Drawing on authors as diverse as David Sedaris and Charles Dickens, Caroline Kennedy, daughter of the late President John F. Kennedy and Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis, has created “A Family Christmas,” a collection of poetry, prose, scriptural readings, carols, and lyrics. She will have a booksigning on Monday, December 3, at 7 p.m., in the Princeton Barnes & Noble, MarketFair.
Other authors represented in the book include Harper Lee, Groucho Marx, Nikki Giovanni, Martin Luther King Jr., Billy Collins, and John and Yoko, among many others, as well as personal stories. The book is illustrated by Jon J. Muth.
In the book’s introduction, Kennedy reflects on the aspects of Christmas that “remain magical throughout our lives.” In her research for this anthology, she unearthed legends and traditions brought to this country from Europe and even the first civic celebrations of the holiday. Personal memories, including a young Caroline’s Christmas list to Santa and a letter from President John F. Kennedy to a child concerned about Santa’s well-being, are included in this anthology, which Kennedy hopes “will give other families the chance to reflect on their own personal observances, as well as our shared heritage.”
Caroline Kennedy is the editor of the New York Times bestselling “A Family of Poems,” “A Patriot’s Handbook,” and “Profiles in Courage for Our Time.” She serves as the vice chair of the New York City Fund for Public Schools.
