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December 21^st, the winter solstice, is the shortest day, and longest night, in the Northern Hemisphere. Our days have been steadily growing shorter since the summer solstice (June 21^st), and on December 21^st, the sun will rise at 7:29am and set a few short hours later at 4:33pm.

The winter solstice, as the shortest day of the year, has been at the center of celebrations for millennia. Some civilizations celebrated it as a time of new birth or renewal, and held special celebrations (such as Yule) in honor of the return of the light, and sometimes building special sites (such as Newgrange) that were designed to align with the sunrise on the solstices. (To learn more about the ways different cultures celebrate the winter solstice, check out this blog post from 2022.) The solstice is not just a religious or cultural event, but also a natural phenomenon, when the northern hemisphere is the furthest from the sun that it will be all year.

While the winter solstice doesn’t mark the coldest day of the year for those of us in the Midwest (we still have the bitterly cold days of January and February to look forward to after all), the solstice is a reminder that we are moving closer to spring. Soon, when the library closes at four, it will still be light out. Soon, you’ll no longer have to get ready for your 8:00 class in the dark. Soon, it will again be warm enough to walk outside without five layers on.

For those who love winter, the solstice is a reminder that the time to curl up in front of a fire while the wind howls outside only lasts for a short while. For those who love summer, it is a reminder that the bitter cold is one step closer to ending. The snow will melt, the flowers will bloom, and the days will grow longer.

Here’s a poem by Oliver Herford that seems fitting for the winter solstice:

I Heard a Bird Sing

I heard a bird sing

In the dark of December

A magical thing

And sweet to remember:

“We are nearer to Spring

Than we were in September,”

I heard a bird sing

In the dark of December.

Oliver Herford

Looking for ways to escape the cold outside? Check out our displays for curated selections of materials! On the first floor you can find children’s books celebrating different winter holidays, on the second floor you can find books on books, on the third floor, a variety of short stories (follow us on Facebook and Instagram for more short story recommendations), and on the fourth floor, a collection of winter movies.

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Winter Solstice 2025

December 21st, the winter solstice, is the shortest day, and longest night, in the Northern Hemisphere. Our days have been steadily growing shorter since the summer solstice (June 21st), and on December 21st, the sun will rise at 7:29am and set a few short hours later at 4:33pm. The winter solstice, as the shortest day of the year, has been at the center of celebrations for millennia. Some civilizations celebrated it as a time of new birth or renewal, and held special celebrations (such as Yule) in honor of the return of the light, and sometimes building special sites (such as Newgrange) that were designed to align with the sunrise on the solstices. (To learn more about the ways different cultures celebrate the winter solstice, check out this blog post from 2022.) The solstice is not just a religious or cultural event, but also a natural phenomenon, when the northern hemisphere is the furthest from the sun that it will be all year. While the winter solstice doesn’t mark the coldest day of the year for those of us in the Midwest (we still have the bitterly cold days of January and February to look forward to after all), the solstice is a reminder that we are moving closer to spring. Soon, when the library closes at four, it will still be light out. Soon, you’ll no longer have to get ready for your 8:00 class in the dark. Soon, it will again be warm enough to walk outside without five layers on. For those who love winter, the solstice is a reminder that the time to curl up in front of a fire while the wind howls outside only lasts for a short while. For those who love summer, it is a reminder that the bitter cold is one step closer to ending. The snow will melt, the flowers will bloom, and the days will grow longer. Here’s a poem by Oliver Herford that seems fitting for the winter solstice:I Heard a Bird SingI heard a bird singIn the dark of DecemberA magical thingAnd sweet to remember: “We are nearer to Spring Than we were in September,”I heard a bird singIn the dark of December.Oliver Herford Looking for ways to escape the cold outside? Check out our displays for curated selections of materials! On the first floor you can find children’s books celebrating different winter holidays, on the second floor you can find books on books, on the third floor, a variety of short stories (follow us on Facebook and Instagram for more short story recommendations), and on the fourth floor, a collection of winter movies....

