Christmas is coming!

Having trouble thinking of what to buy friends and loved ones? Starting to get a bit panicky about what to get? Beattie's Book Blog and the New Zealand Herald have some great books ideas including History, Biographies and Memoirs. And if you fancy getting crafty, you can create your own Family History book as gift for family members.

Ref: D_GVD_0019, North Auckland Research Centre

A Kiwi Christmas is something special and New Zealand History Online Nga korero a ipurangi o Aotearoa have put together some great resources about this festive time of year. This includes the history behind the day off on Christmas Day - did you know that it wasn't always a public holiday?

Ref: AWNS-18981223-1-1, Sir George Grey Special Collections

Be sure to check out Auckland Libraries' Christmas Cards online exhibition. This is a selection of 24 beautiful Christmas cards taken from the Ephemera collection at the Sir George Grey Special Collections. The cards  range from 1870 to 1952 and illustrate a number of different visual styles ranging from Victorian, Art Deco, and post war to the early 50’s. The cards are also good examples of the different styles of printing processes, inks, and papers that were in use during this 80 year period.  Some of the cards are from the Nora Gee collection. Mrs Gee kept every type of card and invitation she received between the 1940’s – 1970’s, recording the date received and who had sent the card.

Ref: Footprints 02534, photographer: Francis Alton, by kind permission: Mrs Diane Alton, South Auckland Research Centre