I’m not quite ready to think about putting up holiday decorations, but I know that is what will happen soon. I found this quotation from poet Edith Sitwell. You could type it up and frame it or add it to your digital display board. “Winter is the time for comfort, for good food and warmth, for the touch of a friendly hand and for a talk beside the fire: it is the time for home.”
Here are 10 more display and passive programming ideas for this, the busiest of all months, December.
Read a New Book Month
Encourage patrons of all ages to find new books and authors to read and enjoy along with their favorites throughout this month. Display books with interesting covers that did not circulate as much as you thought they might.
Write to a Friend Month
Have children write a letter to a friend or family member. Or try one of the kid-friendly ideas at http://writeshop.com/write-to-a-friend-month/. Prepare a display of children’s books that feature letters or postcards such as The Jolly Postman; Dear Mr. LaRue: Letters from Obedience School; Letters to Leo; Dear Mr. Henshaw, or Anne of Windy Poplars.
Rosa Parks Day (December 1)
Read aloud Back of the Bus by Aaron Reynolds, illustrated by Floyd Cooper, and remember the acts of Rosa Parks and civil rights leaders of the 11950s and 60s. Display books about the civil rights era.
National Cookie Day (December 4)
After Thanksgiving, display all your cookie cookbooks. Then, arrange a cookie exchange to help your patrons with their holiday baking. If you have 10 participants, each person brings 10 dozen of the same kind of cookies (a dozen per plate). They get to take home 10 dozen different kinds of cookies. Have extra paper plates and plastic wrap on hand.
Computer Science Education Week (December 5-11, 2016)
The Hour of Code takes place each year during Computer Science Education Week. The 2016 Computer Science Education Week will be December 5-11, but you can host an Hour of Code all year round. Computer Science Education Week is held annually in recognition of the birthday of computing pioneer Admiral Grace Murray Hopper (December 9, 1906). The Hour of Code started as a one-hour introduction to computer science, designed to demystify “code”, to show that anybody can learn the basics, and to broaden participation in the field of computer science. It has since become a worldwide effort to celebrate computer science, starting with 1-hour coding activities but expanding to all sorts of community efforts. Check out the tutorials and activities at https://code.org/learn.
Official Lost and Found Day (December 9, 2016)
The second Friday of December is celebrated every year as Official Lost and Found Day.
Look for things you have lost on Official Lost and Found Day. Losing things is part of life and if what we have lost is not very important, most people tend to stop looking for it after trying for a while. In fact, lost and found offices all around the world are full of things that people lost and have forgotten about. Get out your library’s Lost and Found box. Maybe some of the items will be found!
Dewey Decimal System Day (December 10)
The day commemorates the birth of Melville Dewey, the inventor of the Dewey Decimal System of library classification. The system, first published in 1876, organizes library materials by fields. There are 10 main fields that are further divided into smaller, more specialized area. Libraries around to the world use the system to organize and classify their books.
National Cocoa Day (December 13)
National Coca Day is celebrated every year on the 13th of December. How to celebrate National Cocoa Day? How about having a nice cup of hot cocoa with yummy marshmallows? That would definitely be a traditional twist to start your holiday. You could purchase a box of hot cocoa packets and use a large coffee urn to heat water. Advertise ahead of time and get as many people as possible in the library drinking this sweet treat. Have a drawing for a special cup from the ALA store which features the Dewey number for cocoa and marshmallows. http://www.alastore.ala.org/detail.aspx?ID=2591
Maple Syrup Day (December 17)
Read aloud the classic Pancakes for Breakfast by Tomie dePaola. Serve pancakes (they can be the microwave kind—there are even mini pancakes) and maple syrup in a designated area of the library. Have plenty of baby wipes on hand to clean up sticky fingers before they go looking for books to check out.
Thank You Note Day (December 26)
This holiday is celebrated annually on December 26. The day after Christmas is a perfect opportunity to give thanks by sending thank you notes. Write to friends and relatives to show your appreciation and gratitude for their festive gifts and to tell them how much your value them. Ask for donations of thank you notes and help your smallest patrons write and mail at least one thank you note for a holiday gift.
BONUS IDEA: National Crossword Puzzle Day (December 21)
Print crossword puzzles on a variety of topics at http://www.word-game-world.com/easy-online-crossword-puzzles.html and display them with some new pencils for your young patrons to pick up.
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