Christmas

  • Romantic Christmas Movies

    Nothing says Christmas season to me more than cuddling up under a warm blanket with a mug of hot chocolate and watching a holiday romantic movie.  Unfortunately, I don’t have cable so I can’t binge-watch the Hallmark Channel.  But luckily for me, the library owns a lot of the movies.  To find the whole list… Continue reading

  • Christmas Horror!

    Ah, Christmas! A magical time filled with colored lights, falling snow, and visits from old St Nick. Yet colored lights can’t hide the fact that each day it gets darker earlier and stays dark longer. Falling snow is awfully good at making footprints look strangely shaped or just covering them up all together. And isn’t… Continue reading

  • Let’s bring back ghost stories for Xmas

    The night has come for ghosties and ghoulies to peer from the flickering shadows, while we gather round the firelight to tell tales of terror and grue! No, not Hallowe’en: Christmas Eve! A century and more ago, this was the night to share scary stories: “And not only do the ghosts themselves always walk on… Continue reading

  • Tales (and Recipes) for a Winter’s Night

    Thanksgiving, Christmas, Yuletide, Winter Solstice – no matter the form it takes – tales and food so often play a part. Stories of memories, tales passed on from generation to generation, and recipes too following down the line from grandmother, to daughter, to granddaughter, to great-grandson. The ties that bind us during the holiday season… Continue reading

  • Thrilling Tales for the Holidays

    Now that Hallowe’en is past, we approach the holidays with visions of murder dancing in our heads. We’re talking about the next few months of Thrilling Tales – Seattle Public Library’s popular Story time for Grownups, of course! It all starts this Sunday: November 17, 7 p.m. with a Storytime for Grownups at Third Place… Continue reading

  • Ready, Set, Holidays!

    The holidays are nearly upon us. For many of us, it’s time to start thinking about making a Halloween costume, what dish to make for Thanksgiving, or what gifts to make for friends and family. Now is the time to start planning! Here are some books to guide you as the season approaches. In The… Continue reading

  • Holiday Reads for the Rest of Us

    To get into the holiday spirit this year I’ve been cranking up the Christmas tunes, decorating the Christmas tree, and drinking hot cocoa while watching Home Alone, but when it comes to books I need something a little less sparkly and bright. I like to read realistic fiction – nothing against a good cozy mystery… Continue reading

  • Ideas for Book Giving this Holiday

    Librarians give – and get – a lot of books this time of year. Seeing that familiar shape surrounded by festive wrapping is a special thrill. Sure, we know it is a book, but what book? We recently shared some ideas on how to choose good books for your loved ones. Now here are some… Continue reading

  • How to Succeed at Gifting Books this Holiday Season.

    Books make the perfect gift, except when they don’t. Few presents are such a joy for a reader to open as a well-chosen book, but we all know that sinking feeling when a literary gift strikes out. Giving a book can be an emotional minefield, as the books we share are reflections our ourselves, bound… Continue reading

  • Never mind Hallowe’en: Christmas is the Original Haunted Holiday.

    It’s that time of year again – a time of ghosts and goblins, of sudden chills and flickering candle flames at the stroke of midnight, of frights and haunts and things that go bump in the night. No, this isn’t a leftover post from Hallowe’en. For the Victorians, the spookiest holiday of the year was… Continue reading

  • Yuletide Cheer from the Archives

    ~posted by Jade D. In the library’s digital collections, we have a wealth of materials (from photographs and postcards to artwork and newspapers) which give a glimpse into Christmas celebrations of the past. Continue reading

  • Romantic Wednesdays: Happily Ever After on Christmas

    Holidays can be the most stressful time of year. But if you’re stuck at home on Christmas with the in-laws and sugar-crazed children, take heart! You can sneak off for a few minutes and check out some of these Christmas-themed e-books through the Library’s Overdrive collection—you can check them out and add them to your e-reader without… Continue reading

  • Romantic Wednesdays: Holiday Romances

    It’s that time again. What time is that, I hear you asking? In this early December, when the spirit of holiday shopping is everywhere, it’s the perfect time to celebrate the season with the gift of a perfect Holiday Romance. Here are just a few to start off the season, but there will be more.… Continue reading

  • Science Fiction Fridays: Alternate holidays

    I am a proud Grinch. I don’t enjoy anything about the holidays; not the lights, not the food, not the music and definitely not the cold weather. However, one thing I do love is a heartwarming science fiction tale, and it seems like even the most dour author can turn out a warm and fuzzy… Continue reading

  • Winter Wonderland in March? You bet!

    Okay, I admit it. I’m a bit of a holiday music freak. I just love it! I often lament the fact that there’s such a small window of time each year where I can wholeheartedly indulge in my passion. But, I’ve come to the realization that many songs get undeservedly stuck with the dreaded “Christmas… Continue reading

  • Christmas Music for Grinches

    Ok, I’ll admit it: I am a Grinch. Christmas is my least favorite holiday. Why do I despise Christmas? Well, one reason is the music. Most Christmas music is cheesy commercial schlock that gets stuck in your head and torments you for days on end. Worst of all, starting on Black Friday, it is virtually inescapable… Continue reading

  • Christmas Stories and Poems.

    Having a hard time getting in the holiday spirit? Gather round and listen to some heartwarming holiday tales and poems. My new favorite blog is USEDBUYER 2.0, a delightful collection of essays, doodles, reviews, clerihews, quotations, observations and all manner of wonderfulness from out of the mind of Brad Craft, used book buyer for the… Continue reading