Caroline Kennedy Schlossberg
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A (First) Family Christmas’
Caroline Kennedy to make Barnes & Noble appearance
Friday, November 30, 2007 4:04 PM EST
By Michael Redmond Lifestyle Editor
Caroline Kennedy, who will be signing ‘A Family Christmas,’ her latest book, on Monday at Barnes & Noble, West Windsor ... ‘My kids are older now ��” I’m not exactly sure how many cookies they will be baking this year,’ she says, with a touch of humor.
Photo by Joseph Moran
For people of a certain generation, she will always be the adorable tyke captured in White House candids, showing off her pony, Macaroni, to her beaming father, but the confident and articulate woman who is greeting throngs of well- wishers on her latest book tour celebrated her 50th birthday on Tuesday — and she’s nobody’s tyke.
Attorney, author, editor, education advocate, fundraiser, and administrator, plus wife to designer Edwin Schlossberg and the mother of their three children, Caroline Kennedy is as representative of the American women of her generation as her mother, Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis, was of hers. In the 1960s, a woman of substance was expected to hide her achievements behind a mask of style. A woman today just gets on with the job — and her style is about self-expression, not camouflage.
Caroline Kennedy’s new book is titled “A Family Christmas” (Hyperion, $26.95), and the “family” is only incidentally Ms. Kennedy’s. Sure, there are reminiscences and historical asides — her great-grandfather, Boston Mayor John “Honey Fitz” Fitzgerald, presided over the first public Christmas tree lighting in 1912, beating New York City to the punch by half an hour, she determined — but the book is really about the place of Christmas in American family life, past and present.
“In my anthology projects, I’m always looking for subjects that can bring the generations together around a book,” Ms. Kennedy says, during a telephone interview. “People often think of reading as a solitary thing, but in my family, it was something special, something we shared.”
On Monday, Dec. 3, Caroline Kennedy will be signing copies of “A Family Christmas” at Barnes & Noble in West Windsor. The Kennedy name is still magic, as her recent stops in Michigan, Massachusetts and Florida have demonstrated once again, and a large turnout is expected here, as well. For more information, please see the bottom of this story.
“A Family Christmas” follows the format of previous works, such as “A Family of Poems: My Favorite Poetry for Children.” Brought together are poetry, prose, scriptural readings, carols, letters, song lyrics, recipes — even a 1984 ruling by the Supreme Court permitting the display of a Nativity crèche on public property — from a wide diversity of writers, past and present, as well as personal stories.
There’s a charming letter from President Kennedy to a little girl who was worried that “the Russians” — shades of the Cold War — might bomb the North Pole. There is a 1962 letter to Santa from Caroline herself asking for “a real pet reindeer” which took her by surprise when it surfaced in the archives.
It’s a handsome book, beautifully produced on heavy cream stock, illustrated by attractive line drawings, with some touches of red, green, pink and magenta to jazz up the look. It’s introduced by an essay from the editor’s pen.
Ms. Kennedy has memories of being read to by both parents, but particularly by her mother, who continued the Bouvier holiday tradition of having the children write poems, illustrate Bible verses and decorate cards.
“She collected them in a special scrapbook or framed them, just as her mother had done.”
Ms. Kennedy continued this tradition with her children — Rose, age 19, Tatiana, 17, John, nearly 15 — and added the giving of Chanukah presents, incorporating their father’s heritage. But “my kids are older now — I’m not exactly sure how many cookies they will be baking this year,” she says, with a touch of humor.
Her literary aim this time around was “to have many of the familiar Christmas treasures people count on finding, but also to add to this variety, this panoply. When you study the literature and the history, there’s so much more there than you knew, on so many levels — personal, familial, religious, ethnic, civic. It’s really rich, really multi-layered.”
But why another Christmas book?
“It’s not so different from the other anthologies I’ve done. There are Christmas people out there, people who love Christmas — and I’m one of them.”
Admission to Caroline Kennedy’s book signing on Monday at 7 p.m. is free. Because Barnes & Noble is expecting a large crowd, wristbands entitling the wearer to a spot in line will be distributed at 2 p.m. No wristband, no place in line. The signing line will start forming between 5 and 6 p.m. Ms. Kennedy has committed herself to signing for as long as there are people there with books to sign — but there will be no personalized autographs, no posing for photographs.
