Hilltown Families 
“Buy Local Week” Is December 1st-7th, 2008 The idea of this Buy Local Week is to encourage you to shop with the many great local, independent businesses here in the Pioneer...
CharityNavigator.org Offers a “Good Card” CharityNavigator.org offers information about how to purchase “a gift card for charity where the recipients get to donate to their charity of choice.” The site notes...
Dina Raymond of Goshen, MA writes: I’ve been speaking to my kids about how fortunate we are and how much we have … so I set up a “donation” box for...
Buy Nothing Day Confronts the Economic Meltdown Now in its 17th year, Buy Nothing Day is celebrated every November by environmentalists, social activists and concerned citizens in over 65 countries around...
Jeff Brown of RideBuzz.org in Amherst, MA writes: I wanted to remind you that this Thanksgiving Holiday (and December’s holidays too) is a great time to share a ride on your...
Curbing sugar overload during the holidays Starting on October 31, sweets seem to be a staple part of kids’ diets through the end of the year. Halloween candy, pumpkin pie, hot...
Video: The Day After Halloween Here’s a cute music video, The Day After Halloween, the Sippy Cups sent our way:
(Thank you for HF listserv member Des of Dalton for bringing this to our attention!) Melamine-Tainted Chinese Candy Shows Up in U.S. Suspect White Rabbit Creamy Candy found in at least...
History of Halloween Halloween isn’t just costumes and candy; it’s a cultural holiday rich in tradition. This three minute video by National Geographic give a outline of the history of Halloween:
Fair Trade Halloween Candy Halloween should be scary, but only for a day. Unfortunately, holiday treats can contribute to a witch’s cauldron of frightening problems that persist long after the masks...
Organic Treats, No Tricks This Halloween, offer organic treats to the gremlins and goblins, princesses and super heroes who come knocking at your door. These certified organic products won’t turn the...
Orange, Black and Green for Halloween Nothing kills a parent’s festive Halloween mood like realizing what a nutritional nightmare this holiday can be. After the fun of dressing up and trick-or-treating...
Halloween Traditions Most families have favorite Halloween traditions that they participate in with their kids (or as a kid). Traditions may include trick-or-treating, having a picnic in the graveyard, marching down...
THE DAY OF THE DEAD (OCT. 31st – NOV. 2nd) DISCOVERING RICH MEXICAN TRADITIONS In this short low-fi video documentary, Professor José Flores offers his insights about the traditions and mythologies...
61st Annual Independence Day Parade The Spirit of Chesterfield will be the theme for the 61st annual Independence Day parade. Since 1947, the town has hosted this event that has grown...
Dads, Fathers, Pop pops & Daddys Happy Father’s Day! Our featured web review focuses on Father’s Day and includes on-line resources with perspectives on fatherhood. Local Resources Along with on-line resoureces,...
Spring is here, officially arriving early Thursday morning. My daughter asked me if this meant that the sun would be coming home now … how can I tell her not to...
St. Patrick is the patron saint of Ireland, responsible, we are told, for converting the pagan Irish to Christianity. He used the shamrock to illustrate how three separate leaves united by...
MARTIN LUTHER KING, JR. “I Have A Dream” Speech Families interested in discovering more about Martin Luther King, Jr. and the civil rights movement with their children might enjoy the following...
I'm fond of this holiday not because I'm of Swedish descent (because I'm not), but because it gives me a cultural nudge to take down my tree, otherwise "O Tannenbaum" would...
I am not sure what we are having for non-fish-eating vegetarians and others, but I do know that it will be the same menu after the word “Fish.” I’m just not...
Eco-Friendly Kwanzaa Craft ideas for making your own Kwanzaa celebration supplies. Includes instructions for making a Kwanzaa candle holder and mat. Also describes how to create other Kwanzaa symbols. From Care2,...
One my favorite movies to watch during the holidays is The Snowman by Raymond Briggs, a 23 minute pencil-drawn animation. It's the purity of The Snowman that I enjoy the most....
HILLTOWN FAMILY VARIETY SHOW Vintage Holiday Episode with Sienna & Persephone WXOJ LP – 103.3 FM – Valley Free Radio Northampton, MA Tuesday evening @ 7pm 12/18/07 PLAYLIST subscribe to podcast...
When our friends at Heifer (www.heifer.org) asked if I would do a holiday video, little did i know that a llama, a goat and a cow would visit my street in...
Here's a list of ideas on how to have an eco-friendly, sustainable holiday season with the family.
HILLTOWN FAMILY VARIETY SHOW Holiday Party Episode with Sienna & Persephone WXOJ LP – 103.3 FM – Valley Free Radio Northampton, MA Tuesday evening @ 7pm 12/04/07 PLAYLIST subscribe to podcast...
For both Rafael (age 13) of Northampton, MA, and Meghan (age 11) of Goshen, MA, this wasn't their first experience with a craft fair. Meghan expressed her excitement...
The Online Menorah Introduction to the meaning of Hanukkah and the Hanukkah menorah. Features background about why Hanukkah is celebrated, the basic rules associated with the use of the menorah (what...
Growing up I had longed for a real Christmas tree... that smell of pine and fallen needles dusting the packages underneath. Between my childhood and my daughter's, I forewent putting up...