Simple Gifts
Pine cones and Holly Berries
Popcorn for you, apples for me
Red striped candy, nut cracker handy
Kettle a-bubbleing hot as can be…
“Pine Cones and Holly Berries”, Classic Christmas Carol
I vividly remember singing “Pine Cones and Holly Berries” in the chorus in middle school, practicing every week for the big holiday show with my friends. Hearing the melody “Tis a gift to be simple, ‘tis a gift to be free” also brings me back right to those days, a reminder of the “Simple Gifts” that truly mean the most.
This holiday season, for me, has been one marked by loss. But through the very simple things, joy is still creeping in. This year, for the first time, I decided to dry orange slices in the oven. And pick fallen berries from a beautiful tree off the ground. To celebrate and to salvage beauty everywhere I could find it. Using these bits and pieces (and more than a few twist-ties), I made them into something to celebrate (scroll to see).
I took a trip to Philadelphia, and New York City, to take in the outdoor holiday markets, ice skaters, and beautiful window displays. I’ve just now come in from a walk through the local mall, and after that, a walk through a nearby arboretum. Within the span of an hour, I saw decorative deer lining the shelves of a Hallmark store, and a real deer enjoying its lunch in the woods! I realized that so many decorative holiday items are just representations of the things that actually make this season special.
This gave me the idea that a public library could inspire people to seek out the simpler joys of the holiday season, through creating a kind of advent calendar-meets-scavenger hunt! For each day in December, I would create a simple digital illustration or post a royalty-free photo of something that is a part of the holiday/winter season (posting it on social media and printing a nice copy out for display at the circulation desk), and challenge patrons of all ages and backgrounds (kids, teens, and adults) to find and enjoy that item in real life.
Borrowing from holiday songs, from late Fall/early Winter animals and nature, and from special holiday moments within households, my list would look a little something like this:
“red striped candy” aka candy canes!
nutcracker
cardinal
deer
fireplace
hot cocoa
homemade cookies
holiday feast
evergreen trees
starry nights
candles
silent night (cozy with a good book!)
Plenty of these items can be found in our community’s neighborhoods, parks, and yes, even in our libraries! Public libraries can use this idea as a way of creatively promoting their holiday events and activities, along with their collections. For example, listing oranges as a holiday item, then hosting a craft night where patrons can get hands-on, making their own dried orange decorations and gift toppers, while learning about the origins of Winter holiday traditions. Promote a hot chocolate bomb making hands-on program by including hot cocoa on your list! If your library offers a birding backpack to patrons, promote this while patrons keep and eye out for cardinals in the trees. And of course, promoting seasonal cookbooks full of sumptuous sides and delicious desserts on days when patrons are keeping an eye out for “homemade cookies” and “holiday feast.”
It’s no secret that I love holidays and festivities of all kinds! I have so many ideas to celebrate this time of year with library programming, and with fun passive programming events like this. Whatever you do, don’t forget to make your library a part of someone’s holiday joy! Wishing everyone a happy (belated) Hanukkah, Happy Kwanzaa, Merry Christmas, and a very Happy New Year!
Hanukkah Book Recommendations
Christmas Book Recommendations
Photos:
Orange slices and wreath: Lorelle S.
Holiday Images: Unsplash photos by Isabella and Zsa Zsa Fischer (candy canes), Maddi Bazzocco (hot chocolate), Casey Chae (cookies), Sixteen Miles Out (candles), Aaron Huber (deer), Vladyslav Cherkas (fireplace), Thomas Millot (holly), Lilartsy (book in bed).
Hanukkah and Christmas Book Recommendations and Graphic: Lorelle S.
