SUBMITTED BY THE CAMROSE PUBLIC LIBRARY (NICOLE BANNICK)

The geese have flown south, and days are cooler. The snow has begun to fall, and is sticking this time. Night comes earlier, and the Northern Lights are more easily seen in the sky. It will soon be the time of year that children and adults around the world have been waiting for: Winter holiday season!  Whether you observe Christmas, Kwanzaa, Hanukkah, Yule, Diwali, or any number of other winter cultural or religious celebrations, you will be sure to find something at the library and in the community of Camrose this winter.

Camrose Public Library, as laid out in our Plan of Service, values inclusion regardless of heritage, education, beliefs, race, religion, sexual orientation, gender identity, physical or mental capabilities, or income, and we strive to hold and take part in events that promote this value. You will find on our shelves and in our programming, global celebration stories from many different cultures including Christian, Judaic, African American, Muslim, Indigenous Canadian, Chinese, and Japanese traditions.

Camrose Public Library has a yearly event which brings people together to celebrate the gifts and merry-making of the holiday season. We invite everyone to join us for our annual Family Christmas Party on Saturday, Dec. 8 from 10:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m.. The party is again being planned and facilitated by Community Service Learning students from U of A Augustana Campus, and they have some wonderful things in store for you. We are having a sustainable party again this year, with card making, tree ornaments, and pinecone Christmas tree crafts. Embellish Hand Bell Choir will kick off the event with some performances, and a Jolly Man in Red will make an appearance as well. The event is free of charge and open to all, regardless of age or family structure.

While you are here for the Christmas party, make sure to stop by and have a look at our Giving Tree, which will be set up in the Adult Fiction Section. This is our third year of setting up the tree, which gives library users a simple way to pay it forward this holiday season. Pull a tag off the tree and take it to the circulation desk to pay the fine printed on it. Once it is paid, library staff will phone the cardholder to let them know that they have received a gift from another library user. There will be tags in a wide range of prices, from $0.25 to $50.00 or more, so it is an easy way for library users, even the youngest of patrons, to make someone smile this holiday season!

Nicole Bannick is the Program Coordinator of the Camrose Public Library. Outside of work, she enjoys time with her family, Christmas baking, teasing her Mum about lutefisk, and fighting with her siblings for the last piece of lefse.