beauty with remarkable depth

  1. Home
  2. General
  3. Springmoor Library Coordinates 3rd Annual “Christmas Stories by the Fire” Event

Springmoor Library Coordinates 3rd Annual “Christmas Stories by the Fire” Event

Our tradition of enjoying holiday stories together began in 2019. Springmoor residents gathered around the fire and the big Christmas tree in the Ammons Room to share our favorite Christmas narratives. In 2020, we were relegated to a socially distanced venue in the auditorium without a fire, but the stories still warmed our hearts and brought back treasured memories.

The 2021 theme for the event was “Believe in the Magic of Christmas.” Residents gathered on December 4 at 3 pm in the Ammons Room to share stories that boost their belief in Christmas magic. Some brought books from their earliest years from which to read stories. Others shared books they read to their children as they were growing up or brought along volumes they recently bought or borrowed.

All types of stories are welcome at this event. Some residents relate stories that have been shared orally in their families for years. Others tell a tale about something special that happened to them during the holiday season. Each participant has about 10 minutes to summarize their book, read selected portions of a text, or tell their story.

Residents have brought selections from Dickens, Shakespeare, and O. Henry, as well as The Littlest Angel and The Best Christmas Pageant Ever. Repeats from past years are fine because the audience is unique each time—and we all love hearing Christmas stories over and over. Our purpose each year is simply to stir some memories that bring added enjoyment to the holiday season.

Thank you to everyone who helped us celebrate the magic of Christmas at this event!

Did You Know? The Springmoor Library Committee Purchases Books Requested by Residents

From time to time, the Library Committee receives requests to purchase books that residents have heard about and would like to see in our collection. We are always happy to take these requests under consideration. Among the factors we consider are:

  • The appropriateness of the volume for our collection.
  • The book’s possible appeal to our readers.
  • The reputation of the author.
  • Whether or not there is already a similar title in our library.
  • Whether the request fits within our budget.

The following titles are among books we have purchased recently at the request of residents:

An American Marriage: The Untold Story of Abraham Lincoln and Mary Todd Lincoln, by Michael Burlingame. A tragic story.

The Personal Librarian, by Marie Benedict. Historical fiction, recounting the life of the librarian who helped J. P. Morgan amass his renowned collection of manuscripts, paintings, and other works of art.

Summer of Lost and Found, by Mary Alice Monroe. A good beach read by an established author.

Keep Sharp: Build a Better Brain at Any Age, by Sanjay Gupta. Offers guidance on brain health and dealing with neural diseases.

Wilmington’s Lie: the Murderous Coup of 1898 and the Rise of White Supremacy, by David Zucchino. Winner of the 2021 Pulitzer Prize. A searing account of an extraordinary event unknown to most Americans.

Sooley, by John Grisham. This time Grisham’s subject is a basketball player with a lot of challenges.

Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind, by Yuval Noah Harari. This book integrates science and history and challenges everything we thought we knew about humans.

You can see that our requests to purchase are quite eclectic! As is the Springmoor Library!

About the Springmoor Library and the Resident-Run Library Committee

The Springmoor Library is located on the 2nd floor of the main building in North Village, next to the Business Office. Residents may visit from 10–Noon, Monday through Saturday, and from 1:30–3:30 pm, Monday through Friday.

The Springmoor Residents Association boasts 19 different committees in which residents can choose to be involved. Many thanks to Betty Bridges, the Chair of the Springmoor Library Committee, for all of her hard work maintaining the library for all to enjoy.

As chair of the committee, Betty is the de facto librarian and contributes monthly to the resident-produced community newsletter, The Springmoor Herald. Content for this blog post originally appeared in the September 2021 and December 2021 issues of The Herald.

Betty is a retired professional librarian who worked in the Virginia Beach City Public Schools. After being both an elementary and a middle school librarian, she became the coordinator of all libraries in the Virginia Beach school system (there were about 50 at the time). A native of Danville, Virginia, Betty attended Westhampton College at the University of Richmond and received the Master of Library Science degree from East Carolina University.

Plan Your Visit to Springmoor Today

Folks on our waitlist are once again able to visit Springmoor for a card game, exercise/aquatics class, day trip to local attractions, or evening event like a lecture or concert. To help keep everyone safe, we ask that all visitors and all members of our community wear a mask; otherwise, most COVID-19 restrictions have been lifted on our campus.

Springmoor offers seniors a variety of residence options, ranging from apartments to larger villas and homes. If you’re looking for an active senior living community in Raleigh, call us at 919-848-7080 with your questions. You can also click here to fill out a short online form to receive a free packet of information or schedule an appointment for a personalized tour with COVID safety precautions in place. We look forward to meeting you soon!

Categories

Archives

Request a FREE Information Packet

Request more information, schedule a tour or just ask us a question!

Schedule a Tour

Come see firsthand the beauty and depth of life at Springmoor.

Annual Report Mockup of the 2022 edition.

Read our Annual Report

Learn about our accomplishments and financial information.

Quick Message

Or call us! (919) 848-7080

Skip to content