December Newsletter

Winter is just around the corner! That means our Fall Reading Challenge will be coming to an end on December 21st. Make sure to log your books so you can get in those last minute raffle tickets and have a chance at winning a prize for reading!

Here at the Long Branch Free Public Library, we are gearing up for a busy holiday season, both in person and online. Don't miss our Hanukkah Party at the Elberon Branch Library on the 21st! Visit the Main Library to take a free holiday picture with your family in our photobooth (appointments required)! We invite you to visit our movie theater this month, as we will be showing holiday movies including "Elf", "Christmas in Connecticut", and "An American Pickle". Santa Clause will also be making a surprise appearence at our Main Library during one of our storytimes! Be sure to contact our Family Services Manager, Miss Nekesha, for further details.

Programs & Events

All Month - Main Library

Make an appointment to get your holiday photo taken for free!
Bring your family, your phone and props and have your photo taken for free in front of a backdrop of your choice. Use your photo for seasonal greeting cards or just as a keepsake. Staff will be available for assistance. The library will not be printing photos. Also, sorry, but no pets!
Appointments are required.

Contact kangelo@longbranchlib.org to make an appointment.

December 5th through 31st - Main Library

We welcome Kate Eggleston to the Library in December with her exhibit There Is No Map, a new series of commissioned fiber art in quilt form that exemplifies her desire to lean into life’s discordant moments and use that energy to recharge. The concentric circles, droplets, and mounded figures float together whimsically, patterns emerging amongst the chaos. Using repetition, bold colors, and mark making in stitch to catalog her experiences as a mother, wife, teacher, and artist, Kate’s work is aesthetically pleasing on the surface, but it elicits an odd sense of unease. She invites the viewer to embrace a little discomfort and look beyond it to the possibilities. 

Contact lkelly@longbranchlib.org with any questions.

Tuesday, December 6th at 7pm - Main Library

This is a 60-minute holiday program with live music presented by Kevin Woyce. 'Tis the Season for a joyous historical slideshow by Kevin Woyce. Using original photographs, vintage images, and seasonal music, Kevin explores the history of our favorite Christmas Traditions, from the First Christmas to "A Christmas Carol," "White Christmas," and the Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree. He also explains how historical figures including Saint Nicholas, Martin Luther, Queen Victoria, Charles Dickens, and Thomas Nast helped shape the way we celebrate the Christmas Season.

Registration is requested, but walk-ins are welcome.

Contact lkelly@longbranchlib.org with any questions.

Saturday, December 10th at 1pm - Facebook Live

With over 30 years’ experience as a restaurant owner and personal chef, Simply Creative Chef Rob Scott brings his passion for fine and fun fare to the Long Branch Public Library from his hometown in Hampton Bays, Long Island. Join Chef Rob LIVE on our Facebook page (@LBFPL) to watch (and cook along) as he prepares three delicious holiday cookie recipes!

He will be preparing the following recipes:
✅ Gooey and Chocolatey Mini Cookies
✅ Holiday Jam Thumbprint Cookies
✅ Spiced Eggnog Cookies with a Rum Eggnog Frosting

Please register to receive the full-color recipes prior to the program.
Contact lkelly@longbranchlib.org with any questions.

Thursday, December 15th at 1:00pm - Main Library/Hybrid

Trevor Noah, host of The Daily Show on Comedy Central, shares his remarkable story of growing up in South Africa with a black South African mother and a white European father at a time when it was against the law for a mixed-race child to exist. But he did exist--and from the beginning, the often misbehaving Trevor used his keen smarts and humor to navigate a harsh life under a racist government.

We will be hosting this meeting in person and via Zoom.

Contact jbirckhead@longbranchlib.org with any questions and to recieve the Zoom link.

Wednesday, December 21st at 2pm - Elberon Branch Library

Celebrate the Festival of Lights at the Elberon Branch Library! We will have crafts to make, games to play, stories to tell and chocolate gelt to eat. Hanukkah is a family and communal time of sharing and teaching. This celebration is for all ages and faiths; we welcome the entire community to join us. 

Contact tsullivan@longbranchlib.org with any questions.

Wednesday, December 28th at 6pm - Main Library

See if you have what it takes to be the best in the knockout Super Smash Bros tournament. The winner will receive a prize. You can watch on Twitch, but must be in-person to play.

Join us at the Main Library in the board room. Salvador will host these tournaments every last Wednesday of the month at 6pm.

Please bring your own remote if you have one that will connect wirelessly.

Contact sromero@longbranchlib.org with any questions.

Elf (PG) Family Film Day
Saturday, December 3rd at 2:30pm

Raised as an oversized elf, Buddy travels from the North Pole to New York City to meet his biological father who doesn't know he exists. Join us for this afternoon movie with the Tree Lighting Ceremony outside the library to follow at 5pm.
___

Christmas in Connecticut (NR) Classic Movie Monday
Monday, December 12th at 2:30pm

This film is a romantic comedy about an unmarried city magazine writer who pretends to be a farm wife and mother, and then falls in love with a returning war hero. 
___

An American Pickle (PG-13) A Hanukkah Movie
Friday, December 16th at 2:30pm

Preserved in pickle brine for 100 years, an Orthodox Jewish factory worker wakes up in New York City and tracks down his great-grandson.
___ 

Contact lkelly@longbranchlib.org with any questions.

Toddler Time with Miss Nekesha - Main Library
Every Tuesday at 11am

Each Toddler Time consists of 2 stories, music and a take home craft. Please join us in the Children's Department of the Main Library.
___

Story Time with Miss Tara - Elberon Branch
Every Wednesday at 4:30pm

Join Miss Tara at the Elberon Branch for stories and fun for children. Family and friends are welcome as well!
___

Craft and Story with Miss Nekesha - Main Library
Tuesdays and Thursdays at 4pm

Every Tuesday and Thursday in our Children's Department, build a craft and read a story with Miss Nekesha.
___

Toddler Time with Miss Tara - Elberon Branch
Every Friday at 10am

Join Miss Tara at the Elberon Branch for stories and fun for younger children. Family and friends are welcome as well!
___

Teen Programs - Main Library
Every Friday at 3pm

On Fridays each week, teens will have the opportunity to meet up together with Miss Nekesha and create a new craft they may take home.
___

Spanish Story Time with Miss Cristina
Every 1st and 3rd Saturday of the Month at 12pm

Every 1st and 3rd Saturday of the month, join Miss Cristina for a special Spanish story time and a take-home craft!
___

Craft and Story with Miss Yanique - Main Library
Every 2nd and 4th Saturday of the Month at 12pm

Every 2nd and 4th Saturday in our Children's Department, build a craft and read a story with Miss Yanique!

Can't see this email? Click here to view this message in browser window.

Click here to unsubscribe

Long Branch Free Public Library
328 Broadway Long Branch, NJ 07740
Phone: (732) 222-3900