Remember when you were a kid making glittery ornaments for gifts? In school we would make cards or crafts for our families. Maybe you did not grow up crafting gifts or wintry decorations but you always admired the effort and art. If you want to show how much you care by giving handmade presents, save a little money by making decorations rather than buying, or just enjoy the act of making art, the library has just the thing for you! Richmond Public Library has books, programs, and online tutorials to help you craft all of your holiday to-do list.

Print Materials

What winter festive season is complete without cookies? Get all the recipes you need to win the office cookie exchange from one of the many cookbooks at the library…not that it’s a competition.

Do you have a person on your list that is tricky to shop for? Try making a present this year instead! There is something so special about seeing a person’s effort in a handmade gift. And for the person that doesn’t want clutter, a gift of cookies never takes up counter space for long. At least, not in my house!

Library Programs

Another resource the library offers is our programming. For those that know how to knit or crochet but need a little community to keep up with their projects, why not join a library stitching circle? Westover Hills Library meets for Stitching Circle the second Saturday of every month from 2-4 p.m. The Belmont Library has Library Yarns most Monday afternoons, and the Main Library has Yarn Yipee! every third Wednesday each month at 6 p.m. It is not just little kids that get to play with their hands and learn crafts and art at the library. There are many programs for adults to learn new skills and stretch their artistic muscles! Check out our calendar of events for a program near you.

Online Resources

Magazines

Though there is no reason to leave the house if you don’t want. There are several craft magazines with instructions for knitting scarves or simple one-skein projects, too! 

There is inspiration and instruction aplenty in the many digital magazines available through the library. You can read through back issues for a retro holiday craft or cookie recipe using Libby or Magzter. Both are free resources with your library card.

The holiday season can get expensive. According to the National Retail Federation, the average family expects to spend almost $900 on gifts and seasonal items this winter. And costs of goods keep rising. Why not take advantage of all the library has to offer to offset those costs. Homemade does not have to be perfect nor does it have to be expensive to show how much you care.

Hoopla

Use your library card with Hoopla to find holiday books that teach you how to make something meaningful with regular household items. Families can craft a special holiday memory together with a Kwanzaa Harvest Banner or a special recipe. Learn how in the book “Crafts for Kwanzaa” by Kathy Ross, available in print or digitally through Hoopla. Speaking of recipes, there are great recipes to find in cook books at the library that would make a lovely holiday present or addition to a special dinner. Try making the special jam-filled Sufganiyot this Hanukkah using the recipe from “Jewish Holiday Baking.”

And lastly, not everyone can make it out to one of our many library branches for an in-person program. Not to fret! Get a binge pass on Hoopla to Creativebug! Decorative crafts are great skills to have, but sometimes you need something more than written directions to learn. Creativebug has an extensive library of tutorial videos for all types of projects. You can learn to make a granny square, perfect your watercolor skills, or even learn cake decorating!

Creativebug is self-paced art classes for a variety of projects like painting, quilting, sewing, paper crafts, and much more. Hoopla also has many eBooks that are helpful, such as this book entirely dedicated to making holiday wreaths. But hurry, the last day to borrow the BingePass for Creativebug is December 24th!

This winter, use the library to support your handmade holiday.