Over the past two months, we polled our readers to find out how you celebrate the holidays with your book groups. We listed four options, as well as an “other” options, because we know how creative our readers can be. You did not disappoint us!
Of the options we listed, most of you (38%) got festive with a holiday party, while some of you (27%) exchanged gifts, went out for a special dinner (20%), or read a holiday-themed book (16%). 19% of you were too busy to meet (or didn’t feel like braving the cold!) and took a break from meetings over the holidays. You can check out the full results here.
Then there were all the write-ins. We must give you credit; our readers are a very charitable bunch! We were blown away by all the different ways you all gave back this season. One group donated children’s books to a local toy store; another group brought books to a battered women’s shelter. You ran book drives, collected money for charity, rang bells for the Salvation Army, and brought books to a homeless family. You even delivered the leftovers from your holiday meal to Habitat for Humanity. All we can say is, wow!
Many of you played games --- variations of Secret Santa, Yankee Swap, White Elephant --- and traded books. One group traded gifts that were related to books they’d read in the past year. And more deliciously, you swapped cookies. One group even read THE CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIE MURDER to prep for their cookie exchange. Next year, invite us!
Some groups watched a special holiday movie, and some groups watched a movie adaptation of one of the books they read together over the course of the year. One group recited a holiday-themed poem, which sounds like a lovely tradition.
A few of you were more practical and forward-thinking in your approach to your meetings at the end of the year. Many of you said you choose books for the following year during your December meetings. Some of you discussed the books you’d read individually and would like to read with your group. And, as we mentioned earlier, some of you are wise enough to take a hiatus from meetings when the weather gets cold.
However you celebrated, we hope you had a wonderful holiday season, filled with friends, families and fresh cookies. Here’s to another year of great books…and even better discussions!
