My son, Benjamin, loves stories. It could be listening to me read to him one of the “Harry Potter” books, or it could be himself looking at a graphic novel and imagining the plot. It could be him listening to Amazon Alexa Storytime, or it could be me talking to him about what I did as a kid and the toys I played with. It could be us practicing sounding out words in a children’s book, or it could be my husband telling him a random just-made-it-up-in-my-head-now story. It doesn’t matter the length, topic or delivery. If there is a story, there is a fondness.

I couldn’t be any prouder of this fondness. Reading and books are big enjoyments in our house, as well as family time and honoring old and creating new traditions.

When Benjamin and I went to Coplay Public Library’s storytime and craft last week, I was intrigued to see the library celebrating Family Stories Month with two separate displays. There are both children and adult books to view and check out, as well as informational printouts to read. I have never heard of this monthlong celebration. See all you can learn at libraries besides checking out some books!

“Family Stories Month brings families closer together every November,” the article titled “Family Stories Month - November 2021” on nationaltoday.com states. “This is because family traditions and ancestral stories hold a special place in everyone’s life. In fact, remaining in touch with our roots is the need of the hour in this modern world where people are more connected to their laptops and cellphones than they are to people.”

What better month to hold Family Stories Month than November, when Thanksgiving occurs and Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa and many other holidays are near? What do families do at holidays? Besides enjoy delicious food, there is coming together and conversation - maybe even telling stories. Have a few members of the family bring old photos from different years. Are some people in those photos not at the holiday dinner table? What do you miss about them? What stories would they have shared? What stories would you want to tell them?

“November is the perfect time to revive the past and fondly reflect on your family history,” the article continues.

When my dad’s side of the family gets together for Thanksgiving, after the holiday meal, we just sit there and converse some more. It is almost always about what we enjoyed during other times we got together, the people we miss at the table who are no longer here, the recipes my grandmother made (one being turkey and dumplings from the leftovers), how my grandparents celebrated Christmas with their three children and the traditions we want to continue to pass on to our own kids.

Here are a few other ways to honor this special celebration this month.

• Ask a grandparent about his or her first job.

• Play the top song from your parents’ high school prom.

• Draw a picture of your favorite memory from a Thanksgiving or Christmas get-together.

• Talk about your favorite toy as a kid.

• Watch a classic Christmas movie. (“It’s a Wonderful Life” is one of my personal favorites!)

• Start a new annual tradition with your children and/or grandchildren.

Every person has a story, but what’s special is each family story is not the same. Part of our family story is how we came to be together. We adopted Benjamin as a newborn in Florida. That is unique for us and for Benjamin. With both an adoptive family and a biological family for Benjamin, there is double the traditions and stories to share.

“Research conducted on family storytelling shows that when parents share more family stories with their children, the kids benefit in many ways,” the article states. “This includes the interactions children have with their parents and how they share their day-to-day stories with their guardians. Family storytelling can also help a child grow into a teen who feels connected to the important people in his or her life.”

I hope all our Press readers have a wonderful Thanksgiving holiday, and I hope the stories that are shared at the table reflect the meaning and importance of what truly matters.

Stacey Koch

editorial assistant

Whitehall-Coplay Press

Northampton Press

Catasauqua Press