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. Few publications overlook marking these events in some fashion each year. For some publications, entire issues may be built upon the season or holiday. For others, a brief article may be sufficient. But for most, something in between is preferred.Unusual perspectives are often what it takes to get a reader's attention to a routine seasonal event. The Lewiston Morning Tribune in Idaho published a season feature series about individuals in the community who gave their time, love, and energy to helping others in the spirit of the season. The series of features was based on individuals suggested to the newspaper by friends and colleagues. Writer Rebecca Huntington (1997) wrote a 700word feature that took a unique approach to the holidays. Here's how she began the story:MOSCOW AbdulMannan Sheikh invited 1,000 people to Thanksgiving dinner.While only 50 actually took him up on the offer, Sheikh is planning a future Thanksgiving celebration that will fill the Kibbie Dome or Palouse Empire Mall."It won't be very long the way I'm brainstorming."He envisions everyone bringing their own prepared food and sitting down together as a community."Where I come from, Pakistan, on the holidays people come out and do it together. I like to have people feel the whole community is a family."Sheikh moved to Moscow 30 years ago after deciding to complete his doctorate degree at the University of Idaho. He now owns a tour bus business. The Sheikhs have been inviting friends and strangers alike to Thanksgiving dinner since 1976. When the dinners outgrew their home, they moved them to the Latah County 4H building."Thanksgiving in Islam is encouraged to be done all the time, every day, every month, the whole year, all the life. God has blessed us with so many things."Sheikh's dream dinner would bring people of all different colors, faiths, genders and economic backgrounds to one place. To Sheikh, that's the beginning of "real justice and equality for all," values Americans pledge daily in classrooms and at sporting events. Page 207"Jews, Christians and Muslims have many similar beliefs. Giving and sharing is encouraged in all religion" . . . . (p. 5A)For a beginning feature writer, perhaps one of the more basic articles to master is a seasonal feature article, no matter what section or what time of the year. These articles are necessary throughout the year and appear in just about every part of every newspaper, magazine, and newsletter, and there are ample opportunities to write them."Seasonal articles are not particularly hard to write in fact, I think they are easier than general articles," says veteran seasonal article writer Clinton Parker (1975). "They do require a certain depth of research, however, and absolute historical accuracy. That's why it is best to specialize in a particular event or field. Once you have done the basic reading for the specialty, the articles are much easier to write" (p. 44).Whether you specialize in seasonal articles or not, you will find that much of your feature article writing is controlled by the calendar. Newspapers, magazines, and newsletters run features to highlight special events on the calendar each year. Readers expect it. Seasonal features are not much different from the other types of features. In fact, you will probably mix some of the different elements and types of feature articles when writing a seasonal article. There may be humorous seasonal stories. Or highly personalized stories. Or stories with great humaninterest elements. Or a review of traditional holiday season music, food, or dance. This chapter focuses, however, on the context of the article regardless of the approach taken.One significant point is that seasonal features should reflect the tone and the theme of the season. Local customs and traditions largely dictate this. A seasonal feature can be ruined with the wrong approach. It would be, obviously, in poor taste to write an irreverent feature about the military for Memorial Day or Veteran's Day. Then again, a newspaper reporter or magazine writer who does not try to be especially creative and tricky on April Fool's Day or Halloween is completely missing the point of those special days.It is not unusual for newspapers to run several seasonal articles at the beginning and during a major holiday season. Chris Reidy, Boston Globe staff writer, and Kathy McCabe, a Globe correspondent, teamed with Globe correspondents Patricia Resende and JoAnn Johnston to write about the first day of the holiday shopping season the day after Thanksgiving in the Boston area. Here's their story: Page 208Nancy Keating of Medford is the kind of person who makes retailers nervous.On the traditional first day of the holiday shopping season, she was nowhere near a mall or a store
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