Holidays | Ann Arbor District Library

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Crafts

Make a Father's Day Card!

Saturday June 17, 2017: 1:00pm to 2:00pm
Malletts Creek Branch: Program Room
Preschool - Grade 5

Crafts

Make A Mother's Day Card

Saturday May 13, 2017: 2:00pm to 3:00pm
Westgate Branch: West Side Room
Preschool - Grade 5

Blog Post

Know what I mean, Vern?

Thu, 12/22/2016 - 2:37pm by manz

If you’re looking for ridiculous 80s movies, look no further. An added bonus is a fun Christmas movie to watch, and they are kid-friendly.

Meet Ernest P. Worrell, portrayed by the late Jim Varney. With his kind heart, good cheer, and naiveté, Ernest is always getting himself into pretty big pickles while trying to save the day. There are several films that highlight his slap-stick shenanigans, including Ernest Goes to Camp (1987), Ernest Saves Christmas (1988), Ernest Goes to Jail (1990), and Ernest Scared Stupid (1991). "Camp" and "Christmas" are the two winners that sure need to spend some time in your VCR… I mean DVD player.

Blog Post

A Holiday Romance from Jill Shalvis

Tue, 12/20/2016 - 4:41pm by CeliaM

Looking for something heartwarming and delightful to read this holiday season? Look no further than The Trouble with Mistletoe by Jill Shalvis.

Back cover:
Willa Davis is wrangling puppies when Keane Winters stalks into her pet shop with frustration in his chocolate-brown eyes and a pink bedazzled cat carrier in his hand. He needs a kitty sitter, stat. But the last thing Willa needs is to rescue a guy who doesn't even remember her. Saddled with his great-aunt Feline from Hell, Keane is desperate to leave her in someone else capable hands. But in spite of the fact that he sure he never seen the drop-dead-gorgeous pet shop owner before, she seems to be mad at him. Willa can deny that Keane changed since high school: he less arrogant, for one thing--but can she trust him not to break her heart again? It time to throw a coin in the fountain, make a Christmas wish--and let the mistletoe do its work.

I'm a huge sucker for holiday romances but they do tend to follow a couple of familiar tropes:
- Hero returns home after ten years to discover heroine has a child who is, suspiciously, ten years old.
- Everyone learns the true meaning of Christmas through a big holiday festival.
- Hero and heroine are stuck in a snow storm and are forced to shelter in a conveniently located abandoned cabin.

This book too has some of those classic elements - the heroine is obsessed with Christmas decorations and wears lots of sweaters and aprons with holiday themed puns embroidered on them. But it also has adorable animal antics, a cast of witty, meddlesome secondary characters, and some refreshing, unpredictable plot twists. Bonus: if, like me, Carl the doberman becomes your favorite character, he is featured in the novella sequel, One Snowy Night.

Crafts

Make a Mask

Sunday October 22, 2017: 1:00pm to 2:00pm
Downtown Library: Secret Lab
Grade 6 - Adult

Blog Post

Non-Traditional Christmas Movies

Wed, 11/30/2016 - 5:05pm by ballybeg

This is the time of year when everyone has a favorite holiday movie to watch. Or two, or three. Traditional Christmas movies can brighten the season and become essential holiday rituals for your family, being eagerly anticipated each year and deeply satisfying.

As is often the case when I go to look for my faves, other people have gotten there first. Too many holds on It’s A Wonderful Life, or White Christmas, might mean you are getting it in January, which is still a good month to watch these two films! But perhaps there are “non-traditional” holiday films that can be viewed right now, that have the qualities which make them suited for your Christmas-time, family movie nights; films that you might have over-looked in your rush to see the Grinch for the umpteenth time.

All of these films, while not about Christmas per se, have that uplifting, warm, giving feeling that you expect at this time of year; all but one have Christmas-time or winter scenes. If you want a different feel-good movie for Christmas this year, you could try:

The Bishop’s Wife Cary Grant as an angel who skates really well.
While You Were Sleeping She just wants to be a part of the family.
Little Women Amy gives up her Christmas orange.
The Snowman Flying and dancing through the winter landscape.
Silas Marner A young child brings love and redemption.
Joyeaux Noel A true story of laying down arms on Christmas Eve in the trenches of WWI.
You Can’t Take It With You A truly wacked-out family, all following their bliss.
You’ve Got Mail Love blooms remotely between rival book-sellers.
Iron Will Dog-sledding to save the family farm.
Never Cry Wolf You can’t blame wolves for everything that is going wrong in the wilderness.
Singing in the Rain Ok, this is way out there, but it has been one of my family’s favorite New Year’s movies forever. Make ‘Em Laugh.

In addition, though this is a very traditional movie, and so off-topic, I can't resist recommending this film of A Christmas Carol. Of the many filmed versions of the Dickens classic, this is the best! You can’t beat George C Scott as Scrooge.

What is your favorite non-traditional Christmas movie?

Blog Post

Reflections on Advent and Wild Creatures of the Woodlands

Sat, 11/05/2016 - 5:18pm by mansii

As the air is getting crisp and the branches falling bare, the season of Advent is close upon us; a time to cozy ourselves away and reflect in the quietness of hope and waiting. This year Advent begins on Nov 27th, a few short weeks away, and a beautiful new seasonal resource to AADL's collection is All Creation Waits: The Advent Mystery of New Beginnings by Michigan author Gayle Boss.

For each day of the month-long anticipation of Christmas, All Creation Waits offers a lovely account of the winter habits of wild creatures of the Northern Hemisphere. As we walk with these creatures through their months of dark and cold, we also catch glimpses of the new beginnings that their waiting usher in. The encouragement to our own lives is more felt than said, with a subtlety that matches the behind-the-scenes magic of winter itself.

Each short daily reflection is paired with a woodcut illustration by artist David Klein. The deep blacks and brilliant whites of the full-page illustrations tell stories in themselves.

Welcoming you into the spirit of the season, don't miss the author talk and book signing for this lovely volume THIS SATURDAY Nov. 12th. Click here for more information on this event.

For additional AADL resources for the Advent season, click here.