DOUBLE TAP TO ZOOM WITH PHONE OR TABLET “Changing how I do Christmas was hard for me, because Christmas was such a big thing in my life. It was hard for me to step back and realize that what I was doing in my class was for me. But I do not want to hurt any of my children, so I did accept that I had to make some changes” (Derman-Sparks & Edwards 2010, 137). Taking on this challenging task thoughtfully is doable. It is possible to find solutions to the questions so many educators raise. It is possible to generate new policy and strategies that integrate holiday activities into programs, while also honoring diversity and anti-bias principles. Effective new strategies for including holiday activities in curriculum exist in many childhood programs throughout our country. The second edition of Celebrate! An Anti-Bias Guide to Including Holidays in Early Childhood Programs! provides wonderful tools for program leaders and teachers who desire to either initiate or strengthen their use of holidays in the context of anti-bias values. Its expanded content and new organization insightfully reflect what Julie Bisson has learned over the many years since the publication of her book’s first edition. You will find a wealth of information, analysis, and strategies for creating holiday policy, as well as activities that respect family diversity, anti-bias principles, and developmentally appropriate guidelines. One of the exciting new elements of this second edition is the discussion in part 1, which goes deeply into the fundamental issues underlying positions about holidays in the curriculum. This is an important contribution to the early childhood care and education field’s discourse about what is involved in honoring family diversity. Part 2 is another useful new section, offering con- crete guidelines and strategies for developing and implementing holiday activ- ities with children. Part 3 continues the discussion about generating program holiday polices that reflect respect for diversity and anti-bias values. It also incorporates lessons from the experiences of programs that have developed and implemented new holiday polices. Every early childhood care and education program will grow their work by taking seriously and applying the ideas in this book. References Derman-Sparks, Louise, and ABC Task Force. 1989. Anti-Bias Curriculum: Tools for Empowering Young Children. Washington, DC: NAEYC. Derman-Sparks, Louise, and Julie Olsen Edwards. 2010. Anti-Bias Education for Young Children and Ourselves. Washington, DC: NAEYC. Ramsey, Patricia G. 1979. “Beyond ‘Ten Little Indians’ and Turkeys: Alternative Approaches to Thanksgiving.” Young Children. September 1989, 28–51. Ramsey, Patricia G. 1987. Teaching and Learning in a Diverse World: Multicultural Education for Young Children. New York: Teachers College Press. COPYRIGHTED MATERIAL FORE WORD xiii