I have an October confession. while most people are assembling their Halloween costumes and purchasing their candy, I am creating a family timetable for our holiday crafts. My children and I ponder over our homemade gift-giving ideas and schedule enough time during the busy season to complete them. The holidays are for children …; and for the child inside of all of us. My favorite holiday tradition is the time we spend together creating crafts and cookies.

Thanksgiving is a time to give thanks. In “All New Crafts for Thanksgiving” by Kathy Ross, homemade place cards, clever napkin rings and a Tom-Tom favor for each guest, welcome our friends and family while satisfying our creativity.

Practical, inexpensive holiday gifts are easy to make for every skill level, and many projects last for years. Recycled cans can be transformed into bright pen holders for a parent’s office. Better Homes and Gardens “Holiday Crafts Kids can Make” demonstrates how to use vegetables to print on fabric or paper and how to turn the resulting artwork into great gifts or classic wrapping paper. Polymer clay, a toothpick and imagination are all that your child needs to make buttons and beads. to make a decorative serving tray or wooden frame, simply decoupage a blank frame or tray with scraps of paper, magazine clippings and glue. In “Christmas Crafts for Kids,” Petra Boase maintains that with imagination, materials around the house, some adult supervision and enough time, your child can create projects that will be cherished for years to come.

In early December, our library is fragrant with the scents of cinnamon, ginger, molasses and sugar. The annual Gingerbread House Festival invites York residents to share their confectionary creations. what could be more fun than inviting a child to help you bake and decorate an edible castle or cottage? Choose to eat your delectable design or donate it to a nursing home or hospital for others to enjoy. for some gingerbread ideas, read “Making Gingerbread Houses” by Veronika Alice Gunter.

If a gingerbread project seems too complex for your family, consider other gifts of food this holiday season. give cookies and candies in pretty boxes or tins, provide mugs of hot cocoa for carolers, design gingerbread ornaments or cranberry garlands to dangle from the tree, bake quick breads and wrap them up in colorful linens, or prepare a traditional Latkes meal of potato pancakes and applesauce. Extend the summer season by turning your garden’s abundance into jars of chutney, relish and vinegars and decorating them with handwritten labels.

Nothing is more do-it-yourself than a hand-knit scarf or a cross-stitched sampler. With a few simple skills and ample time, you and your older child can create a gift with colors, materials and decorations that fit each person on your holiday gift list. slow down during the holiday season, and share time with people you care about by asking family and friends to join a knitting or sewing group. Shannon Okey, author of the young adult book “Knitgrrl,” provides easy-to-follow instructions with photos and 15 inexpensive projects to knit.

Wreaths on the door greet the season. unlike sewing or baking, there are very few rules to wreath making. A variety of materials can be used, such as apples, corn cobs, cranberries, seashells, gum drops, pine cones, and bittersweet, as well as traditional evergreens. Armed with a glue gun and some wire, you and your children can create a personalized wreath for the holidays.

Making decorations and crafts is one way for children and adults to celebrate the holidays together. With planning, imagination and materials, you and your children can create gifts that will be cherished by the people receiving them. Hand-made gifts are treasured precisely because they reflect time taken out of a busy life to give pleasure to others. Whatever project you choose, the traditions and memories that you create together will be remembered long after the gift!

For more books on holiday crafts, visit the library and check out:

• “Encyclopedia of Crafts” by Martha Stewart
• “Great American Wreaths” by Martha Stewart
• “125 Cookies to Bake, Nibble and Savor” by Elinor Klivans
• “The Ultimate Book of Holiday Kid Concoctions” by John and Danita Thomas

• Fall Library Clean-Up Day: The public is invited to get out from 9 a.m. to noon Saturday, Nov. 7, and join York Rotary and York High School Interact Club, who will be out in force as they get our grounds in shape for the winter. Feel free to bring your own rakes and join them.
• Alzheimer’s Series: Sentry Hill will present a three-part series on Alzheimer’s Disease as part of the library’s Brown Bag Lunch Series at noon on Tuesdays, Nov. 3, 10 and 17. Nov. 3: “Maintain your Brain:” The two-hour interactive workshop will feature nutritional and lifestyle advice, strategies to keep your memory sharp, interactive exercises and activities, and materials to take home for further reading. The workshop will introduce attendees — particularly baby boomers — to scientifically rooted advice on brain health based on strong lifestyle choices.

Nov. 10: “What Everyone Needs to know about Dementia.” this program has been designed to enhance both the knowledge and skills of family members, friends, and professional caregivers. this program will cover the basic information needed to assist a person with Alzheimer’s disease, dementia or memory loss. Nov. 17: “Behavior is Communication: Understanding and Coping with Behavioral Challenges.” The vast majority of individuals with dementia develop behavioral problems. for families and caregivers, these behaviors can be stressful to cope with. this workshop will teach participants how to identify behavioral triggers and develop effective strategies for responding to and managing difficult behaviors.

• College Counseling and Information: 7 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 10. an informational seminar on college admissions will be provided by the staff at Berwick Academy. Topics covered include; early action, early decision, financial aid in the admission.
• “Philadelphia Story”: Fall Film Festival will continue at 3 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 22 with this movie that won Oscars for Best Screen Play and Best Actor (James Stewart). A rich socialite’s (Katherine Hepburn) marriage plans are complicated by her ex-husband (Cary Grant) and an attractive reporter (James Stewart). (1940) Unrated- PG equivalent. Running time: 112 minutes.

• LAPSIT: 10 a.m. Tuesdays, stories and rhymes for the very young.
• PRESCHOOL STORY HOURS: Preschool story hours: 10:30 a.m. Thursdays and Fridays.
• MUSIC IN MOTION: 10:30 a.m. Nov. 3, the first Tuesday of the month.
• TACTILE TODDLER TIME: 10:15-10:45 a.m. Nov. 10, the second Tuesday of the month.
• ART BY THE POND: 10:15-10:45 a.m. Nov. 17, the third Tuesday of the month.
• SCIENCE STORY TIMES:10:30 a.m. Nov. 17, the fourth Thursday of the month.
• Meet Kirsten – American Girl Fans: 4 to 5 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 10. come join us for a fun-filled hour to learn more about the American Girl doll of the month, the time period they lived in, and to make a craft. Bring your doll, meet other friends, and learn some history. Kindergarten age and up are welcome. Barbara Forester, will lead this event, which is open to all, whether you own a doll or not.