Courtney Theofilactidis is pictured getting ready for the 25 Days of Reading at Falconer Public Library. Submitted photo

FALCONER– An area library is adding literary fun to the holiday festivities this year with their “25 Days of Reading” program.

Falconer Public Library will begin its virtual reading program Dec.1 with various community members and leaders reading holiday tales and Christmas stories until Dec. 25. The videos will be posted on the library’s Facebook page, as well as the Falconer Rotary’s Facebook page.

Guest readers include library staff, Falconer Rotarians, members of the village staff, village mayor and village trustees and various Falconer village owners. Village board members and Falconer Rotarian Alan Gustafson Jr. is doing the videotaping and editing to get the production ready for broadcast.

Laurie Becker, library manager, said the project has been underway for a few months. A simpler program was held last year due to COVID-19, where Santa Claus read various Christmas stories.

“Santa couldn’t get out and see the kids, and it was just a nice way to make that connection,” Becker said. “Our storytime director, Ashley Nelson, had done her story hours mostly virtual also. We kind of took the idea and thought that it would be neat this year to involve community members as well as the Rotary, and have a different person read a children’s story for the 25 days of Christmas.”

Becker said she hopes the program will bring some joy to the holiday season, but also highlight the importance of reading in the lives of both children and adults.

“I think children need to see that reading is important from the very beginning,” she said. “I just think when they’re seeing community members and face that they may see at a store or a business — when they see that person reading a children’s book, I just think that somehow that’s got to inspire them. It’s important, it’s fun and I just like the idea of crossing the bridge, I guess, between the youth and the older generation and just kind of tying it together.”

Becker said one very special guest will join the reading line-up again this year: Santa Claus.

“As far as I know, he’s going to be (reading) on the 22nd, the 23rd and the 24th,” she said. “We’re giving him three days. Then, on the 25th, we actually have Rev. Tim Phelps and he’ll be reading a book for Christmas Day.”

All books that will be read throughout the program will be Christmas-themed, Becker added. Before planning the program, she said they had to go to each publisher for each book and get publisher permission for the books they will be reading on video. Becker said both Nelson and Library Clerk Sandra Thies were instrumental in that process.

“It’s been quite a process,” Becker said. “It’s been a few months in the making.”

She said her favorite holiday story is the “Night Before Christmas.” To this day, Becker said she gathers with her daughters and reads the story on Christmas Eve.

“I used to do the story hour program here, and I always made sure that was a part of it,” she said.

Starting Dec. 1, participants are asked to visit the library or Falconer Rotary’s Facebook pages where they will have access to each video. One video will be posted each day, up until Dec. 25. However, if readers miss a video, they will be able to go back and watch them, as the videos will remain available on Facebook.

For more information, visit falconerlibrary.org or call 716-665-3504.