A Time to Keep: The Tasha Tudor Book of Holidays

This delightful book of holidays begins when a little girl asks, "Granny, what was it like when Mummy was me?" Tasha Tudor goes on to treat us to a year's worth of wonderful holiday traditions from her life in New England. Charming quotations from literature open each month and herbaceous borders surround each page of nostalgic illustrations depicting myriad family celebrations. The borders start with brown and frozen grasses and flowers festooned with icicles that bud on subsequent pages and send out catkins, then blossoms, then flowers and leaves, then fruits, all in splendid realistic detail. The pictures invite one warmly into the fun and rekindle one's own memories. Tasha reminds us of the delicious foods, the antics of the show more children, the activities and games, the decorations, the weather, the homespun plays and puppet shows, and the joyful seasonal work. We see big families caught up in living through the wonders of the wheel of the year. Holidays are depicted as the accents to each season, but equally important are the birthdays, the county fairs, cider and maple syrup making time. The people and animals from Tasha Tudor's own experience grace these lovely pages and offer us a glimpse into lives that are filled with love and wonder and appreciation for the beautiful and gentle nuances of living the good life. Simplicity and tradition make the holidays magical and we can all take our cue from this wonderful book and re-examine how we celebrate our traditional holidays. Co-operation and sharing the workload seems to have eliminated stress in these pictures. Creativity and family participation take the place of materialism. Home crafts and delightful cooking and a visible delight in children seem to have banished excessive "partying" and keep the focus on love, comfort, and gratitude. This book is such a treat and it is virtually guaranteed to help put whatever holidays you celebrate into thoughtful perspective. show less

A childhood favorite. The illustrations have a winsome and rustic beauty and vitality. There's a pervasive appreciation for not only the nostalgic and often unattainable ways in which Tudor's family once celebrated - but for each season and pretext for celebrating, as well. It is a book which, in its minor way, visibly incarnates living with joy; it captures a sense of involvement and anticipation. The enchantment its pages held for me either echoes or helped to make my own childhood enchantment with the world.

This came in the mail, as a totally unexpected gift from a friend. Nothing could be done until I read it cover to cover. It is full of whimsical paintings of bygone days and times, illustrating the answer to the question, "Granny, what was it like when Mummy was me?"

A delight!

I included this book because my mother used to read it to me when I was little. It is another book that has a poem for each month relating to the season as well as a story the grandmother is telling a child about the things the child's mother did for the holiday during her childhood. This book is magical. I will never forget the image in November of the birthday cakes floating down the river. The illustrations are beautiful. It is a book that will make you think of simple but magical ways to celebrate the seasons. It could be used in the classroom for any holiday, or as an introduction to the seasons.

A great book for teaching the calendar, seasons and seasonal traditions.

The story focuses on how to bring families together, tying them by creating memories via special seasonal traditions. While it makes mention of "normal" holiday traditions (ex. Easter eggs, Valentines, Fourth of July Picnics, etc.), it also introduces ideas for some new, creative traditions (ex. floating birthday cakes, eating maple syrup on snow, etc.). It really focuses on crafty-type decorations and activities.

A great book on family, and how traditions are passed down and carried out through the generations.

This has been one of my favorite books since I was a little girl. I love the illustrations.

An oversize 'parlor gift book.' Not much more. Some of the customs are interesting, but very likely unique to this family or community culture.