Holidays in December

Happy Hanukkah! Merry Christmas! Happy Kwanzaa! These are three major holidays in December. The library has something to offer you regardless of which event you celebrate.

Hanukkah is the first holiday celebrated in December. It is held from December 8 – 16, this year. This holiday celebrates the victory of the Jews over the Greek Syrians in 165 BC. According to Jewish tradition, the triumphant Jews entered the Holy Temple in Jerusalem and dedicated it to the service of their God. But when they entered the temple, they found only enough lamp oil to last one night, but the oil somehow managed to burn for the whole eight days it took to go in search for more oil.

Christmas is the next holiday celebrated in December. It is held on December 25. This Christian holiday celebrates the birth of Jesus Christ.

Kwanzaa is the final holiday celebrated in December. It is celebrated on December 26. Kwanzaa, which means “first fruit of the harvest” in Swahili, is a time to focus on the traditional African values of family. It is based upon the celebration of seven principles or beliefs called the Nguzo Saba and was created by Ron Karenga in 1966 to celebrate African-American heritage.

Happy holidays, everyone! We wish you the best. Everyone is always welcome at the Rice Lake Public Library.

PageTurners Read “Holidays on Ice”

Holidays on Ice
David Sedaris
Holidays on Ice is a collection of stories and creative essays by Sedaris with a common Christmas theme.  David Sedaris’s dark humor is evident in “Seasons Greetings to Our Friends and Family!!!” a parody of the relentlessly cheerful holiday letters written by thousands of people extolling the virtues of their dubious brood. “Front Row Center with Thaddeus Bristol,” is a vicious theatrical review of children’s Christmas pageants. Sedaris explores some of his own holiday memories in “Dinah, the Christmas Whore” and “SantaLand Diaries”.

The PageTurners Book Club met on Thursday, December 8, at 6 pm in the Bottom Shelf Room at the Rice Lake Public Library. Five people attended the discussion. The general consensus about the book was that Sedaris walked a fine line between hilarious and offensive with these stories. The average score awarded to this book was 3.2 out of 5 books; the lowest score was a 2 / 5 and the highest score 4 / 5.

Click on the book graphic below to see a full recap of book club members’ opinions.

_____________________________

Holidays on Ice by David Sedaris is available at the Rice Lake Public Library. There are over ten copies of this book in the MORE System. Please visit the card catalog website or call us at 234-4861 to reserve a copy today.

The PageTurners Book Club is sponsored by the Friends of the Rice Lake Public Library. It usually meets on the first Thursday of each month at 6 pm at the Rice Lake Public Library. Discussion lasts an hour; everyone is welcome.

Christmas Films

A Christmas Story (1983) Rated PG

In 1940s Indiana, a young boy tries to convince his parents that a genuine Red Ryder 200-shot carbine action air rifle is the only gift that will make his Christmas worthwhile.

Elf (2003) Rated PG

A human baby accidentally ends up at the North Pole and grows up among the elf community. Buddy, as he comes to be known, knows that he’s “special”. When he’s 30, Buddy learns from Santa that he’s really a human. He decides to go in search of his father, to find out where he belongs. He walks to Manhattan, and is immediately run over by a cab. His father at first rejects him and Buddy ends up in a department store where other elves are working. But all the while, things are looking bad for Santa Claus. When Santa crashes his sleigh in Central Park, it’s Buddy’s moment to shine.

It’s a Wonderful Life (1947) Rated G

A man is saved from a suicide attempt by an angel and is then shown how important he is to the people who love him. A Christmas classic.

Miracle on 34th Street (1947) Rated NR

The real Santa is hired by Macy’s to play the department store’s Santa in the Thanksgiving Day parade, but has to prove in court that he is who he says he is.

Honorable Mentions: Home Alone (1990) Rated PG, How the Grinch Stole Christmas (1966) Rated NR, Nightmare Before Christmas (1993) Rated PG, A Charlie Brown Christmas (1965) Rated NR, White Christmas (1954) Rated NR

Christmas Films

Bad Santa (2003) Rated R

Willie is a thief who teams up with his dwarf friend Marcus, for a very special Christmas scam. Willie gets a job as Santa Claus at a shopping mall, Marcus tags along as an elf, and they use their employee status to rob stores blind just before Christmas. But Willie is a bitter and foul-mouthed alcoholic who doesn’t care much for kids. A mall’s manager is certain something’s wrong, so he asks the chief of security to check out Willie. Meanwhile, one of the kids Willie is forced to talk to becomes a regular customer.

A Christmas Carol (1951) Rated NR

A miser learns the true meaning of Christmas when three ghostly visitors review his past and present and also foretell his future.

Holiday in Handcuffs (2008) Rated NR

A ne’er-do-well thirty-something attempts to appease her family by kidnapping herself an attractive boyfriend for the family Christmas. Despite unlikely odds and dysfunctional family moments, the two fall in love and share a magical Christmas.

Noelle (2007) Rated PG

Father Jonathan Keene is a cold, impatient Catholic priest who arrives in a tiny fishing village the week before Christmas. He is there to do what he does best – shut down dying parishes. But things take an unexpected turn as he becomes entangled in the various lives of the village’s eccentric characters. This includes the town’s beautiful librarian, the childlike priest he is displacing, and the magical experience of Mrs. Worthington’s legendary Christmas Party, where everyone is welcome and anything is possible.

Prancer (1989) Rated G

A little girl finds a wounded reindeer in the woods and believes it is Prancer. Her efforts to nurse it back to health so she can return it to Santa bring about wonderful changes in the lives of everyone–her father, their neighbor, a grouchy vet, a department store Santa and the people of the town.

It’s not christmas without:

A Christmas Story

It’s A Wonderful Life

Holiday Inn

Home Alone

How the Grinch Stole Christmas