By: Norafiqin Hairoman for The Dirt

Year round, libraries are a place of community, of information sharing, of mutual aid. December turns up the volume with events nearly every day of the week—but the month is about more than pine-scented storytime and cocoa-colored crafts. This year, the Mary L. Stephens and South Davis Montgomery branches are organizing the month around a simple, resonant theme: kindness.

“December is Kindness Month at both Davis libraries,” Librarian Joan Tuss told The Dirt. “Be kind to others, be kind to yourself, and be kind to the world.”

The result is a calendar that blends service projects, brain-soothing spaces, hands-on making, and a few festive flourishes—without losing the inclusive approach that keeps libraries welcoming to all.

If you’re picturing a mysterious council of holiday elves deciding all of these activities, you’re close: it’s librarians.

“Yolo County Library has an overarching theme for each month of the year. Then individual librarians—or teams of librarians—discuss potential programs and vet one another’s ideas,” Tuss explained.

Inclusivity and representation are central to those conversations. That’s why the programming is festive without leaning religious, and why the line-up touches three kinds of kindness: toward neighbors (donation drives such as Blankets for Farmworkers and Toys for Tots), toward yourself (relax/renew), and toward the wider world (nature, stewardship, curiosity).

The biggest change from last year is a brand-new makerspace: yololab, which opened mid-year and is already reshaping what the library can offer. According to Tuss, “With the help of our talented staff and volunteers we can now offer creative new classes. For example, a Snowflake Embroidery class this December.” It’s the rare seasonal activity that produces both a keepsake and a calmer pulse. 

Over at South Davis Montgomery, December offers Wrapping Wonderland sessions where your gift goes from “mysterious lump” to “neat rectangle,” and a Cookie Decorating evening on December 16 that delivers all the fun without the existential cinnamon explosion in your home kitchen.

“There are too many programs to mention here!” Tuss exclaimed, before trying anyway. For teens and adults, yololab hosts embroidery and sewing, there’s a Yack and Wrap party, and a Vision Board Party on December 29. Teens facing finals can reclaim sanity at Study & Snack afternoons, which are quiet and comfortable enough to keep page-turning humane. For kids, the big ticket is a three-week Creek Explorer series in collaboration with the Putah Creek Council, along with a secular holiday show by Fratello Marionettes. Or as Tuss put it: “‘The North Pole Review’ is the perfect way to get into the holiday spirit!” If you need something that slots perfectly between “we need an outing” and “the budget is tired,” it’s set for December 13 at 3pm.

Tuss pointed to last year’s Vision Board Party ripple effect: “One of our librarians attended the event, made a vision board for 2025, and put it on the fridge. Their kids were asking, ‘Where is Pinnacles National Park? Why is the Davis Farmers Market listed?’ It became a talking point for the whole family and encouraged them to take day trips.” 

The library is also excellent at the small, delightful curveball. “There is always something new on the library shelves!” Tuss said. This month, teens and adults can borrow a Fortune Telling Discovery Kit—yes, really—“a fortune-telling tea and saucer, tarot cards, a palm-reading guide, as well as books in English and Spanish.” Consider yourself warned: you may become the most interesting person at your next cocoa table. Nature-minded households will love the new Bird Watching Kits, donated by the Yolo Bird Alliance and packed with two sets of binoculars, a California State Park pass, field guides, and games. Two binoculars means two explorers at once, a small design choice that turns “stroll” into “expedition.”

For families steering through heavier weather, the branch is introducing Conversation Backpacks for ages 4–8. Each backpack bundles age-appropriate books on a tough topic with gentle talking points. “Holidays can also be a hard time for those families who are experiencing life challenges,” Tuss noted. The kits are “discussion suggestions” in a bag; training wheels for big feelings when parents need them most.

Ask Tuss about her favorite December moment and she doesn’t reach for confetti. She reaches for letters. In a past program, patrons sent what staff affectionately called “love letters to the library,” small stories about how these public rooms stitched into private lives. One note had become lore: “The family ‘shops’ for each other in the new book section of the library. They wrap the books up, put them under the tree, open them Christmas morning, and spend the week reading them. Then they are returned to the library,” Tuss described. “What a fantastic idea!” It’s thrifty, communal, and profoundly on-brand for a building dedicated to circulating abundance.

Two useful housekeeping notes: 

• Tthere will be Winter Reads and Kindness Books displays and Puzzles Sunday Fundays on December 7 and December 28.; 
• Tthe branches are closed December 24–25, and the Mary L. Stephens branch closes early at 6:00 p.m. on December 31. 

Check the online calendar before you head out; December likes surprises, and not all of them fit on a print page.

“The misconception [is] that there is a charge to attend library programs, or that one has to have a library card to participate,” Tuss said. “Library programs are free to all participants. And library cards are free to any resident of California, not just Yolo County residents.” If the month inspires you to get a card, excellent. The supply chain is unending and the price unbeatable.

What’s quietly radical about the December calendar is how normal it feels. There’s no pressure to buy anything, perform anything, or pretend anything. You can learn a backstitch, wrap a gift with community tape, study with snacks, watch a puppet hoof it, check out binoculars and a California State Park pass, and talk about hard things with a little help from a backpack. You can donate a blanket, drop a toy, pick a book, and watch your week soften around the edges.

If your holiday plan currently reads “panic, purchase, repeat,” consider a kinder itinerary at the Library. It’s festive without the frenzy, generous without the receipt, and best of all, open to everyone. In a month built on giving, the Library’s gift is simple: come as you are, go home more connected.