Human Rights - Our Everyday Essentials

Wednesday, December 10, is Human Rights Day. Celebrated annually on the anniversary of the signing of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, 2025 marks the 77th anniversary of the signing. The Declaration was drafted by a committee of members from all over the world led by Eleanor Roosevelt (who was not only the United State’s longest serving First Lady, but was also called the First Lady of the World for her activism and involvement in world events). The Universal Declaration of Human Rights, while it has no legal powers by itself, forms the foundation of many important human rights documents all over the world. It’s the most translated document in the world, translated into 577 languages as of 2025 (here’s the page where you can search all the translations).The language of the Declaration is intentionally broad, making no reference to a particular belief system, culture, or political system. As such, it has not only been adopted by governments, but also by many different institutions. For instance, the American Library Association, the governing body for libraries, used the Declaration in discussing its Library Bill of Rights. While the Catholic Church has not formally adopted the Declaration, several popes have referenced it in recent years. In 2018, Pope Francis devoted his Traditional Exchange of New Year’s Greetings with the Diplomatic Corps to The Universal Declaration of Human Rights, tying the Declaration in with important aspects of Catholic Social Teaching.Every year the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, part of the United Nations, selects a theme to focus on for that year’s celebration of the Universal Declaration. This year, the theme selected is “Human Rights: Our Everyday Essentials.” They write, “In this period of turbulences and unpredictability, where many feel a growing sense of insecurity, disaffection and alienation, the theme of Human Rights Day is to reaffirm the values of human rights and show that they remain a winning proposition for humanity. Through this campaign, we aim to re-engage people with human rights by showing how they shape our daily lives, often in ways we may not always notice. Too often taken for granted or seen as abstract ideas, human rights are the essentials we rely on everyday.”The UN hopes that by selecting this theme, they can remind people that the lives they enjoy are protected by the fundamental rights described in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. UN Human Rights Chief, Volker Türk, says, “The world is facing wars, mass displacement, escalating hatred, and growing inequalities. Yet compassion — expressed through inclusive policies and acts of solidarity — can transform lives and bridge divisions. Human rights are a shared project. Our strength lies in standing together.”While the grand aspirations laid out in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights have yet to be achieved, the hope is that with effort by us all, we can one day achieve the hopes set out 77 years ago, in the wake of WWII. In her 1948 speech, “The Struggle for Human Rights,” given just over two months before the Declaration was signed, Eleanor Roosevelt said: “The development of the ideal of freedom and its translation into the everyday life of the people in great areas of the earth is the product of the efforts of many peoples. It is the fruit of a long tradition of vigorous thinking and courageous action… In each generation and in each country there must be a continuation of the struggle and new steps forward must be taken since this is preeminently a field in which to stand still is to retreat.”To learn more about the Declaration, check out these books in our collection.To read the Declaration of Human Rights for yourself, visit this link. Sources:Human Rights Office of the High Commissioner. “Human Rights Day 2025: Our Everyday Essentials.” OHCHR. United Nations Human Rights Office of the High Commissioner, 13 November 2025. https://www.ohchr.org/en/stories/2025/11/human-rights-our-everyday-essentialsUnited Nations. “History of the Declaration.” United Nations. Accessed 3 December, 2025. https://www.un.org/en/about-us/udhr/history-of-the-declarationFrancis. “Address of His Holiness Pope Francis to the Members of the Diplomatic Corps Accredited to the Holy See for the Traditional Exchange of New Year Greetings.” The Holy See. 8 January 2018. https://www.vatican.va/content/francesco/en/speeches/2018/january/documents/papa-francesco_20180108_corpo-diplomatico.htmlRoosevelt, Eleanor. “The Struggle for Human Rights.” George Washington University. Eleanor Roosevelt Papers Project, 28 September 1948. https://erpapers.columbian.gwu.edu/struggle-human-rights-1948...

