Get in the holiday spirit ... take a walk to the library

The Corona del Mar Branch Library will once again be participating in

today’s Corona del Mar Annual Christmas Walk and Festival. The

Library is located in the heart of Corona del Mar at 420 Marigold

Ave.

The Library will host an open house from noon to 4 p.m. with

magician Dave Skale performing magic tricks that will entertain the

entire family. Performances will be at 12:30 p.m. and again at 2 p.m.

There will also be face painting, refreshments and lots of holiday

cheer. Holiday books will be on display. Need books on holiday

cooking or crafts? Look no further than the library.

The Corona del Mar Annual Christmas Walk and Festival started out

at as a small thank you from local merchants and has now blossomed

into a day of live music, food, prizes, entertainment and shopping.

The celebration lines both sides of Coast Highway as it winds through

the “village” festooned with garlands and glitter. You’ll meet the

neighborhood and see kids, and even dogs, dressed in holiday attire

for their sidewalk parade.

After the walk, break out the hot chocolate, pop some popcorn and

read a great Christmas book aloud to the family. You can find some of

these popular holiday titles to read while you enjoy the festivities

at the library.

One of our favorites is “How the Grinch Stole Christmas,” by Dr.

Seuss. It captivates kids with the story of how the Grinch tries

desperately to stop Christmas from arriving by stealing all the

presents and food from the village, but much to his surprise, it

comes anyway.

Could Christmas be more than presents? Reading the well-known poem

about an important Christmas Eve visitor, “The Night before

Christmas,” by Clement Moore, is a tradition that many families enjoy

together.

“The Nutcracker Ballet,” retold and illustrated by Vladimir Vagin,

is the magical Christmas tale of a little girl who breaks the spell

on her wooden nutcracker and transforms him into a handsome prince

who takes her to his kingdom in the Land of Sweets.

And, of course, this year with the movie in theaters, “The Polar

Express,” by Chris Van Allsburg, is sure to be a favorite with both

parents and children. In it, a magical train ride on Christmas Eve

takes a boy to the North Pole to receive a special gift from Santa

Claus.

Another classic holiday tale is “The Twelve Days of Christmas,”

illustrated by Jan Brett, about how a young woman’s true love sends

her extravagant gifts on each of the 12 days of Christmas.

For more family holiday fun, children and adults will enjoy the

library’s annual holiday show with Jim Gamble’s Wonderful World of

Puppets. Thanks to sponsorship by the Newport Beach Public Library

Foundation, there will be three free shows Saturday, at the Central

Library at 1 p.m. and 2 p.m. and at Mariners Branch Library at 3:30

p.m. Enjoy the festivities and happy holidays to all.

* CHECK IT OUT is written by the staff of the Newport Beach Public

Library. This week’s column is by Bonnie McLaren, Children’s

Librarian at the Mariners Branch Library and Jana Colver, Corona del

Mar Librarian. All titles may be reserved from home or office

computers by accessing the catalog at https://www.newportbeach

library.org. For more information on the Central Library or any of

the branch locations, please contact the Newport Beach Public Library

at (949) 717-3800, option 2.