Library News for the week of Dec. 15, 2021

Christmas is fast approaching and our little town is looking more festive every day! Just in time too, as our fourth annual Polar Express City Lights Tour is coming up at the Converse County Library Glenrock!

The event is tonight, Dec. 15 with departures at 5 p.m. and 6:30 p.m. Hopefully, you are already signed up for one of those times, but if not, call us at 436-2573 and see if there are any spots available.

The tour this year will be run just like last year, in which the “train” is made up of a series of private luxury “boxcars” also known as –your cars!

The event is free, but we invite you to bring along a toy for the police and fire departments’ toy drive.

To make the most of the fun, wear your warmest pajamas, just like in the beloved film for your ride on the Polar Express. Each boxcar will receive golden tickets for the journey and a goody bag with treats and a keepsake for your tree.

If you’d like, you may decorate your car, as there will be a prize for the most festive ride! And, there might be a Santa sighting along the way, so the kids might want to bring their letter to the Jolly Old Elf if they haven’t sent it yet.

In addition, this year, we have a secret stop along the way for some hot cocoa, courtesy of a special friend of Santa’s.

There will be another Polar Express Tour in Douglas on Dec. 16 at 5 p.m. and 6:30 p.m.

We also want to remind you that our Holly Jolly Booksale is continuing at the CCL Glenrock through Dec. 23. The library will be closed Dec. 24-25 for the holiday.

Check out our calendar of events in the paper this week and each week for a complete list of activities for all ages provided by the library. And, don’t forget to stop in and load up on Christmas themed books, audiobooks, movies and magazines with wonderful holiday ideas to craft and bake.

As we’ve all struggled our way through these difficult past couple of years, most of us have come to realize that our family and the ties with other loved ones in our lives are what really matters. We’ve all had time to reflect on how sometimes the simple things, the quiet, close times with family can be the most meaningful.

In that spirit, the Converse County Libraries are encouraging a new tradition this holiday season. It’s called Jolabokaflod, and is an Icelandic tradition. The word means “Christmas Book Flood.”

In Iceland on Christmas Eve everyone in the household gets to open a new book. After everyone has their new tome in hand, they brew up a delicious batch of hot chocolate, and settle in by the hearth or the lighted tree, and read to their heart’s content – together. It might just be the perfect ending to the perfect day! 

Our quote this week is, of course, from the magical children’s book The Polar Express by Chris Van Allsburg: “Seeing is believing, but, sometimes, the most real things in the world are the things we can’t see.”