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December 13, 2024
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 | Christmas Trees in America The first records of Christmas trees being cut for display comes from the 1820s in Pennsylvania's German community, although trees may have been a tradition there even earlier. As early as 1747, Moravian Germans in Pennsylvania had a community tree in the form of a wooden pyramid decorated with candles. But, as late as the 1840s, Christmas trees were seen as pagan symbols and not accepted by most Americans. It is not surprising that the tree was adopted so late in America. New England's first Puritan leaders viewed Christmas celebrations as unholy. The pilgrims's second governor, William Bradford, wrote that he tried hard to stamp out “pagan mockery” of the observance, penalizing any frivolity. In 1659, the General Court of Massachusetts enacted a law making any observance of December 25 a penal offense; people were fined for hanging decorations. That stern solemnity continued until the influx of German and Irish immigrants in the 19th century undermined the Puritan legacy. Check out these titles |
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 | Books on the Air An overview of talked-about books and authors. This weekly update, published every Friday, provides descriptions of recent TV and radio appearances by authors and their recently released books. See the hot titles from the media this week. |
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 | Nikki Giovanni Nikki Giovanni, groundbreaking poet and civil rights activist, has died at age 81. She was born in Knoxville, Tennessee, on June 7, 1943. Although she grew up in Cincinnati, Ohio, she and her sister returned to Knoxville each summer to visit their grandparents. Nikki graduated with honors in history from her grandfather's alma mater, Fisk University. Her powerful poetry challenged societal norms, exploring race, gender, and social justice. Influenced by the civil rights movement and a key figure in African American literature, Giovanni inspired generations through her writing and academic work. Primarily known for her compelling poetry, she also made sizable contributions to children's literature. Check out her books here |
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 | Library Reads Library Reads-The top ten books published this month that library staff across the country love, with additional hall of fame authors. Check them out here |
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| I want to be clear about this. If you wrote from experience, you'd get maybe one book, maybe three poems. Writers write from empathy.-Nikki Giovanni
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