Even in Palestine, Texas, we like to run inside and warm up with a cup of hot cocoa when the colder, shorter days of December roll around. Visit the Adult Non-fiction section at the Palestine Public Library for several cheerful Christmas titles to cozy up to.
Seasonal inspiration abounds in the encouraging words of Follow the Star: Christmas Stories That Changed My Life by Pastor T.D. Jakes, who invites us to stop for a moment and contemplate the meaning of Christmas as he shares some of his own personal stories. Another title worth a look is Pastor Rick Warren’s The Purpose of Christmas, which looks back at the first Christmas story and explains how the three purposes of the season can fulfill our greatest needs.
If you’re interested in exploring local Christmas traditions, check out Christmas in Texas by Elizabeth Silverthorne. She explores holiday traditions of Texas’ immigrant groups of the 19th century, with darling traditional artwork and authentic recipes.
If you’re crafty enough to make your own home décor or holiday gifts, check out Christmas in Crochet, edited by Connie Ellison. This book features 58 Christmas crochet projects, including gifts, apparel, ornaments, table runners and afghans, and Christmas tree skirts. Another title of interest is 55 Christmas Balls to Knit by Arne and Carlos, who have designed a variety of holiday patterns for ornaments and other home decorations from traditional Norwegian knitwear. Both books are available in the PPL’s New Non-fiction section near the circulation desk.
Many other homemade projects are available in A Greener Christmas by Sheherazade Goldsmith, environmental activist and proprietor of an organic farm in Devon, England. Goldsmith encourages us to enjoy a “greener” Christmas with traditional recipes, hand-crafted holiday cards and gifts and natural decorations.
Finally, if you have an eReader or Kindle that arrived last Christmas, the PPL’s Digital Branch at http://palestine.lib.overdrive.com/ also has a couple of holiday non-fiction titles. The Official Guide to Christmas in the South: Or, If You Can’t Fry It, Spraypaint It Gold is a humorous guide to Southern holiday traditions. For more craft and recipe ideas, the Digital Branch also offers Best of Christmas Ideas from Better Homes and Gardens magazine.
Visit the PPL’s website at www.palestine.lib.tx.us to explore our catalog for more holiday ideas, and become inspired for the Christmas season.
