What's New!

December is packed with festive celebrations, including Hannukah, winter solstice, Christmas, Kwanzaa, and others. It’s a busy time when you may find yourself decorating, planning or prepping meals and treats, making or shopping for gifts, visiting friends and family, and attending community celebrations. Pikes Peak Library District has all the programs, tools, and resources you need to make the best of the holiday season, including cookbooks and classes, DIY gifts, holiday book lists, and more!

Resources

• New recipes from a vast array of new-to-you cookbooks for all occasions 
• Movies, music, books, and even a collection of Hallmark movies on Hoopla
• Audio and video studio equipment for DIY memories 
• CultureGrams to learn about holiday celebrations from around the world (must have a library card that starts with a 4 to access outside the Library) 
• Reviews, shopping guides, and more for your holiday shopping experience with Consumer Reports (must have a library card that starts with a 4 to access outside the Library)
• A wide assortment of holiday films and documentaries on Kanopy
• Christmas music on Freegal

DIY Gifts

• Don’t miss our Makerspace Holiday Open Houses at East Library, Sand Creek Library, and Library 21c this month to learn how you can use makerspace equipment to create DIY gifts and decorations.
• Find craft inspiration or delve into new hobbies with the Hobbies & Crafts Reference Center. (Must have a library card that starts with a 4 to access outside the Library)
• Join us for makerspace classes and use your new knowledge to make custom gifts for your loved ones.
• Discover DIY gift ideas with our array of creative books.

Websites

• December 2024 Holidays
  Explore national, religious, and just for fun holidays that take place in December. 
• National Geographic: Winter Celebrations
  Fill your December with festive fun facts, folklore, and holiday information. 
   

Friends of PPLD Bookstore

Get gifts for your family while supporting your Library! The Friends of PPLD sponsors and supports numerous programs and events to further the enjoyment of reading and love for books by all individuals. They are best known for their volunteerism, their bookstores in each library (you never know what you will find in the ever-changing inventory of previously-read books and magazines) and, of course, the two Big Book Sales each year. 

Stop by the Friends store at the Library and find books, CDs, movies, magazines, and more from $0.25 to $3. Or shop for specialty items online! Purchases made through the Friends of PPLD support library programming and materials. 

Do you love books, reading, and libraries? Have you considered becoming involved in your community? One easy step covers it all! Get involved with the Friends and support your community, one book at a time. 

Materials for this December Take and Make will be available at area PPLD libraries beginning December 8, 2023. For more pictures with instructions see pdf file link below.

Materials provided:
paper
Materials you provide: 
crayons or markers, scissors, glue, ruler, black marker

Pablo Picasso is a famous artist from the 20th century. He’s known for co-founding the Cubist movement. In Cubism, subjects and artists are broken up and rearranged in an abstract form. The name Cubism comes from the cubes and other geometric shapes contained in the artwork. Picasso combined different pieces of his subject to make things look very fragmented, often using geometric shapes. ‘A head’, said Picasso, ‘is a matter of eyes, nose, mouth, which can be distributed in any way you like’. He had different styles of Cubism during his life.
Directions:

Papers 1 & 2:
Draw a self-portrait using bright colors. Cut it up and glue it to another paper in an abstract way.
Paper 3:
Use the ruler to divide your paper in quarters – draw a vertical linein the center of your paper and also a horizontal line in the center.
Divide your paper into 4 quadrants again – this time drawing lines from corner to corner, both directions.
Using only straight lines, draw facial features.
Color with crayons or markers. Outline the features with a black marker.

Materials for this Take & Make, for ages 5-12, will be available at area PPLD libraries beginning November 10, 2023.

Materials and Directions:

Materials We Provide:
Plastic Cup, paper base, dinosaur
Materials You Provide:
Colored Pencils, crayons, and/or markers, paper scraps, scissors, glue, natural objects.
Directions:
1. If possible, go outside and collect small natural objects to use in your dinorama. You might consider pinecones and or needles, pebbles, leaves, and such.
2. Use paper scraps to make other items such as trees, water features, and food to create your dinosaur habitat.
3. Create the habitat to your liking.
4. Check that the cup will fit over the top.
5. Glue the inside pieces down.
6. Glue the cup over the top.