Can you believe it only a week until Christmas? Do you have your Christmas shopping done? The Friends Annual Silent Auction is over. Maybe you finished your shopping with us! If you were notified by the Friends of the Library about winning an auction item, please stop into the library during business hours to pay and pick up your item. All items can be picked up now through December 24. We would like to thank all those that donated items and came out and placed bids.

We have one more week of the Children/Young Adult Story Hour. December 22 we will be all about "The Grinch Who Stole Christmas". This is one story hour that is for the entire family, so please take time out of your busy schedules to join us! The program begins at 6:30pm and refreshments will be served.

Kiddies Korner has one more session before it takes a short Christmas break. On December 23 we will be having a Christmas Party. It's our way of thanking you all for attending each and every week. Be sure to come in and celebrate the season with us. It will be from 10:30-11am. Kiddies Korner will resume on January 6 with the topic, winter.

A very important reminder: We will be closing early on Christmas Eve at 3pm. The library will remain closed until Friday January 2, 2004 when we will reopen at noon. Be sure to stop in and check out enough materials to last over the break. The outside drop box will be emptied periodically while we are closed. If it is full, please don't jam the books in there. Either stop back another time or wait until the library reopens.

We received a bunch of kid's videos from Jody Luce. Thank you Jody! Please bring your child in and view the new collection! Also, we have obtained through a donation some new children's books. Be sure to stop in and browse the stacks.

Some future events to mention for January are: our monthly bingo night (every second Thursday of each month) on January 8 at 6:30pm and January 28, Jackie Groves will be doing another Stamping session. If you missed out on either of these events in the past or would like to come again, be sure to mark these on your calendar. More details will follow in the New Year.

In book news, we have some new large print mystery titles to mention. They are: To the Nines by Janet Evanovich, The Tail of the Tip-off by Rita Mae Brown and The Cat Who Brought Down the House by Lillian Jackson Braun. Stop in today and browse through the many new titles. We are open Monday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday 12-8pm and Tuesday and Saturday 10-2pm.

This will be my last article for a few weeks. With the upcoming holidays and all, there aren't that many events going on in the library. I will be back the week of January 8, 2004. Have a safe and peaceful holiday season!