Halloween, Valentine's Day, Christmas, Thanksgiving, New Year's Day - these are but a handful of modern holidays descended from the red-letter days, seasonal celebrations we have invented and reinvented over more than five millennia to meet our changing human needs. When we explore their origins, the holidays begin to reflect not only who we are but also why, through oppressed by time and thwarted by the forces of nature, we never seem to lose the will to control the future.

Whether they're decorating Easter trees or celebrating Wagner's birthday by playing recordings of his Ring cycle operas and incinerating a model of Valhalla on an outdoor barbecue to the closing strains of "Gotterdämerung," Americans know both how to create and how to celebrate holidays. Jack Santino's guide to such frivolity is a wonderfully readable exploration of holidays, periods of festivity, and life-cycle rituals and celebrations. Santino draws on history, anthropology, popular culture, and folklore to show the intricate relationships between holidays and the roles that celebrations and rituals play in people's lives.

Celebrate all year long with recipes that your family & friends will love! Filled with tasty and easy-to-fix recipes for every holiday to help you celebrate every memorable season. The book is divided by the seasons: Fall (Family get-togethers & game-day, Halloween and, of course, Thanksgiving), Winter Celebrations (Christmas to Valentine's Day and best-loved winter recipes), Spring (Easter, Mother's Day and more) and Summer (Memorial Day to Labor Day and County fairs in between). 245 Recipes.

Nell's birthday is in August, and as soon as it's over, she starts to feel as though her next one is never going to get here. But then her mom reminds her that the year is packed with different reasons to celebrate, as each month in the calendar brings another holiday'from Labor Day to New Year's to the Fourth of July. And when there's always a different special day just around the corner, the time between birthdays really flies! With a bouncy text and sweet, stylishly retro illustrations, this one-stop holiday book is guaranteed to be enjoyed all year long.

Paula Deen meets Erma Bombeck in The Pioneer Woman Cooks, Ree Drummond’s spirited, homespun cookbook. Drummond colorfully traces her transition from city life to ranch wife through recipes, photos, and pithy commentary based on her popular, award-winning blog, Confessions of a Pioneer Woman, and whips up delicious, satisfying meals for cowboys and cowgirls alike made from simple, widely available ingredients. The Pioneer Woman Cooks—and with these “Recipes from an Accidental Country Girl,” she pleases the palate and tickles the funny bone at the same time.

The Pioneer Woman Cooks: A Year of Holidays by Ree Drummond has descriptive copy which is not yet available from the Publisher.

Contains activities, read-aloud fast facts, book links, and other resources to teach students in grades one through six about different holidays.

In the tradition of The Year of Living Biblically by A.J. Jacobs and Walking the Bible: A Journey by Land Through the Five Books of Moses by Bruce Feiler comes Abigail Pogrebin’s My Jewish Year, a lively chronicle of the author’s journey into the spiritual heart of Judaism. Although she grew up following some holiday rituals, Pogrebin realized how little she knew about their foundational purpose and contemporary relevance; she wanted to understand what had kept these holidays alive and vibrant, some for thousands of years. Her curiosity led her to embark on an entire year of intensive research, observation, and writing about the milestones on the religious calendar. Whether in search of a roadmap for Jewish life or a challenging probe into the architecture of Jewish tradition, readers will be captivated, educated and inspired by Abigail Pogrebin’s My Jewish Year.

This book is the follow-up to the successful Perfect Party Food. Happy Holidays from the Diva-of Do-Ahead brings the same how-to and do-ahead approach to creating menus for 12 holidays-with special emphasis on Thanksgiving and Christmas-as well as tips on recipe variations, decorating, and serving. Featuring a beautiful 16-page color photo insert, this is the perfect book for anyone who wants to take the stress out of entertaining and enjoy the holidays with family and friends.

Celebrate the Jewish holidays all year round in this acclaimed picture book! Here is the world, ever changing and new, Spinning with joy at the wonder of you! Here Is the World is a joyous celebration of the Jewish holidays throughout the year for young children. Beginning with the weekly observance of Shabbat, readers join a family through the holidays and the corresponding seasons. From sounding the shofar on Rosh Hashanah to lighting the menorah for Chanukah to rattling a grogger for Purim, and on through the Jewish year, the joy and significance of each holiday beautifully come to life. Back matter includes a description of each holiday and easy crafts and recipes for every season!