My column this month for the Washington Independent Review of Books turns an eye toward traditions: how they’re made, selected, shaped, reshaped, and more—from what we eat to what we watch to what we read each year when the holidays roll in. (And that image above is from William Joyce’s Santa Calls, not just a holiday tradition in our house but maybe my favorite children’s picture book ever.)
Here’s a sample paragraph from my column that cuts to the core of the matter:
A few years back, Tara and I began to reflect more actively together on our respective traditions — on choosing which ones to follow, making those our own, and also creating new ones. Part of it was that we come from different regional, cultural, and religious backgrounds, and we wanted to respect and fold those together. Part of it was the birth of our son, Dashiell, and a keener focus on the experiences we were curating for him.
Read the full column here—and in the meantime, happy holidays to all and best wishes for a fantastic new year ahead!