Shake Up Your Celebrations: A City Full of Santas

Shake Up Your Celebrations is a campaign that highlights books featuring a variety of holidays, traditions, and celebrations. Many of these holidays are underrepresented in classroom and library programming, which often centers around Christmas and other Christian holidays. Even when reading about more widely celebrated holidays like Christmas, children may not see themselves represented on the pages of classic titles, so why not Shake Up Your Shelves and build a more inclusive bookcase.

A Santa for Everyone!

From the New York Times bestselling author of Eyes that Kiss in the Corners, Joanna Ho, comes a fun and festive holiday story about a little girl’s enthusiastic hunt for the real Santa in a city that’s bustling with joy.

One little girl has always hoped to stay awake long enough to meet Santa, and she knows this is her year. She just knows Santa smells like peppermint and laughs like the sun clapping its hands. When Mama takes her on a special journey to the city, they discover Santas ho-ho-ho-ing about everywhere, making it so much harder to find the real one. The little girl is sure she knows just what she’s looking for, but will she find Santa in time for Christmas?

From award-winning author Joanna Ho and acclaimed artist Thai Phuong, comes a whimsical tale about the true magic of the season.

How to Shake Up Your Christmas Celebrations

When author Joanna Ho had children, she began looking for Christmas books with Asian characters and found none. So, she decided to write one of her own!

Christmas is one of the most widely celebrated holidays in the United States, with 90% of people celebrating in some way or another. Look for ways to shake up your Christmas celebrations by incorporating newer titles alongside your classic favorites.

Even More Holidays to Celebrate This Winter!

Kwanzaa lasts from December 26th through January 1st and is a celebration of African American culture and heritage. This holiday was started in 1966 by Dr. Maulana Karenga.

Hanukkah is a Jewish holiday remembering the rededication of the Second Temple in Jerusalem. It is also known as the Festival of Lights and is celebrated over 8 nights by lighting the candles in a menorah.