Repeating History: A Time Traveler’s
Guide To The Holidays
by Pat Lansmann

When we say history repeats itself, most of the time we mean it negatively. The holiday season is fast approaching, rich with the more positive aspects of our culture‘s history and unique array of customs. We can eagerly embrace this type of repetition without the fear of unpleasant reprisals. Just purchase a few items from a local craft store: clay, construction paper and glue.Then gather up your kids and give them something in the “now” to touch, cook and create, and breathe life into history and family traditions. You’ll transform a season of being thankful and joyous into a yearlong upgrade of thinking patterns, improve the dynamics of you family relationships and living skills, while deeply imprinting some of our nation’s history along the way.
 
Positive Identification
Thanksgiving is the celebration of a good harvest and co-operation. Long lauded are the Native Americans who shared their wisdom, resources and compassion, coming to the aid of the early colonists. Besides introducing them to corn, teaching them to grow and harvest pumpkins, Native Americans taught the colonists how to dig for clams and identify wild berries and herbs. The colonists brought with them attributes of tenacity, an adventurous spirit and adaptability along with seeds of familiar foods.
 
Honor both groups and enhance cultural awareness by making two Thanksgiving trees, one representing each culture. Use two medium size clay pots or coffee cans and either purchase two branch-like sprigs, about a foot long with other small sprigs, or bring some in from outdoors, choosing ones that are not too brittle. Secure each branch in a pot with clay, modeling dough or pebbles. Each day have your children write something for which they are thankful, that each group contributed to our culture, on either purchased leaves, or ones cut from construction paper in fall colors. Have your kids tape or glue the leaves to the appropriate tree. As Thanksgiving approaches, put both sprigs together in one pot, letting the leaves intermingle. Edupress has Hands-on Heritage Colonial Americans and Hands-on Heritage Native Americans, two books chock full of kid friendly information, available at EduShop.com. Or check An American Thanksgiving for more ways to make history tangible. The books and the web sites list numerous contributions both groups made to their societies.
 
The Dish On Our Ancestors
After identifying positive contributions that began a New America, delve deeper as a season of joy approaches.  Whether it is Hanukkah, Christmas, Kwanzaa or another festival that is part of your family’s traditions, each culture contributes to our modern America.  Check out Education World for a full list of December celebrations.  Try one of the suggestions below and begin the journey towards enriching your kids understanding of our melting pot by investigating other cultures through some delicious recipes. 
 
A Miracle Oil
Hanukkah falls on the twenty-fifth day of Kislev, the third month of the Jewish calendar, falling in early to mid-December on our current, Gregorian calendar. It is a celebration of the ability of God’s people to live by God’s commands.  After regaining control of the Holy Temple and purifying it, they found only enough oil to fill the holy lamps for one day.  They lit the lamps and miraculously the oil burned for eight days.  Try making Latkes or purchase some jelly doughnuts. Fried foods are a symbolic reminder of the miracle of oil. Go to Homecooking.about.com for more recipes and history of this festival.
 
A Taste of Christmas
Customs and languages vary, but the message remains the same as Christians around the world celebrate December 25 the as the day their Savior was born, coming to redeem them, cover their sins and restore their relationship with God.  A fun and delicious way to explore these countries is to hold a “Bake, Take and Talk” night.  Invite several families, each bringing one or several of their traditional Christmas cookies.  Put on the teakettle, pour the hot cocoa, pass the treats, and swap stories of how your family arrived in America.  Not only will you build cultural awareness, you will strengthen bonds of friendship and family. Check out Christmas-cookies.com for cookie recipes from different countries to expand your culinary journey.  Then go to Worldbook.com for your passport to understanding.
 
Drink It In
The day after Christmas heralds in Kwanzaa, a seven-day celebration that many African Americans observe.  Seven ideals to live by, symbolized by seven candles, is the center of this harvest festival that focuses on heritage and pride. One candle flickers each night as family members drink from the kikombe, a unity cup, and share special memories and family stories. Those who inspired others in the previous year receive special recognition. It is a time for celebrating the bonds of kinship and is a wonderful time to remind each other of each member’s contribution to family life. Look on the following site for great recipes and ideas for celebrating: Kidspartyfun.com.
 
Hide-And-Speak
A great way to spend the slower winter months is to create a “winter count.”  Many of the Plains Indians made robes of whole hides that were decorated with signs or pictures of the year‘s events. This way they kept track of important events in their lives, and added to their oral history. Check out Carnegiemuseums.org as one example. Have your family start one by keeping a special drawing made by your child each month, and have each adult include a monthly journal entry to make your own “winter count” book. At the end of next year, you can have a family gathering to recount these moments in a special celebration.
 
Practice Makes Perfect
Two distinct cultures form the foundation of our modern Thanksgiving, a celebration of the things we should all still be thankful for: food, family and friendship.  Diverse traditions arrived in each wave of immigration that populated our land adding their customs and lengthening the season of thanks and joy. Attaching fond food memories or activities becomes a living “winter count” spanning generations, for sharing what we have or know and how we spend our time with others is what defines culture and carries history forward. But more importantly, our ancestors and our ancestral neighbors secured this foundation with qualities that transcend any differences. Through seasonal repetition may we pass on to our children these attributes of compassion, sharing, and wisdom, with tenacity, adventurousness and adaptability.

Pat Lansmann, Writer & SuperMom
Pat graduated from college with a B.A. in English and a restless creative spirit. She left the workforce after fourteen years to raise her first of three children. She and her husband educate their children at home, through activities such as gardening, arts and crafts, woodworking, cooking and pet care to personalize, enhance and extend the children’s academic experiences.