Richards Memorial Library: This Month @ the Library: December 2025 Newsletter

This Month at the Library

December 2025

Message from the Director

Greetings!

The RML is excited to welcome Joseph Morra as our new Adult Services Librarian. Please stop by the reference desk to say hello.

Join us on Wednesday, December 3, at 6pm for a Fireside Chat without the Fire speaker series. Our guest speaker is Dustin Pari with his It’s a Wonderful Lecture, a presentation that has truly resonated on a deep level with so many. Taking a look at the beloved classic It’s a Wonderful Life, Dustin uses quotes, scenes, and characters from the movie as he weaves a tale of commonality and humanity that brings us all together in love, kindness, and harmony. Hear the tale and feel the struggle of George Bailey, because his issues are our issues. We all walk through this human experience together, feeling the ripple of the lives of those around us. This event has been generously sponsored by the Friends of the Richards Memorial Library.

Reminder: The Library will be closed the following for the holidays:

Wednesday, December 24, closing at 1pm

Thursday, December 25, closed

Wednesday, December 31, closing at 1pm

Thursday, January 1, closed

We’re always available online at rmlonline.org.

Best regards,

Debbie Clifton, MSLS

Library Director

Take our survey!

Use your voice to help make RML the best it can be! Tell us what

interests you and what you might like to see during your next visit.

Throughout December, a survey will be available in both paper and electronic format for you to complete. The survey takes approximately five minutes to complete, and you can be entered into a drawing for one of three gift cards, courtesy of the Friends of Richards Memorial Library!

Children & Young Adult Programs

We are excited to announce that beginning December 8 Monday storytimes return at 10am! (Our 10am Thursday storytimes also continue.) We will hear stories, sing songs, get up and move, and do an easy craft. Storytimes are best for children ages 0-7. There will be no storytime on December 29, due to school vacation.

Can't make it to storytime? Grab a Take and Make bagged craft from the front Reading Room on the first Tuesday of each month. The December craft is a picture ornament and is great for children ages 2 and up.

December is Harry Potter month in the Children's Room. Stop by to vote on your favorite character, house, book, and movie any day between December 3 - December 30. Children will receive a small Harry Potter prize for voting.

We will also celebrate Harry Potter with trivia on Thursday, December 11, at 4pm for children ages 8-13. Register here.

Children ages 3-9 can enjoy a visit from a firefighter on Saturday, December 6, at 10am. Come check out a firefighter's uniform and gear and then hear about fire safety.

Local children's author Carlie Guerrier visits the library Saturday, December 13, at 10am to read her book Mama Sheep and the Mysterious Cup.

Check out our monthly clubs!

Chess Club for ages 6 and up meets Tuesdays (December 2 and 16) at 6pm. This club is welcome to children ages 6 and up, teens, and families. Some knowledge of the game of chess is expected.

Lego Builders for all ages meets Monday, December 15, 3-6pm. Build something cool using our Legos, and we will display it in the children's room all month.

Graphic Novel Club for ages 8 to 12 meets Monday, December 22, at 6pm. We will have a snack and do a craft. Our book this month is Baby-sitter's Little Sister: Karen's Witch. Copies are available in the Children's Room.

The STEAM Cart will be out in the Children's Room from 10am-6pm on Wednesdays and 10am-4pm on Saturdays, except for school vacation week. Each day, there will be a new STEAM activity for children to enjoy. Our items include Snap Circuits, Legos, Keva Planks, Marble Run, and Magna Tiles.

December school vacation programs

December 23, 11am-4pm: Beaded Jewelry Presents, Ages 4+

December 26, 10am-4pm: Marble Run, Ages 3+

December 27,10am-2pm: Play-doh Seashell Imprints, Ages 2+

December 29, 10am-1pm: Make and Take Legos! Ages 3+

December 29, 2pm: Team Selfie Scavenger Hunt, Ages 7-12

December 30, 10:30am: Robo Racer Workshop, Grades K-5 Registration required here.

