DIY Holiday Magic!

(image from the Art, Music & Recreation Center picture file)

Just when we think it’s safe to kick back, shed our costumes and put away the pumpkin carving tools, it suddenly dawns on us that more major holidays are right around the corner. For many, this can be a stressful time of year, especially for those who have been hit hard by the recession. Some are wondering how they can share in spreading holiday cheer in this bad economy.
The good news is that the library has books to address this dilemma. Making your own gifts and decorations is a good way to save money and gain a sense of satisfaction from the creative process. Handmade items have a way of saying: “I care enough about you to invest my heart, hands and time in making something one of a kind.”

The following titles are just a tiny example of what the Art and Music department has to check out and take home. Combine the ideas in these books with books on holiday meals and treats (located in the Business, Science and Technology Center on our floor) and you’ll be on your way to having the happiest holidays every.

300 Ways to Make the Best Christmas Ever!: Decorations, Carols, Crafts & Recipes for Every Kind of Christmas Tradition edited by Mimi Tribble (Sterling Pub., 2004).

Christmas Craft Sourcebook by Gail Lawther (Trafalgar Square Pub., 1995).

Christmas Doughcrafts by Elisabeth Bang (Cassell, 1996).

Handknit Holidays by Melanie Falick (STC Craft, 2005).

Holiday Knits by Sara Lucas and Allison Isaacs (Chronicle Books, 2005).

How to Make Christmas Tree Decorations by Petra Boniberger, et al. (Search Press, 1997).

Merry & Bright: 301 Festive Ideas for Celebrating Christmas (Hearst Books, 2007).

Old-Fashioned Christmas Crafts (Better Homes and Gardens Books, 1995).

Papercrafts for Christmas by Judy Balchin and Polly Pinder (Search Press, 2008)

Holiday Music For the Beginning Pianist

Every holiday season we transfer a selection of holiday songbooks to the Art, Music & Recreation Center reference desk for your convenience.

In addition to conventional arrangements of Christmas, Hanukkah and other holiday songs arranged for choruses or vocal soloists, we also have collections of holiday music compiled for beginning pianists. These are suitable for piano instruction, for beginning pianists who are self-learners, or simply playing for enjoyment. In addition to being simplified, this music is often published with larger note-heads and includes fingerings to assist in learning the songs. These books also occasionally include a second duet part for an instructor to play along.

786.3 Sn642 -- Snowfall: 50 Holiday Favorites / easy piano. Milwaukee, WI : Hal Leonard, 2003.

783.6 F5864 -- 5 Finger Christmas Fun: 11 Delightful Melodies / arranged for piano with optional duet accompaniments by Tom Gerou. Van Nuys, CA : Alfred Pub. Co., 2008.

783.6 C464 -- Christmas Favorites: For Piano, For Beginners of All Ages / compiled, arranged, and edited by Wesley Schaum. Milwaukee, Wis.: Schaum Publications, 1961.

786.41 M9904 -- My First Book of Christmas Songs: 20 Favorite Songs in Easy Piano Arrangements / arr. by Bergerac; with illustrations by Marty Noble. Mineola, N.Y.: Dover Publications, 1997.

783.6 L6268 -- A Lighter Shade of Christmas: 15 Christmas Favorites for Early-Intermediate Piano Solo / arranged by Joseph Scianni. New York: Carl Fischer, 2001.

783.6 D6321p -- Disney's Princess Christmas Album / easy piano. Burbank, Calif.: Wonderland Music, 2008.

May Your Holidays Be Filled With Music

Imagine the winter holidays... Whether you picture boisterous children spinning the dreidel, families lighting the menorah or kwanzaa candles, or carolers walking door-to-door sharing songs of goodwill, the San Francisco Public Library has materials to make your holiday soundtrack possible.

Every holiday season the librarians at the AMR reference desk pulls a selection of holiday songbooks for you to peruse. For example, The International Book of Christmas Carols offers English, German, Dutch, Scandinavian, Slavic, Italian, Spanish and Latin carols. Home For The Holidays and The Reader's Digest Merry Christmas Songbook provide holiday favorites arranged for piano, voice and guitar. A Romantic Christmas: 30 Heart-Warming Favorites has more pop-oriented winter favorites such as "Baby, It’s Cold Outside" and "I’ve Got My Love To Keep Me Warm." "My Dreidel," and "Chanukkah Oy Chanukkah (Come Light the Menorah)" can be found in 15 Traditional Chanukkah Favorites.

For instrumentalists, we have just received Christmas Favorites Playalongs with CD accompaniments. We have versions for flute, clarinet, alto saxophone, trumpet, and violin. The Christmas Guitar Collection includes 20 songs arranged for solo fingerstyle guitar.

If you are looking for recorded holiday music, please search the catalog by song or album title, or browse subject headings like "Holidays -- Songs and Music," "Christmas Music," "Hanukkah -- Songs and music," or "Kwanzaa - Songs and Music" to review the library's musical offerings.