History of Hallmark Movies

If you turn on the Hallmark channel between mid-October and December 25th, you’ll be certain to find a romantic holiday movie, where it always snows on Christmas, small town businesses thrive, and a man who may or may not be Santa Claus (likely named Kris Kringle) helps the main characters realize their feelings for each other. These movies are beloved by many, thanks in part to their comforting and predictable formula: the main characters have their first encounter, are pushed together by fate and circumstance, have a misunderstanding, resolve that misunderstanding with the help of the townspeople, and finally get together, all while discovering the true meaning of Christmas, and stopping all outside dangers (which likely came from the big city). Hallmark movies are so popular that they’ve inspired a whole genre, with Netflix, ABC, HBO, and many other companies creating their own holiday romances with a similar structure. They also have inspired a host of novels, parodies, and critiques. Hallmark has reacted to the criticism by branching out, including more diverse characters, love stories, and holidays (for this instance, this year they have a Hanukkah movie, Oy to the World), while still retaining their classic structure, and (dare I say) cheesiness. Regardless of the popularity of their Christmas movies, Hallmark is first and foremost a card company. Their cards are sent to celebrate holidays and special events, to mourn losses, to simply say, “I’m thinking of you.” So, how did a card company turn into a holiday movie producing giant? The first step in figuring that out is understanding the history of the company, and what allowed it to become successful. Founded by the Hall brothers in 1910, the Hallmark company (renamed as such in 1954 after the official mark stamped on precious metals in England as proof of their quality), was one of the first companies to sell greeting cards in envelopes, and was the inventor of printed wrapping paper. The popularity of these innovations ensured their success, even during times of crisis such as the Great Depression. While other companies were forced to let go of staff, Hallmark was able to not only retain their staff members, but also hire new employees. With this success, which was bolstered further by WWII, the Hallmark company began to sponsor radio and TV specials. These were typically adaptations of popular plays and short stories. Eventually, they began producing their own advertisements and films (such as the Hallmark Hall of Fame films). In the late 1990s, they purchased a TV station of their own, which primarily aired re-runs of family-friendly movies and TV shows. These were slowly phased out as Hallmark began producing and airing more of their original content. However, it took a few years before they introduced the first of their Christmas movies.The first hit Hallmark Christmas movie was 2006’s The Christmas Card, which contained many of the plot points that would come to be the Hallmark Christmas movie formula. With the success of that movie, they began to produce more Christmas movies with similar storylines, which only grew in popularity. Add to that their consistent casts (often composed of stars from the ‘90s and early 2000s) and it’s easy to see how they’ve created a formula for successful movies. They produced enough movies that in 2009 they introduced their now annual “Countdown to Christmas,” where they devote the channel to holiday-related programming. (In 2009, they released fewer than 10 original movies as part of the Countdown. This year, they have 24 movies set to premiere.) The Hallmark Company now releases dozens of holiday movies every year, and their Countdown to Christmas is an integral part of many people’s holiday traditions. While many other companies also produce their own Christmas movies with similar storylines, Hallmark originals are still incredibly popular. They’ve refined their formula, and with their regular stars, are able to produce dozens of movies every year. And with the introduction of their own streaming service, this popularity seems likely to continue. While we don’t have any Hallmark movies in our collection, we do have a good-sized collection of holiday movies. Check out the fourth floor display to see what’s available! Sources:https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2019/12/23/how-hallmark-took-over-cable-tvhttps://www.countryliving.com/life/entertainment/news/a46090/history-of-hallmark/https://www.mentalfloss.com/holidays/christmas/hallmark-christmas-movie-historyhttps://www.wgfoundation.org/blog/2022/12/6/hallmark-christmas-movieshttps://www.hallmarkchannel.com/about-us...

Friendsgiving

Thanksgiving has been celebrated annually in the United States since 1863, when Abraham Lincoln began the presidential tradition of proclaiming a day of Thanksgiving to be celebrated in November. Thanksgiving didn’t settle firmly on a date until the 1940s, when FDR and Congress set the fourth Thursday in November as Thanksgiving (learn more about the history of Thanksgiving – and the role that the editor of Godey’s Lady’s Book had in making it a national holiday, in this blog post).Despite the enduring popularity of Thanksgiving, Friendsgiving (a portmanteau of friends and Thanksgiving), a much younger holiday, is growing increasingly popular. According to Merriam-Webster, the term Friendsgiving first appeared in print in 2007, though it likely was used colloquially before then. In 2020, Friendsgiving was officially added to the Merriam-Webster dictionary (and appears in the new dictionary published on November 18, 2025, which is only the 12th edition published since 1898). Friendsgiving is often celebrated by groups of friends, who often are unable to return home for the traditional Thanksgiving holiday. Other Friendsgivings are held by people who will return home for Thanksgiving, but still wish to celebrate together. Friendsgiving is, by design, a flexible holiday, so each celebration can be whatever the participants want it to be. It is increasingly popular amongst younger adults, especially those who are in college, or living away from their families, allowing them to engage in their favorite traditions, while changing things up a bit. Freed from the tradition surrounding traditional Thanksgivings, Friendsgiving encourages people to create new traditions. This could be new food (maybe you only serve soups or sushi, instead of the traditional turkey) or new activities (perhaps you watch movies or play board games).Interested in celebrating Friendsgiving? Check out our collection of cookbooks here. Want to host a movie night as part of your Friendsgiving celebrations? Check out our movie display on the fourth floor!Regardless of if you celebrate Friendsgiving, Thanksgiving, Hanksgiving (read more about that holiday here), or just enjoy the extra few days off before finals, we wish you the best! ...

Winter Solstice 2025

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