CF Library wraps up Gift of Giving before holiday break

Cedar Falls Public Library had an event where you can come and make eco-friendly gift bags. They hosted an event on the first three Saturdays in December.

Chelsea Rider has organized the Gift of Giving events for three years. “I love the Holiday Hoopla celebrations that they organize in downtown CF!  I wanted to do something that would fit in with the annual shenanigans downtown, so every Saturday in December, we host sessions of family-friendly crafts centered around the theme of gift-giving.  It’s a fun activity, but also a warm, friendly place to take a break from a busy day of shopping, visiting Santa and general merry-making.”

For those interested in going next year and enjoying this event, the library hosts events in the morning on weekdays for younger kids and events later in the day for older kids and adults. They also host events on the weekend for adults.

Rider said her favorite activity during the Gift of Giving was “the giving plates (which were so popular we did them two years in a row), but honestly, they’ve all been fun.  There’s such a great energy that emerges when you have friendly people of all ages, sitting down and making something together.”

The Gift of Giving event gets a wide variety of ages. Rider said, “On average, we get 20–30 people for each two-hour session (one morning and one afternoon each Saturday in December).  We get all ages, from toddlers to a woman who spent her 90th birthday with us a couple of years ago.”

Rider said her favorite memory was “a large family came to one of the sessions to make decorations for their tree.  During the program, they struck up a conversation with another family sitting at the same table, and they all ended up exchanging ornaments and contact information, making plans to meet up after the holidays. I love seeing new friendships emerge during my program.”

Rider said the supplies used in their program “Included eco-friendly cotton drawstring bags for patrons to decorate or personalize as a gift or reusable gift bag. We had stamps, ink pads, paints, stencils, glitter markers, paint pens, bits/bobs (like buttons and googly eyes) and permanent markers for participants to decorate their bags.  Everyone was so creative with their designs.”