Our library in Hewett Centre is open every Sunday after service during Coffee Hour in Hewett Centre, and our Library Team offers related reading lists based on the topic of the Sunday service. Here is their list for the upcoming service featuring Diane Brown, Rev. Shawn Gauthier and Kiersten Moore on Sunday, December 7, 2025 at 11 a.m. All are welcome in Hewett Centre after the Sunday service to check out some books, and to have coffee and conversation.
VanU library books related to this Sunday’s sermon:
1. Gifts From the Heart – 450 Simple Ways to Make Your Family’s Christmas More Meaningful, by Virginia Brucker, 2000, 394.2 BRU [From LibraryThing: “… contains hundreds of simple ideas that will help you create a warmer, more loving celebration focused on sharing and giving. … is filled with: Time-saving tips for busy families; delightful kid-tested craft projects, heartwarming ideas for family traditions and capturing memories; fun-filled activities that help grandparents connect with their grandchildren, terrific suggestions for gifts that develop imagination, creativity, and literacy; practical ideas for helping our planet and our animal friends; delicious tried-and-true recipes for cooks of all ages; presentation tips and fabulous recipes for gifts from the kitchen; party and potluck tips and recipes; easy-to-do volunteer activities that make a difference to others during the holidays; tips for divorced parents and blended families; meaningful ways to help friends and family struggling with illness or loss at Christmas. …”].
2. What Christmas Means to Unitarians, Phillip Hewett, 394 HEW.
3. How the Grinch Stole Christmas!, by Dr. Seuss, 1957, J+ SEU [From LibraryThing: “The Grinch tries to stop Christmas from arriving by stealing all the presents and food from the village, but much to his surprise it comes anyway.”].
4. The Story of Your Life: Writing a Spiritual Autobiography, by Dan Wakefield, 1990, 808.2 WAK [Beacon Press Publication. From LibraryThing: “… how to write about and share our most meaningful life experiences and in so doing to see our lives in a new light. …”].
5. Writing in the Sand: Jesus and the Soul of the Gospels, by Thomas Moore, 2009, 232 MOO [From LibraryThing: “… rich stories and imagery of the Gospels, recasting Jesus not as a teacher of morals and beliefs but as a spiritual visionary with a radical vision for humanity. … It presents Jesus not as the founder of a religion but as a world reformer offering a spiritual path to everyone, from every background. It offers a personal spirituality fit for the twenty-first century, where the individual bears responsibility for meaning and for a creative, convivial way of life. In his examination of the original Greek texts, Moore dismisses the cautionary voice of tradition and explores the deeper significance of language, stressing the origins of words and the many levels of meaning in stories and imagery. Through his study, Moore shows that the teachings of Jesus are challenging in a far different way than the moralism often associated with them. Based on being open to life, deepening your understanding, and giving up all defensiveness around your convictions, the Gospels can be the source of a new kind of certainty and stability that cannot be codified and enshrined in a list of rules. …”].
6. Night Tree, by Eve Bunting, 1991, J+ BUN [From LibraryThing: “A family makes its annual pilgrimage to decorate an evergreen tree with food for the forest animals at Christmastime.”].
7, Jingle, the Christmas Clown, by Tomie De Paola, 1993, J+ deP [From LibraryThing: “Staying behind when their circus moves on, a young clown and a troupe of baby animals put on a special Christmas Eve show for an Italian village too poor to celebrate the holiday.”].
8. Some of the Stories, by Wanda Justice, 2005, 921 JUS.