The holiday season is coming. Next week is Thanksgiving already! If you’re not feeling prepared, stop in and browse at the library: we have books that will help.

I enjoy giving handmade gifts for the holidays. I’m a little pressed for time, so there won’t be very many handmade gifts this year, but I still like to browse the DIY gift books around the holidays. A recent addition is “Mini Knits for Christmas” by Sue Stratford (746.432 Stratfo). It has the cutest little things to knit for gifts or holiday décor. How about a hand-knit elf for your shelf? Or penguins in sweaters? If you have little ones who would love an animal hat to wear this winter, you need to check out “Animal Hats: Frog Hats, Elephant Hats, Cat Hats, and More” by Vanessa Mooncie (746.432 Mooncie).

Do you know someone who likes to try new recipes with different ingredients or spices? “The Magic of Spice Blends: A Guide to the Art, Science, and Lore of Combining Flavors” by Aliza Green (641.657 Green) contains recipes for spice mixtures from around the world and familiar favorites too, with a recipe to use them. Mix up a delicious spice blend, put it in an interesting glass jar, enclose a recipe to use it, and you have a great gift!

If you’re looking for ideas for a casual holiday get together, look no further than “Boards: Stylish Spreads for Casual Gatherings” by America’s Test Kitchen (641.812 America) or “Boards & Spreads: Shareable, Simple Arrangements for Every Meal” by Yasmin Fahr (641.53 Fahr). Both of these new books have a large variety of ideas for putting together a delicious board for your next gathering, not to mention beautiful, mouthwatering photography!

And last of all, I would like to mention “Christmas with Southern Living 2022” (745.5941 Christm 2022). This perennial favorite is loaded with ideas for all things Christmas. It will give you ideas for everything from decorating and recipes to planning a wonderful holiday celebration.

Library staff can help you place a request on any of these items. Give us a call at 507-359-8331. To place a request online, visit www.newulmlibrary.org and choose “Library Catalog.”

New Ulm Public Library is located at 17 North Broadway and is open Monday-Thursday from 9:30 a.m.-8 p.m. and Friday-Saturday 9:30 a.m.-5 p.m. The library will close at 5 p.m. on Wednesday, November 23 and remain closed Thursday, November 24 and Friday, November 25 for the Thanksgiving holiday. It will reopen for normal hours on Saturday, November 26.