Holidays are times of joy and remembrance throughout the world. These celebrations mark important events within a culture, and are often marked by dancing, song and special meals. Germanic people have used Christmas trees and Father Winter (sometimes called Santa Claus) to mark the beginning of the Christmas season. In Latin American culture, the Christmas celebrations are marked by special foods, songs and remembrances from the Bible. From December 15 through December 23, children nightly reenact St. Luke’s beautiful story of St. Joseph and the Blessed Virgin arriving in Bethlehem. None of Bethlehem’s inns, or las posadas in Spanish, has room for the Holy Family. St. Joseph’s frantic search for a room out of the cold for Mary is the central theme of the nine day celebration.

Each night of the celebration, children dress up to play different parts in St. Luke’s biblical account. A procession of peregrinos (pilgrims) will accompany the Holy Family on their quest to find lodging. This group will be outside each night for the nine day play. In the outside group, one boy will be attired as St. Joseph and will lead a young girl dressed as his beloved spouse, Mary, into Bethlehem. The party moves each night to a new house that represents an inn or posada. The family owning the house will act like the inn keepers and refuse admittance. The parents and children inside the posada will sing back responses to the requests of the peregrinos in the La Cancion de Las Posadas (The Song of Las Posadas.) The inn keepers do not want to help the Holy Family, and repeatedly reject St. Joseph’s request. In the song St. Joseph is told "Leave, go away, and do not rob us of our dreams and of our sleep." But St. Joseph and the other peregrinos keep asking for help until the inn keepers finally agree to give assistance. The inn keepers then sing to the Blessed Mother: "Enter, beautiful maiden, You and your spouse, We offer it to you humbly, This is your house." With these closing verses of the song the Holy Family is welcomed into the posada.

The author captures the deep religious devotion of Latin American people in this book. The photographs of the religious processions show the love of God and the tenderness towards the Blessed Virgin that exists in Mexican American society. Goldsmith specifically mentions the recitation of the rosary by families during Las Posadas. The actual pageant of going from house to house is a teaching opportunity for the church. By dressing up as St. Joseph and the Blessed Mother, the children learn about the parents of Jesus, and the setting of St. Luke’s Gospel. The numerous cultural aspects of this celebration are also not overlooked by the writer. The recipe for Biscochitos (sugar cookies) is listed, and mouth watering photographs of tamales and other foods are shown. The music and fiestas mentioned throughout this nine day celebration are joyful and uplifting.

Las Posadas is both a religious and a cultural event in Latin America. Many North Americans have little knowledge of this beautiful Christmas celebration and this book is an excellent introduction to Las Posadas. At Our Lord’s birth in Bethlehem, a wooden manger held what the world could not hold. So open your hearts to the Holy Family. You never know what might happen. If a group of peregrinos suddenly begins singing outside your house in the next few weeks, give the final answer of the inn keepers: "Entra, bella nina…Esta es vuestra casa (Enter, beautiful maiden…This is your house.) I hope you enjoy this beautiful book. Merry Christmas!!