December Spotlight

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SPOTLIGHT ON THE LIBRARY

DECEMBER 2004

The library has a variety of holiday books and audiovisual materials to make your celebrations informative and entertaining. Christmas is a time of family traditions and lasting memories. Here are a few seasonal remembrances from some of the library staff. We wish you a time of peace and joy throughout the holidays.

Reminiscing about childhood Christmases is a sensory experience for me. In my mind’s eye I see shimmering silver icicles on a tree, red poinsettia lights on the mantle and wreaths made of ground pine gathered from nearby woods. I smell bayberry candles and homemade cinnamon rolls. I taste Aunt Louise’s spicy apple rings and Grandma’s popcorn balls made with maple syrup. I hear Mom playing Christmas carols on the piano and merry voices of relatives singing in harmony. Best of all, I feel the warmth of a loving family that lasts throughout the year. (Darlene Sherwood)

One of my fondest Christmas memories is the year my cousin, Julie, and I each received a pogo stick. We were having the best time trying to learn how to ride them in my parents’ basement. When the rest of our relatives arrived for Christmas dinner, the grownups wanted to join in on the fun. The men, dressed in suits and ties, decided to take the pogo sticks out onto the front sidewalk. They provided a hilarious show as they bounced along, toppled off and jumped back on. I’m sure the neighbors enjoyed the entertainment too. Both pogo sticks ended up needing repair work, but everyone had such a good time it didn’t matter. (Liz Buchholz)

This "Spotlight on the Library" article was written by Mary Jacobs, the David A. Howe Public Library director. Articles are written and published monthly in the Wellsville Daily Reporter.

Click on a date below to read a recent article.

December 2004

Find a complete list of articles on the Search the Library page.

Click here to read the Wellsville Daily Reporter online

After the cousins, lights, evening services, wrappings and laughter of our Christmas Eve celebration, my family piled into the station wagon to drive home from my grandmother’s house in the city. My parents’ hushed voices soothed us to sleep for the hour drive home. When we arrived, we hurried, under the sparkle of stars and through biting cold air, into the house. In the living room, my father plugged in the Christmas lights. In the kitchen, my mother poured eggnog. In our rooms, my sisters and I put on our pajamas. Then, turning off lights as we came, we gathered on the living room couch. I will always remember: the blue glow of the bulbs on the pine needles and ornaments, the shimmering reflection of the tree in the window, and the quiet radiance on the faces of those closest to me. (Allison Midgley)

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It was Christmas time when I was about 10 years old that I have my first memory of being in awe of the natural world. We had traveled from Monroe, Michigan to spend the holidays with my aunt and uncle in Belmont. "Unc" suggested my sister and I accompany him far up on the hill to cut a tree. There had been 8 to 10 inches of snowfall during the night and the woods were accessible only on foot. I remember how difficult it was to trudge through the deep snow and the reassuring warmth of my uncle’s large hand; but mostly I remember how still and beautiful it was. Years later I would read Robert Frost’s poem "Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening" and know exactly what he meant when he wrote, "The woods are lovely, dark and deep…" (Melody Fanton)