Sliding into the Holiday Season

Well, this issue’s theme was a no-brainer. Read our editorial note to hear what SLIDING has planned for the coziest season of the year.

Popular media paints a clear relation between children and the holidays, Christmas in particular. Case in point: 

• The Home Alone franchise (there are 6?!)
• The song “I saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus”
• The Polar Express (yes, those creepy CGI characters are children)
• Most Santa Claus films, aside from scary ones like Krampus

There is no doubt that the centrality of the child in Christmas-themed media has connections to Christianity and the birth of Jesus Christ. Links between children and consumerism could also make a compelling argument. But rather than dissecting images of childhood and hope (à la Tiny Tim in Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol), this issue of SLIDING considers a more agentive vision of childhood and holidays like Christmas. 

Despite the expression “happy as a kid on Christmas”, I think I was actually more happy on the days leading up to Christmas. The things I enjoyed most as a child were the holiday preparations – the makings and doings. Baking thumbprint cookies with my grandma, tossing carrots into the front lawn for visiting reindeer, writing letters to Santa, learning Christmas carols, fighting with my sister over whose turn it was to blow out the advent candles.

It’s the spirit of these creative, intergenerational interactions that have inspired the fourth issue of SLIDING.

“12 Days of SLIDING”, a collection of interactive posts from top contributor Maud Smulders, begins on December 13th. These dozen daily surprises leading up to Christmas are sure to get readers into the holiday mood. In a most festive pairing, Maud has also written an article about five different Advent calendar books. Read her recommendations in “Counting down to Christmas with Children’s Literature”. Francisca Tapia Álvarez offers another perspective of the holiday season in her article on the summer experience of Christmas. Just how important are snowmen, sledding, and steaming mugs of hot chocolate to the holiday?

This time of year is also a period of reflection for many, especially during the preparations leading up to holidays like Christmas, Hanukkah or the Winter Solstice. It makes me think of  last December, when SLIDING was a tadpole of an idea. We did not have a website, mission statement, or even an official name (fun fact: we originally just called it MAG!). Thanks to the dedication of our team and feedback from readers like you, SLIDING has taken off in amazing and unexpected directions. Among the more recent developments, we have taken contributions from external writers, started a YouTube channel, and have planned an exciting line-up of issues for the coming months. This fourth issue of SLIDING comes as the cherry on top, or perhaps more fittingly, the star on top. 

On behalf of all of us at SLIDING, have a safe and happy holiday season. We look forward to reconnecting with you as we slide into 2026!