It's next week!

I don't know about you but it seems like holidays come faster and faster with each passing year. I'll be honest, Christmas snuck up on me. I had prepared beforehand, but awaiting the day has been less anticipation and more "Oh, it's right around the corner." I am honestly grateful for this pleasant recollection of the holiday. Instead of nerve-wracking, anxiety-inducing panic that not everything is perfect, I am experiencing (possibly for the first time in my life) a sense of ease. I had decided earlier this year that I was going to treat myself with more grace, and in honor of that pact I have been letting go of my usual desire to fixate on every little detail. Instead, I have decided to adopt a "good enough" mindset with things I would normally obsess over. 

If you can't already tell, I am a "recovering" Type A personality. I say that as in, I don't think I was really meant to be a Type A, at least not naturally. I believe I was always more of a Type B person but it was buried down deep underneath conditioning that required perfection. I was expected to pay attention to details, act with precision, always be punctual, and control variables to the best of my abilities. For someone who was expected to be flawless, holidays became times of stress rather than enjoyment. For Christmas, it was always about finding the best deals, the perfect gifts for everyone, and presenting it to them in appealing wrappers or bags. This was done not days nor weeks in advance, but months ahead of time. Imagine buying Christmas presents in June and that was me.

So, to realize that I am putting in practice the thing that I promised myself is a sort of Christmas present but just for me. It isn't the stereotypical gift, but it is heartwarming in a different way. It is a reclaiming of a piece of myself that I hadn't let rest. I am releasing myself to actually rest this holiday. I won't perform. I won't expect. I won't search. I will simply rest in the day that was meant for me to remember the truly important things in life. For me, this year is all about resets. I am actively pursuing rejuvenation and recovery because that is what is most needed. I remind myself that even Jesus rested and if this holiday is largely about Him then I better make it a priority just as He did.

If some of this resonated with you, know that it took me a long time to even get to this point in my personal journey. It may have even been something I've repeated from years past but never truly achieved. I think the important thing is that I am still genuinely trying to make it happen. The thing is then I was trying to rest, but now I simply am resting. What a world of a difference that differentiation makes. If you are anywhere on this spectrum, I am wishing you not only Happy Holidays but restful ones as well. And as the New Year is right around the corner along with resolutions galore, you can guess what I will be focusing on in the next year☺

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

Christmas prepping

We have started the countdown! Holiday shopping and chaos ensues. I recall the busyness of this season as part of the nostalgia of yuletide, but as an adult it can be less enchanting. We have to think of all the details and make sure that this magical day comes together as seamlessly as possible. Once a kid and now an adult, I have behind-the-scenes knowledge of how this particular holiday comes to be. In fact, as a mother, I am one of the crew that makes sure it all happens according to plan. I gather the gifts and shell out the money. I ensure the cookies (now gluten free) and milk get ingested. I decorate the space so it fits the enchanting ambience of the holiday. Adults make the dream happen!

Yet, one of the memories that comes back to me (and still haunts me 'til this day) is that of Christmas wrapping. My mother was a stickler for precise, beautiful gift-wrapping. If it wasn't done exactly to her specifications, she would nitpick and critique me until my ears rang. In fact, she was so particular that if she felt you were not up to her standards she would make you redo everything from the very beginning, start to finish. It was one of the things we would be expected to do for others - to wrap their presents with care and intention. However, it was also the reason why I became a "just throw it in a gift bag" sort of person. I am not one for wrapping a gift that will soon be torn into pieces anyways. To me, it seemed just as effective to put gifts in pretty bags with lovely tissue paper than to spend time wrapping everything.

Yet, there is something heartwarming about getting something wrapped prettily. I understand the sentiment completely - I just don't want to be the one expected to do it. That being said, it is still a very important part of Christmas, although it may be a challenge finding a place that still does this activity. Well, look no further! Yours truly, the Portland District Library, is offering a gift wrapping program that will get you out of the house and enjoying the company of adults while you conceal presents in festive papers. This program will ensure that you can safely wrap your gifts without the prying eyes of inquisitive children trying to sabotage your efforts.

There have been two dates already passed, but you can still join others as they enjoy hot chocolate, holiday music, and a plethora of wrapping materials if you're interested. We will be hosting this again on December 17 from 2:00pm-8:00pm and December 22 from 1:00pm-3:00pm. We have plenty of wrapping materials left including wrapping paper, bows, tape, various sizes of bags and boxes, pens and pencils, wrapping tissue/tissue paper, and scissors. We are inviting the community and anyone interested in using our free wrapping materials to join the holiday spirit in this timeless tradition.

The Dark Side of Yuletide

We all love the warm and fuzzy feelings we get around the holidays. It is a comfort we can anticipate, and yet we fail to understand the other side of the bright holidays. 

