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Merry Christmas

Pasadena Public Library System Newsletter 

December Issue No. 12

In This Issue
Closings
Book Club Banter
Holiday Celebration
Library Programming
Closings
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IN OBSERVANCE OF CHRISTMAS, THE LIBRARY LOCATIONS WILL CLOSE THE FOLLOWING DATES:

 

Central Library will be closed on Friday, December 23 thru Monday, December 26.

 

 Central Library will re-open 

Tuesday, December 27   
@ 10:00 a.m.

 

  Fairmont Branch will be closed Friday, December 23 thru Monday, December 26.

 

Fairmont Branch will re-open  

Tuesday, December 27    

@ 2:00 p.m.

Book Club Banter

 book club banter

 

"My test of a good novel is dreading to begin the last chapter..."

--Thomas Helm--

     

Take your vitamins all, for December is upon us! In the mad holiday rush of shopping, party-going, gift-giving and non-stop eating, it is a good thing for us to stop and enjoy the simple pleasures of reading an interesting book and taking the time to come and discuss it in the company of intelligent folk. It is even better when you can do this while enjoying some treats provided FREE of charge by some very generous people! Stop by our Central Library or Fairmont Branch Library this month and take a break from the madness with one of our most entertaining book clubs. It will be a treat that you won't be spending the next three months paying for...

 

The Fairmont Branch Library's First Monday Book Club will be reading The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows, and will meet on Monday, December 5, at 6:00 p.m. in the Conference Room at the Fairmont Branch Library.

 

The Central Library's Tea-Time Mystery Book Club will be reading Decked by Carol Higgins Clark and will meet on Monday, December 19, at 3:30 p.m. in the Board Room at the Central Library. "De-lite-ful" tea, coffee and delicious treats will be provided by several of our generous members.

 

Contact Bill Pierce (First Monday) at the Central Library 713-475-4990 or Lucy Turoff (Tea-Time) 713-475-4984 for more information regarding the book clubs.

Quick Links...  

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Greetings!

   

"The holidays." Just the words themselves bring to mind all the warmth of picture-perfect memories with family and friends, familiar scents...and a time when, at least for a while, we can be children again and not feel too self-conscious about it.    

  

As Americans, we have much to be grateful for, and not just at Thanksgiving. Even with the difficult economic conditions we're experiencing, most of us go to bed at night enjoying a level of peace and security that is envied around the world. Our holiday merry-making is a celebration of the lasting success of the American experiment, one that allows each individual to follow the dictates of his or her heart, remembering the importance of their particular holidays in their own way.

  

The institution of the public library is a quintessentially American phenomenon that reinforces these values. It is a place of learning and self-enrichment, where one is limited only by imagination and the desire to become more than what one is today. Its history has been one of fierce protection of the right of free inquiry, sometimes facing challenges from those who do not understand clearly that the strength of the American way is in allowing a marketplace of ideas, religions, philosophies and ideologies to compete for our support...and our hearts and minds.   

  

The tranquility we have enjoyed in almost uninterrupted fashion since our country's founding is largely due to our willingness to hear others out, and to give each person a public opportunity to convince us of a better way without resorting to violence. The very success of this unique approach is sometimes its own worst enemy, as we have come to accept this tranquility as the norm. When one looks around the world today and sees the consequences of social intolerance and the hatred and violence that flow from it, it's obvious we enjoy a gift that many others cannot claim.   

 

As we move toward the close of 2011 and into a new year, we are grateful for those goals we successfully reached and mindful of those we  attempted but did not achieve. Each holds a lesson for us, if we will listen with open hearts. While we cannot guarantee the success of any goal we hope to realize, what we can do is ensure that our efforts on the way take into account the needs of others: family, neighbors, community...and ultimately, the entire world. If we do that, we may feel confident that we are acting in the truest meaning of the holidays, no matter what the particulars of our beliefs might be.


From everyone at the Pasadena Public Library, we wish you the brightest holidays and a new year of growth and deepening in the unique expression of yourself the world asks of you.


Wayne Holt
Interim Library Director
 

Holiday Celebrations

 

The month of December is a time to celebrate for almost everyone in the United States. The Pasadena Library has many books to better explain each holiday tradition, and get the celebration started.

 

The first holiday of the month is Ashura on December 5. Ashura is an Islamic holiday on the Shia calendar. The day is celebrated to commemorate the martyring of Husayn, one of the Prophet's sons. Ashura is observed on the tenth day of the first month of the Islamic calendar. It is considered one of the most important holidays in the Shia tradition, and is observed through fasting and prayer.

 

On December 21, the Jewish celebration known as Hanukkah begins. Also known as the Festival of Lights, Hanukkah celebrates Judah Maccabee's victory over Antiochus during which time a temple lamp burned for eight days with only a one-day oil supply. The miraculous event is celebrated using a nine-branched menorah with one candle lit each night from the shames (servant) candle, which is in the center, over an eight-day period. The more modern tradition for celebrating the event includes a small gift each night for the children who are celebrating, and parties with traditional latkes and games, like spinning the dreidel. Dr. Ron Wolfson's book Hanukkah: The Family Guide to Spiritual Celebration provides insight into the evolving holiday, traditional and modern celebrations, and ideas for families who would like to observe Hanukkah, but still put up a Christmas tree.

 

The first day of winter marks an important pagan holiday known as winter solstice. Winter solstice is celebrated on the shortest day of the year; this year that day is December 22. Solstice comes from the Latin word for the "sun stands still." Ancient pagans in the Romanic tradition celebrated winter solstice with a feast honoring Saturn, the god of the sun. The Germanic tradition pagans celebrated by burning the Yule log, decorating with red and green, and hanging mistletoe. Modern-day pagans celebrate the solstice in much the same way with a feast, music, and dancing.

 

If some of the ancient solstice celebrations sound familiar, that is because Christian traditions have been mixed and mingled with the pagan traditions to create the modern day Christmas celebration. Christmas is a celebration of the birth of the Christ child, the Savior. Scholars are uncertain of the exact date of Christ's birth, but as the Christian traditions spread west, the solstice's Yule celebration was replaced with Christmas. Today, Christmas is celebrated on December 25 by hanging garlands, lights, and tinsel on an evergreen tree; handing out presents to family and friends; and often fellowshipping at a large feast.

 

There are several books in the library's collection that have ideas for celebrating Christmas. Click here to see the book list, which includes a how-to guide for celebrating Christmas on a shoestring budget and even a book specific to having a good old-fashioned Texas Christmas. Elizabeth Silverthorne's Christmas in Texas contains Texas-style recipes, and the traditions of cultures from around the world that can be adapted to a Texas-size celebration. Yvonne Jeffery's The Everything Family Christmas Book is a complex list of stories, songs, and crafts that are good for any family.

 

The final holiday celebration for the month of December is Kwanzaa, which begins December 26. The week-long celebration honors the African American heritage. Kwanzaa was created in 1996 by Dr. Maulana Karenga and became the first African American holiday. The name Kwanzaa comes from the Kiswahili word for the "first fruits of harvest." Each day of the week is dedicated to observing one of the seven principles of Kwanzaa and is recognized by the lighting of a candle in a holder with seven candles. Kwanzaa ends in a big feast complete with gift giving. Jessica B. Harris' A Kwanzaa Keepsake features recipes and activities for each night of the celebration.

Library Programming

Holiday MoviesPrograms
Teen Events for Winter