A (First) Family Christmas’
Caroline Kennedy to make Barnes & Noble appearance
Friday, November 30, 2007 4:04 PM EST
By Michael Redmond Lifestyle Editor
Photo by Joseph Moran
For people of a certain generation, she will always be the adorable tyke captured in White House candids, showing off her pony, Macaroni, to her beaming father, but the confident and articulate woman who is greeting throngs of well- wishers on her latest book tour celebrated her 50th birthday on Tuesday — and she’s nobody’s tyke.
Attorney, author, editor, education advocate, fundraiser, and administrator, plus wife to designer Edwin Schlossberg and the mother of their three children, Caroline Kennedy is as representative of the American women of her generation as her mother, Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis, was of hers. In the 1960s, a woman of substance was expected to hide her achievements behind a mask of style. A woman today just gets on with the job — and her style is about self-expression, not camouflage.
Caroline Kennedy’s new book is titled “A Family Christmas” (Hyperion, $26.95), and the “family” is only incidentally Ms. Kennedy’s. Sure, there are reminiscences and historical asides — her great-grandfather, Boston Mayor John “Honey Fitz” Fitzgerald, presided over the first public Christmas tree lighting in 1912, beating New York City to the punch by half an hour, she determined — but the book is really about the place of Christmas in American family life, past and present.
“In my anthology projects, I’m always looking for subjects that can bring the generations together around a book,” Ms. Kennedy says, during a telephone interview. “People often think of reading as a solitary thing, but in my family, it was something special, something we shared.”
On Monday, Dec. 3, Caroline Kennedy will be signing copies of “A Family Christmas” at Barnes & Noble in West Windsor. The Kennedy name is still magic, as her recent stops in Michigan, Massachusetts and Florida have demonstrated once again, and a large turnout is expected here, as well. For more information, please see the bottom of this story.
“A Family Christmas” follows the format of previous works, such as “A Family of Poems: My Favorite Poetry for Children.” Brought together are poetry, prose, scriptural readings, carols, letters, song lyrics, recipes — even a 1984 ruling by the Supreme Court permitting the display of a Nativity crèche on public property — from a wide diversity of writers, past and present, as well as personal stories.
There’s a charming letter from President Kennedy to a little girl who was worried that “the Russians” — shades of the Cold War — might bomb the North Pole. There is a 1962 letter to Santa from Caroline herself asking for “a real pet reindeer” which took her by surprise when it surfaced in the archives.
It’s a handsome book, beautifully produced on heavy cream stock, illustrated by attractive line drawings, with some touches of red, green, pink and magenta to jazz up the look. It’s introduced by an essay from the editor’s pen.
Ms. Kennedy has memories of being read to by both parents, but particularly by her mother, who continued the Bouvier holiday tradition of having the children write poems, illustrate Bible verses and decorate cards.
“She collected them in a special scrapbook or framed them, just as her mother had done.”
Ms. Kennedy continued this tradition with her children — Rose, age 19, Tatiana, 17, John, nearly 15 — and added the giving of Chanukah presents, incorporating their father’s heritage. But “my kids are older now — I’m not exactly sure how many cookies they will be baking this year,” she says, with a touch of humor.
Her literary aim this time around was “to have many of the familiar Christmas treasures people count on finding, but also to add to this variety, this panoply. When you study the literature and the history, there’s so much more there than you knew, on so many levels — personal, familial, religious, ethnic, civic. It’s really rich, really multi-layered.”
But why another Christmas book?
“It’s not so different from the other anthologies I’ve done. There are Christmas people out there, people who love Christmas — and I’m one of them.”
Admission to Caroline Kennedy’s book signing on Monday at 7 p.m. is free. Because Barnes & Noble is expecting a large crowd, wristbands entitling the wearer to a spot in line will be distributed at 2 p.m. No wristband, no place in line. The signing line will start forming between 5 and 6 p.m. Ms. Kennedy has committed herself to signing for as long as there are people there with books to sign — but there will be no personalized autographs, no posing for photographs.
the kennedy family forums
Caroline, short article from Good Housekeeping
Exclusive Interview with Caroline Kennedy The holidays that Caroline Kennedy spent in the White House — complete with sleigh rides on the front lawn — remain a cherished memory for Americans, and for Kennedy herself. Currently living in New York City with her husband, designer Edwin Schlossberg, and their three children, Rose, 19, Tatiana, 17, and John, 14, Kennedy talks about the little ways she makes holidays magical for her own family.