Did you know that murders are statistically more common around major holidays, including Christmas? Amidst the glow of the firelight and mistletoe, the sinister reality is that people are still dying on the most joyous day of the year.

If that's the case, maybe we can alchemize this fact into something at least entertaining? Murder mysteries might relieve a little bit of the discomfort of this fact. To save you too much trouble, I divided them into two categories so you can pick your poison. If you can't stand the darkness, I've balanced it out with a little light 😁

Dark Reads

On Christmas Eve, heavy snowfall brings a train to a halt and passengers decide to take shelter in a nearby country house. It appears that someone should be home, and yet no one is apparently there. When a murder takes place as they search the house for clues, the passengers have to unravel the mystery before their time runs out.

Each of these stories is as playful as it is ingeniously plotted, the author's sly humor as evident as her hallmark narrative elegance and shrewd understanding of some of the most complex--not to say the most damning--aspects of human nature. A treat for P. D. James's legions of fans and anyone who enjoys the pleasures of a masterfully wrought whodunit.

If you are looking for a horror that blends Stephen King and the humor of The Office, Secret Santa might be for you. This horror-comedy is set in the 1980s starting with Lussi landing a job at a publisher that tasks her with finding the next big horror story. The difficulty of such a task is compounded by the fact that she is bullied by her co-workers which culminates when they give her a demonic-looking object during a Secret Santa exchange. However, before long these same co-workers become victims of horrific "accidents" that makes Lussi suspicious of the very gift they gave to her.

 Rose Grandon is a college sophomore when she is attacked, assaulted, and left for dead after a midnight mass choir practice. The last thing she hears is a tenor voice singing Silent Night. She is found several hours later in a ditch, beaten but alive. As she is treated in the hospital, she finds out that she is pregnant and makes the difficult decision to keep the baby. When she finally gives birth to a baby girl, she names her Mary. Rose raises her daughter in her small Connecticut hometown as she tries to get her old self back. Yet, twice a year the evil attacker strikes - once on Christmas Eve and the other on Christmas Day. Until the attacker is behind bars, neither Rose nor her baby can ever be truly safe, but now that he's found out that he has a daughter - it changes everything.

Cozy Reads

Following the charmingly inept Inspector Frank Grasby and his boss, Superintendent Juggers, this Christmas mystery occurs in 1953 at a seaside village. When a fisherman is found with a stocking around his neck, the investigation starts out simple enough but devolves into darker tones as these two investigators are trapped by a violent storm. The body count starts to rise as they encounter sinister villagers, stockings mysteriously washing ashore, and the village's obsession with fine hosiery. This story moves along with humor, depth, and even a bit of romance and could be a perfect cozy entertainment for the holidays. 

 Murder occurs during a Christmas house party and the victim, the owner of the substantial estate, is found in a room locked from the inside. Mathilda Clare was one of the guests resigned to spending Christmas at the Lexham Manor, along with 5 others: Nat Herriard, Joseph, Stephen, Paula, and Nat's sharp-dealing partner. Inspector Hemingway of Scotland Yard investigates only to find that each guest has something to hide. Through the investigation that seems to only grow more complicated as it goes along, readers will find the answer is hidden in plain sight. 

A book restoration expert and her husband travel to Loch Ness, Scotland at behest of their dear friend who is getting married. Since they plan on being married on New Year's Day, the couple travels there for the holidays, but are also roped into the mystery of twelve very rare and important books having gone missing.

While looking into this mystery, one of the guests gets poisoned and another gets shot in the heart, raising the stakes on the entire case. Now they must race to find a killer and book thief before more murders occur and their friend's future is at stake. 

Christmas of 1923, Lady Eleanor Swift has received a letter from an old friend of her uncle, Mr. Godfrey Cunliffe, asking her to stay in Cornwall for the holidays. The reason being, he believes his gardener is trying to kill him. Eleanor, along with her butler and detective beau, hurry to the manor house only to find a dead body. But, it is not Mr. Cunliffe - rather it is his gardener! Winter, 1923. It’s nearly Christmas and Lady Eleanor Swift has received a rather strange letter from an old friend of her uncle. Mr Godfrey Cunliffe has asked her to stay in Cornwall for the holidays – but only because he believes his gardener is trying to poison him! Eleanor quizzes the family and finds that everyone from the handyman to Mr. Cunliffe himself is keeping secrets, but he is still scared for his life.

Then the bulldog, Gladstone, pulls a charred corner of the missing garden plans from the fireplace and Eleanor believes she might have the clue that can find the hidden answer somewhere on the grounds. However, she is thwarted when someone tries to run her over with a lawnmower and she knows she had better solve this mystery before her time is up.