombia. This day is the unofficial start of the Christmas season in the country, although the official day is the First Advent Sunday (between November 27th and December 3rd).
On this night, people place candles and paper lanterns on windowsills, balconies, porches, sidewalks, streets, parks and squares; in short, everywhere they can be seen, in honor of the Virgin Mary and her Immaculate Conception.
To make safe farolito or candle I used:
- Tea light.
- Colorful tissue paper.
- Decorative hole punch but you can also trace a shape and cut out.
- Glue stick or double stick tape.
Uncover Colombia has an informative post about this time of season in Colombia. The traditions, food and background.
You can make a Piñata
My piñata was a ribbon pull format. I attached two strands of ribbon to the “door” and filled the container with candy. Taped it closed but pull on the ribbon and it would open and candy spills out.
I used:
- Any cardboard container. I used tissue boxes and cereal boxes.
- I decorated it with doilies but you can use any type of paper.
- Ribbon.
Las Posadas
Las Posadas, (Spanish: “The Inns”) is a religious festival celebrated in Mexico and some parts of the United States between December 16 and 24. Las Posadas commemorates the journey that Joseph and Mary made from Nazareth to Bethlehem in search of a safe refuge where Mary could give birth to the baby Jesus. When they were unable to find lodging in Bethlehem, Joseph and Mary were forced to seek shelter in a stable, where the Christ Child was born. Las Posadas is celebrated from Friday, December 16 to Saturday, December 24, 2022.
I know some libraries perhaps cannot “celebrate” this tradition but I wanted to share a passive kit I made to celebrate this very important holiday tradition. Families who wanted to participate picked up a kit and took it home. It had most of the things they would need. I also had purchased a concert from a local bilingual performer and had their video up on our library Youtube page Dec 16- 24.
The items inside the Las Posadas kit were:
- Llama Suncatcher.
- Air Dry Clay Manger figures.
- Information pages, found here and here.
- Poinsettia template.
- Ring.
Novenas
On another occasion for Novenas (9 Days before Christmas) Dec 16- 24. It is the Nine nights of celebration leading up to Christmas Eve. Families usually have a late night dinner and open gifts at midnight and celebrate into the early hours of the morning of Dec 25.
I booked for three of the nights a local Spanish Family Band who offered short 15 minute serenades via ZOOM and asked them to play villancicos.
The first candle lighting of Hanukkah 2022 is on December 18. Let’s make sure we’re listening to our Jewish community members about how to represent this holiday — it’s not “Jewish Christmas!”
Solidarity Team Member Erika recommends:
Erika shares her family’s efforts to be seen and heard:
That Time My 8-Year-Old Spoke to Our City Council About Their Hanukkah Fail
A Note From Ms. Christina (she/they)
Thank you, Team Solidarity, for reminding us that “the holidays” of December are more than just Christmas. My German mother, for example, put treats in my shoes for Saint Nicholas Day — December 6. And my Irish family observes some of the Celtic traditions of Yule, a holiday that predates Christianity and includes decorating with evergreens and lighting up the dark nights around the winter solstice — December 21 — with candles and cozy fires. And don’t forget the fun of New Year’s Eve on December 31, a holiday that is truly for everyone and makes for a great NOON Year’s Eve party!
From Kasey Victoria in the FB group:
Fireworks Action Rhyme for your Noon Year’s Eve party
The (New) New Year’s Song for your Noon Year’s Eve party
A picture book for Yule and the winter solstice
A crackling Yule log for your library’s video monitors
A Note From Ms. Kate (she/they)
Ms. Rosie’s work proves that it is possible, I think, to make library holiday programming more equitable if we look at the specific. There are so many biases in the way we in North America talk about Christmas in particular and holidays in general. We assume Christmas equals snow and a very specific set of customs.
By highlighting the ways Christmas is celebrated in the Southern Hemisphere and reading books and sharing crafts tied in specific traditions in South America, the Caribbean, or even New Zealand (where our friend in Solidarity Anne is based) we can emphasize that, not only are there many, many holidays to celebrate, but also that there is no one way to celebrate a given holiday.
Includes traditions in the Southern Hemisphere!
Thanks