Wednesdays – Happy Holidays: American Holiday Traditions

12/11@ 1:00 PM/CH

Instructor: Herb Kaufman

Ever wonder who is known in history as the “Mother of Thanksgiving,” or “Santa Claus’ Father.”  Have you ever thought about why Hanukkah involves eating donuts, or when did Santa start living in department stores?  These and many other interesting questions are explored in this timely holiday program.

Starting with the real story of the Pilgrims, we explore the myths and traditions of Thanksgiving. We tell the tale of which president began the tradition of pardoning the turkey, how the Thanksgiving parades began, and which President decided to change the day of the holiday.

We look at the interesting Hanukkah traditions of eating donuts, and the real story behind the spinning dreidel.

We also take a fun look at how many Christmas traditions began. Many of our traditions were started by authors in their poems and books, and cartoonists with a holiday idea; who really was Santa Claus, why does he live in the North Pole, and how was Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer created?