It’s beginning to feel a lot like Christmas, at least to me, now that the winter cold is finally upon us. It always takes me a bit longer to get into the Christmas spirit than most people I know. I won’t say that I’m a Grinch or anything but, when it comes to the holidays, I’m definitely more of a Charlie Brown.

It had been years since I’d watched the beloved Christmas classic A Charlie Brown Christmas so I figured now was as good of a time as any for a nostalgic dose of holiday cheer. I needed a little reminder of the true meaning of the holiday and, thanks to the Peanuts gang,  I’ve got a new lease on this Christmas season.

As a little kid the original Charlie Brown Christmas special was a holiday tradition. But even then I can’t say that I truly understood the plight of our greatly put-upon protagonist Charlie Brown. In those days I couldn’t understand why Chuck was so glum; it was Christmas, after all. In hindsight, of course, it’s easy to see why Charlie Brown, a youngster possessed of a thirtysomething’s melancholy,was having trouble getting into the Christmas spirit. He’d become disenchanted with the commercialism of the holiday, a  complaint that has grown much timelier in this day and age. His efforts to celebrate Christmas in a more meaningful way–from agreeing to direct the Christmas play to selecting a spindly, pathetic Christmas tree–are unpopular at first. But eventually the gang come to appreciate Charlie Brown’s sensitivity and simplicity–at least, until the next holiday special rolls around.

This is one of my favorite Christmas programs of all time for a number of reasons–the sweet and simple story featuring Charles Schulz‘s well-loved characters, the use of non-professional children in the voice cast. But one of the things I love most about this special is its  soundtrack by Vince Guaraldi, a charming score that lends a sweetness yet sophistication to the show. Not only does this soundtrack boast “Linus and Lucy”, the song that has come to be the Peanuts theme but it also features one of my favorite modern Christmas songs “Christmas Time is Here”.

I can’t think of a better way to get into the Christmas spirit than this:

Although George Washington was Father of Our Country, he died in 1799 long before Father’s Day was invented.

The first Father’s Day was celebrated in 1908 in a church in Fairmont, West Virginia. On the other side of the U.S., Mrs. Sonora Smart Dodd of Washington thought of the idea in 1909 while listening to a sermon on Mother’s Day. She honored her father in 1910 and solicited the idea of an official Father’s Day.

The idea of Father’s Day was initially met with a laugh. After years of jokes and satire, Father’s Day became officially celebrated on the third Sunday of June in 1966 by President Lyndon Johnson.

Despite promoting tools and electronics, gifts for Father’s Day sales were eleven billion in 2008 which was about seven billion less than gift sales for Mother’s Day. White and red roses are the official flowers of Father’s Day. White is in honor of a father who is deceased while red is in gratitude of one who is still living. According to Hallmark cards, 102 million cards will be sent, making Father’s Day the fifth largest card sending occasion.

In 2009, Father’s Day will be celebrated on Sunday, June 21. It’s no joke, honor your Dad. According to the Census Bureau there are 66.3 million of them in the United States.

According to the Britannica Online Encyclopedia, Columbus Day was originally celebrated on October 12 of each year. The day commemorates Christopher Columbus’s landing in the new world on October 14, 1492. The holiday was later changed in 1971 to the second Monday of October. Did you know that Spain and Italy also commemorate the landing of Christopher Columbus? Spanish speaking countries of the Americas commemorate the landing with a day they call Día de la Raza. It is translated in English  as either the day of the race or the day of the people. They focus on the native people in the Americas and not on the landing itself.  The Britannica Online Encylopedia can be accessed from our Reference Database page under the Encylcopedia and Directories category.   Want to learn more about this holiday? Check out this list of titles the Library owns.

All DeKalb County Public Library branches will be closed on Monday, February 18 in observance of Presidents’ Day.

Presidents’ Day is the common name for the U.S. federal holiday officially designated as Washington’s Birthday. It is celebrated on the third Monday of February. The Washington’s Birthday holiday was originally established to honor the contributions of the first president of the U.S., but it has become commonplace for Americans to celebrate the legacies of all past presidents on this day. (www.usa.gov)

All DeKalb County Public Library branches will be closed on Monday, January 21 in observance of the birthday of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

Everybody can be great, because everybody can serve.

You don’t have to have a college degree to serve.

You don’t have to have to make your subject and your verb agree to serve.

You don’t have to know about Plato and Aristotle to serve.

You don’t have to know Einstein’s “Theory of Relativity” to serve.

You don’t have to know the Second Theory of Thermal Dynamics in Physics to serve.

You only need a heart full of grace, a soul generated by love, and you can be that servant.

Excerpted from “The Drum Major Instinct”, a sermon by Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr., 1968. Available on CD and print in A Knock At Midnight: Inspiration from the Great Sermons of Reverend Martin Luther King, Jr. Courtesy of The King Center.

Catalog Links:

Biographies and other books about Dr. King

Books by Dr. King

Library Databases (remote access requires valid DCPL card and PIN):

Biography Resource Center

The African American Experience

Related Links:

The King Center

The Nobel Peace Prize

The Martin Luther King, Jr. Research and Education Institute

The King Papers

All DeKalb County Public Library branches will be closed on Monday, December 24 and Tuesday, December 25 in observance of Christmas.

If you have an information need over the holiday, don’t forget you can still access Library resources via our Databases, Web Links, and eAudiobooks.  If you still can’t find the answer, use our handy Email a Librarian form and a staff member will respond after we return from the holidays.

Here are few links that you might find useful until the Library reopens:

Flying over the holidays?  Check out some packing and travel tips from TSA.

Need a last minute recipe?  Try the Epicurious or All Recipes.

Looking for a quick decorating idea? Try HGTV, The Decorating Diva Blog, or go “green” with environmentally friendly holiday tips from The Green Daily’s Green Holiday Guide.

The holiday season is a time when many of us are extremely busy and stressed, and it’s easy to get overwhelmed by other things.  My husband says I worry too much, but I like to think of it as “planning ahead.”  There are always lots of stories on the news and in the paper about shopping safely during this time of year, but I would like to share a few links about personal and home safety, as well as product recalls and holiday safety.

Most important this holiday season?  Be aware, be safe, and take time to relax and enjoy time spent with family and friends.  The National Safety Council suggests that you “take time out for yourself. Relax, read, or enjoy your favorite hobby at your own pace.”  As a librarian, I can’t think of any better advice than that! 

Links for holiday safety tips:

Winter Holiday Health and Safety Tips from the American Red Cross

National Safety Council Holiday Season Safety

Websites to know for product safety and recalls:

www.recalls.gov  A “one stop shop” for all federal recalls as the result of six Federal agencies working together.  Look for (or report) dangerous products, including consumer products, food, medicine, motor vehicles, and cosmetics.

www.cpsc.gov Consumer safety information as well as product recalls from the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission.

Identity theft links:

Federal Trade Commission’s Identity Theft Site

U.S. Department of Justice Site for Identity Theft and Fraud