As adults, my husband and I have shaped our own traditions. We still eat orange rolls on Christmas morning (his family).
For Christmas dinner, we have turkey AND roast beef (both families). And on Christmas Eve, we watch the best Christmas movie of all time — “Die Hard.” Because it just isn’t Christmas until Hans Gruber falls off Nakatomi Plaza.
All these traditions enhance my sense of family and of season, and they fill me with gratitude. There are as many ways to experience gratitude as there are reasons to be grateful, and we have quite a few books in the library about thankfulness and gratitude.
For children
- “All the World” by Liz Garton Scanlon (2009) — This Caldecott Honor book follows family and friends through the course of a day as they discover the importance of all things, great and small.
- “A Sick Day for Amos McGee” by Philip Christian Stead (2010) — When zookeeper Amos McGee gets sick, the animals come and take care of him.
- “Last Stop on Market Street” by Matt de la Peña (2015) — A triple award-winner, which follows a grandmother and grandson on a bus ride as they appreciate the beauty in everyday things.
For adults
- “A Book of Uncommon Prayer: 100 Celebrations of the Miracle & Muddle of the Ordinary” by Brian Doyle (2014) — unorthodox but beautiful, the late author finds joy and gratitude in the small moments of everyday life.
- “Gratitude” by Oliver Sacks (2015) — This small book contains four short essays written by Sacks after he was diagnosed with cancer. His reflections are both poignant and uplifting.
- “Emotional Success: The Power of Gratitude, Compassion and Pride” by David DeSteno (2018) – the three emotions in the subtitle (gratitude, compassion and pride) are easy to generate, with the added benefit that they become stronger the more we use them.
- “The Thank-You Project: Cultivating Happiness One Letter of Gratitude at a Time” by Nancy Davis Kho (2019) — Have you ever written thank-you notes to the people who helped you become who you are? This book is about one woman’s project to do just that.
Many of us send cards to friends and family during the holidays. If you haven’t already, consider sending a handwritten letter of gratitude to someone in your life.
You could start your own tradition — and what a good way to brighten someone’s day this season. Happy Holidays!
Beth Wood is the senior collection development librarian for the Fort Vancouver Regional Libraries. Email her at [email protected].
This post was originally published on here
