Emily Hoffman helps her niece, Anastasia Davis, make a necklace with soft string during the Riverton library’s gift-giving workshop.
Over the millennia, people have given holiday gifts to their loved ones and friends, originating with December celebrations like the Roman Saturnalia, pagan gatherings in Northern Europe, the Jewish Hanukkah festival of lights and the Hindu’s Pancha Ganapati.
The Romans would exchange small gifts such as candles or pottery figurines, and some of their traditions were blended in to the Christian celebration of Christmas and the Three Magi – Melchior, Caspar, and Balthazar – bringing gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh to the baby Jesus.
Yet, of all the gifts one can buy, a handmade present or a personally written holiday greeting can often be the most appreciated. On Dec. 9, children ages six to 12 from Palmyra and Riverton took advantage of an opportunity to create gifts for their loved ones at the quaint Victorian building on tree-lined Main Street – the latter town’s library.
“I am going to make a necklace for my aunt,” said Anastasia Davis, who with help from Emily Hoffman and librarian assistant Lindsey Stefan put beads on soft string during a gift-giving project at the library.
Other children also made jewelry, decorated picture frames, designed personalized bookmarks or used colorful markers to write holiday greetings to their loved ones.
“This is the first time we’ve done this,” noted Stefan, who welcomed the youngsters and their guardians as they entered the back room of the library, where two large tables were set up with everything necessary to create gifts.
As the children decided what gifts to make, Stefan was there to help them.
“We have lots of programs here for children, teenagers and adults,” she offered.
Stefan has been with the library for four years and conducts preschool storytime and Parenting and Paperbacks, among other programs.
“We talk about the book we’re reading and about being a parent,” she explained.
Youngsters ages 3 to 6 also got to participate in the library’s “Nutcracker Baby Ballet” on the morning of Dec. 13, hosted by Sabrina Starts, a children’s yoga and ballet instructor. The introductory class takes all little mice and sugar plum fairies on a festive adventure through the ‘Nutcracker’ and helps children develop motor skills and enjoy dance.
Once a month, the Riverton library hosts the Lego Challenge for all children, especially ages 6 to 9, and provides the bricks. Teenagers can attend the monthly “Anime, Movies and More” program, which on Dec. 3 featured festive and winter episodes of anime such as “My Hero Academia” and “Digimon.”
Adult get-togethers include the Knit Wits every Wednesday at 10:30 a.m. when knitters and crocheters socialize, offer tips to each other and swap patterns. The Bridge Group plays cards every Thursday at 1 p.m.
Before the Cinnaminson library opened in 1966, students from all three tri-boro towns filled the four, first-floor rooms to study, take out books and use encyclopedias – the internet of the day – to research term papers.
One of the oldest libraries in South Jersey, the Riverton library’s association was founded on Jan. 12, 1899 by a group of community volunteers and was independent of any government body. Books were kept in the reading room of Christ Episcopal Church until 1908, when Sarah Morris Ogden purchased the Victorian cottage at 306 Main St. and deeded it to the association for $1 in memory of her late husband, Edward, the first mayor of Riverton.
The Riverton facility became a full branch of the Burlington County Library System (BCLS) in 2003, giving patrons all the resources of a larger group. For more than a century, it has adapted and adjusted to serve its patrons, taking them from books to social media and advanced technology.