Q: What are your plans for this Christmas?
We'll be at home this year, and we'll do the things we usually do: ice-skating, a trip to Radio City Music Hall, maybe, if our cousins come to visit. We always go to see the Nutcracker ballet, but now that my kids are getting older, I'm not sure if they'll want to go. But there will be a lot of shopping — and a lot of eating.
Q: Do you get overwhelmed by holiday stress?
It's true, Christmas can feel like a lot of work, particularly for mothers. But when you look back on all the Christmases in your life, you'll find you've created family traditions and lasting memories. Those memories, good and bad, are really what help to keep a family together over the long haul.
Q: How do you prevent kids from thinking that Christmas is all about getting presents?
You have to remind kids to stay connected to the meaning of Christmas. Sometimes it takes a little bit of effort, but it's so worth it. We make presents — batches of cookies, special drawings — and my kids really like to make gifts for their friends. Sharing the holiday with other people, and feeling that you're giving of yourself, gets you past all the commercialism. And we go to church, which I think is important.
Q: In writing A Family Christmas, did you learn anything about Kennedy holiday traditions?
My grandmother and uncle always maintained that my great-grandfather, Mayor John Fitzgerald of Boston, known as Honey Fitz, lit the first public Christmas tree, in Boston Common in 1912. But then I read that the first public tree had actually been lit in New York City's Madison Square. I determined to get to the bottom of this. I just knew that Honey Fitz had gone first. As it turns out, the Boston tree was lit 30 minutes before the New York City tree. Apparently, Honey Fitz also led the carol singing — and if you'd ever heard anyone in my family attempt to sing, you'd know why that was a particularly memorable event.
Q: Do you feel that Christmas magic faded a little when your kids got too old for Santa Claus?
No — because everyone in our house still believes in Santa Claus. Absolutely.
Caroline, short article from Good Housekeeping
Exclusive Interview with Caroline Kennedy The holidays that Caroline Kennedy spent in the White House — complete with sleigh rides on the front lawn — remain a cherished memory for Americans, and for Kennedy herself. Currently living in New York City with her husband, designer Edwin Schlossberg, and their three children, Rose, 19, Tatiana, 17, and John, 14, Kennedy talks about the little ways she makes holidays magical for her own family.
Q: What are your plans for this Christmas?
We'll be at home this year, and we'll do the things we usually do: ice-skating, a trip to Radio City Music Hall, maybe, if our cousins come to visit. We always go to see the Nutcracker ballet, but now that my kids are getting older, I'm not sure if they'll want to go. But there will be a lot of shopping — and a lot of eating.
Q: Do you get overwhelmed by holiday stress?
It's true, Christmas can feel like a lot of work, particularly for mothers. But when you look back on all the Christmases in your life, you'll find you've created family traditions and lasting memories. Those memories, good and bad, are really what help to keep a family together over the long haul.
Q: How do you prevent kids from thinking that Christmas is all about getting presents?
You have to remind kids to stay connected to the meaning of Christmas. Sometimes it takes a little bit of effort, but it's so worth it. We make presents — batches of cookies, special drawings — and my kids really like to make gifts for their friends. Sharing the holiday with other people, and feeling that you're giving of yourself, gets you past all the commercialism. And we go to church, which I think is important.
Q: In writing A Family Christmas, did you learn anything about Kennedy holiday traditions?
My grandmother and uncle always maintained that my great-grandfather, Mayor John Fitzgerald of Boston, known as Honey Fitz, lit the first public Christmas tree, in Boston Common in 1912. But then I read that the first public tree had actually been lit in New York City's Madison Square. I determined to get to the bottom of this. I just knew that Honey Fitz had gone first. As it turns out, the Boston tree was lit 30 minutes before the New York City tree. Apparently, Honey Fitz also led the carol singing — and if you'd ever heard anyone in my family attempt to sing, you'd know why that was a particularly memorable event.
Q: Do you feel that Christmas magic faded a little when your kids got too old for Santa Claus?
No — because everyone in our house still believes in Santa Claus. Absolutely.
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