Between the Stacks: 12/21/2022

She is a quiet, unassuming little elf who spends the year doing amazing things for others. She needs no fancy titles, public recognition, or payment for her quiet service. It all started out when she was caring for a loved one who would not recover. Needing something to pass the time, she began crocheting hats for children.

Under her tender care, the yarn became transformed into foxes, giraffes, bears, lions, frogs, and more. Each hat became a mini work of art as the love she shared for others became gifts for those who did not have as much. As the pile grew, she wondered what to do with so many boxes of hats. One day she came into the Library and asked if we knew of any children who might need a warm winter hat. The staff knew many children who did not have hats, gloves, coats, or scarves to ward off the brutal Montana winters. This has become a partnership that continues to this day, with parents coming in as the weather cools off to ask if we are going to have hats to give away at Christmas.

My favorite part of the Christmas Stroll is watching children and preschoolers showing off their new headgear to the staff and anyone else they can talk into admiring their first present of the season. I watch the hats get passed down in families, from older to younger siblings and friends. The older ones look forward to getting bigger hats but miss their animal hats at the same time.

So, when you see the many children of Whitehall sporting their animal hats or bright headbands, think of our little elf. She still won’t let me tell people who she is, but I wanted you to know that in a world that seems only to care about itself there are still people out there who are quietly, steadily doing for others.

Have a Merry Christmas and remember the Library will be closed December 24th, 25th, and 26th for the holiday weekend. We will be open during regular hours the rest of the week. The Christmas movies have been pulled and put on a special shelf in the DVD area so don’t forget to check them out for some uplifting family movie nights.