December 31, 10-11am: Make New Years Eve Posters

Teens

Teens and adults are invited to join our new Community Fiber Arts Circle on the first Thursday of the month (3:30-5pm) and the third Thursday of the month from (5:30-7pm).

Adult Programs

Make Your Own Bath Salts
Wednesday, December 17, 6:30-7:30pm

If you need a last-minute gift for the holidays, or just want to pamper yourself, then this hands-on session is for you! Bath salts scented with essential oils can promote relaxation or invigoration, depending on the oils you use.

Get a quick aromatherapy tour, and then have fun creating your own signature salts! All materials will be provided for this adults-only program. Space is limited, so please register here.

Community Fiber Arts Circle

Richards Memorial Library is now offering a monthly Community Fiber Arts Circle on the first and third Thursday of the month.

Come crochet, knit, embroider, weave, etc. with fellow fiber crafters! Beginners welcome. Come work on your latest project, make new friends, and bounce ideas off of each other. There will be no direct teaching of fiber arts, but community guidance and sharing of ideas are greatly encouraged. Open to ages 12-adult and all experience levels.

First Thursday: December 4, 3:30-5pm

Third Thursday: December 18, 5:30-7pm

Adult Book Discussion

The Adult Book Group will meet on Tuesday, December 9, from 1:30-2:30pm. Copies of the book are available on the bookshelf in the large-print area in the Reference Room. We hope you'll join us!

At this meeting, titles will be selected for the group's 2026 reading.

Remarkably Bright Creatures
by Shelby Van Pelt

After Tova Sullivan's husband died, she began working the night shift at the Sowell Bay Aquarium, mopping floors and tidying up. Keeping busy has always helped her cope, which she's been doing since her eighteen-year-old son, Erik, mysteriously vanished on a boat in Puget Sound over thirty years ago. Tova becomes acquainted with curmudgeonly Marcellus, a giant Pacific octopus living at the aquarium. Marcellus knows more than anyone can imagine but wouldn't dream of lifting one of his eight arms for his human captors--until he forms a remarkable friendship with Tova. Ever the detective, Marcellus deduces what happened the night Tova's son disappeared.

Reading Challenge 2025

All year, Richards Memorial Library has participated in the Mass Center for the Book Reading Challenge. Participants read a book each month in a specific category and then fill out a monthly entry form for the chance to win free books or book-related items.

December's challenge is to read another/second book by an author you have already enjoyed. The Reference department--or other library staff--will happily help you find that second book.

Go to Mass Center's web site to learn more as well as get a peek at 2026's Challenge!

Friends of Richards Memorial Library

Friends and Patrons of the Richards Memorial Library:

Our semi-annual meeting will occur on Tuesday, December 9, at 7pm at the Library. We invite you to attend. We have spaces open for new board members--a great volunteer opportunity--so please consider attending to find out just what we do for our Library.

The Richards Memorial Library is a valuable resource in our town, providing many free services and opportunities to our patrons. Through your contributions, the Friends continue to be able to provide enrichment to patrons of the Library. Visit the Library's web site for more information.

There is still time to become or renew your membership to the Friends of the Library. Memberships expire in April every year. Just stop by the Library for your dues envelope and sign up! Envelopes are available at the front desk and can be handed in to the wonderful staff working there, or you can mail your envelope in. Our dues are a bargain and have not changed in many years: Family Membership is $25, Individual is $20, and Patron is $50.

Everything sponsored by the Friends would not be possible without your support. We look forward to the continuing success of the Friends, and we thank you on behalf of the FRML Board of Directors and the Library for your contributions. We have been receiving very welcome and surprising gifts from long-time patrons’ estates this last year. Please consider adding The Friends of Richards Memorial Library as one of your beneficiaries.

Sincerely,

The Friends of Richards Memorial Library

FRML Board of Directors

Email: friendsofrml118@gmail.com

Helpful Links

Richards Memorial Library
118 N. Washington St.
N. Attleboro, Massachusetts 02760
508-699-0122
www.RMLonline.org