The Houston Public Library (HPL) invites Houston families to celebrate the holiday season with its exciting Family Winter Festival on Dec. 18 from 2-5 p.m. on the Barbara Bush Literacy Plaza at the HPL Downtown.
During the Festival there will be winter-themed activities, caroling, falling snow, a live reindeer photo op and of course, Santa Claus! During the Family Winter Festival, HPL’s Youth Services team will also be giving away books to children age 0-18 in honor of the Icelandic tradition, Jolabokaflod.
Jolabokaflod is the tradition of giving and unwrapping new books on Christmas eve, cozying up with family and reading into the night. While the Family Winter Festival is new to HPL this year, HPL encourages the celebration of the holidays all winter long with HPL’s annual winter reading challenge Season’s Readings. Season’s Readings challenge begins Dec 1 through Jan. 15.
Participants will unlock virtual badges by logging 20 minutes of reading a day, participating in programs and meeting their winter reading goal. When participants finish the challenge, they’ll be eligible for fun prizes!
HPL also encourages families to welcome in the holidays with the following seasonal movie events on the Barbara Bush Literacy Plaza: Story to Screen: Scrooged Dec. 14 at 6 p.m. Family Movies on the Plaza at 11 a.m.
For more information about HPL’s Season’s Readings challenge, visit houstonlibrary.org/kids or call 832-393-1313. For more information on HPL’s upcoming Family Winter Festival or other holiday events, visit houstonlibrary.org.