Even though the calendar has barely flipped over to December, the book world is practically swimming in best of the year lists from organizations like the New York Times, Washington Post, NPR, Publisher’s Weekly, Real Simple, the New York Public Library, and more.

We’re certainly not immune to the lure of sharing our favorites, too. Over the next few weeks, keep an eye on our blog and social media accounts as we highlight our staff’s favorite titles and our most popular checkouts of the year. Do you think this year’s biggest books will have changed much since we crunched the numbers in July? Make sure you’re following us on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter to catch all of the excitement!

Keep reading to check out some of our programming highlights for the month of December!

Holiday Crafts Galore

The holiday season is a perfect time for festive arts and crafts. This month at the library you can:

Explore the art of book page crafts by making folded paper snowflakes at Park Grove Library on Dec. 1 from 2 to 3 p.m.
Make your own gingerbread house at Valley Library on Dec. 11 from 4 to 6 p.m.
Relax and socialize with mandala dot art at Hardwood Creek Library on Dec. 14 from 2 to 3:30 p.m.

Spotlight On… Favorite Things

The holidays drum up plenty of wish lists full of favorite things, and Washington County Library is no exception. Our book clubs will give us their best recommendations, our staff share what they think deserves a big red bow for kids, teens, adults, and in movies, music and video games, and we'll show you how to use one of our databases as a gift idea generator! We can even point you in the direction of a great program to try in the New Year. Stay tuned throughout December as we spotlight more of our favorite things on WashCoLib.org.

History Day Hullabaloo

Join us at R.H. Stafford Library for a free Minnesota History Day Research Open House on Tuesday, Dec. 11 from 3 to 7 p.m. Students working on a History Day project can get research help from librarians, discover new primary and secondary sources, view sample projects, learn more about History Day at a mini-lesson, and receive one-on-one help from a History Day staff member or mentor! This is a free event, no RSVP or registration required.

Explore with STEM Saturdays

We've got a full schedule of STEM programming on Saturdays at the library. Explore light and kaleidoscopes at Oakdale Library on Dec. 1, make LED Throwies at Lake Elmo Library on Dec. 8, or building LEGOS with the family at Wildwood Library on Dec. 15. We also have a few extra STEM programs at Park Grove Library – learn about soldering with our new skill-share Sunday series, or start programming electronics using Arduino. Find all our STEM programming in our calendar!

Celebrate Noon Year's Eve

Little revelers who may not make it to midnight are invited to celebrate Noon Year’s Eve with special storytime celebrations at R.H. Stafford Library and Park Grove Library on Monday, Dec. 31! We'll read stories, sing, dance, and craft before counting down to noon in our fanciest Noon Year’s Eve attire. We hope you can join us! Check our calendar for all the details.

Library Closed for Holidays

All Washington County Library locations will be closed on Monday, Dec. 24 and Tuesday, Dec. 25 so our staff can enjoy the holidays with their families. We’re closing early on Monday, Dec. 31 for New Year’s Eve, and we’ll be closed on Tuesday, Jan. 1 for New Year’s Day. Hours for associate libraries in Stillwater and Bayport may be different, so be sure to check our calendar. Even though our buildings are closed, you can still access your library account on our website, WashCoLib.org, and check out ebooks, audiobooks, and magazines through our online catalog.