The Canadian Heritage Family Traditions Book

Janet Arnett is the former campus manager of adult education at Ontario’s Georgian College. She is the author of Antiques and Collectibles: Starting Small, The Grange at Knock, and 673 Ways to Save Money.

Both of these little books are best described as oatmeal porridge with
hard covers. They’re bland, devoid of intellectual stimulation, and
rather trite.

Family Traditions is a catalogue, in essay format, of special occasions
celebrated in Canada. The list is structured by month and includes the
holy days for numerous religions, many ethnic celebrations, and a
scattering of fairs and community festivals. The information is minimal,
presented in uninspired prose. Nonetheless it offers some information,
some content. This makes it a major improvement over The Heritage Book.
Here, again, is McCann’s annual collection of platitudes, visual
clichés, Bible verses, and chatter.

Following the format of a daily devotional, the book gives a comment
for each day of the year. Often it is a quotation, occasionally a poem,
and sometimes an observation by McCann. While the occasional quote is
powerful, overall the impression is that of sentimental mush.