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Health & Fitness

Festival of Trees, Whitey Bulger, & Charles Dickens @ Your Library This Week

Monday, December 2, 10:30am -- Holiday Talk: Behind America’s Favorite Christmas Story

WPI professor and former Dickens Society president Joel Brattin will discuss the story behind America’s favorite Christmas story, A Christmas Carol.  Learn the importance and origins of one of Charles Dickens’s greatest masterpieces. Limited to 50 seats.  Register HERE.

Tuesday, December 3, 7pm -- True Crime Talk: The Rise of Whitey Bulger with Dick Lehr

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Boston University professor and former Boston Globe journalist Dick Lehr will discuss the rise of Whitey Bulger.  Lehr is the author of Whitey: The Life of America’s Most Notorious Mob Bossand Black Mass: Whitey Bulger, the FBI, and a Devil’s Deal.  Book signing after talk.  Limited to 100 seats.  Register HERE.

Wednesday, December 4, 2pm -- Job Hunt Help: How To Make The Right First Impression

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Joanne Dennison, the Guidance Counselor for Grown Ups, will teach you how other people you and how to use it to your advantage no matter what situation you are in.  Networking opportunities after the talk.  Limited to 25 seats.  Register HERE.

Wednesday, December 4, 6pm -- Evening Book Club’s Annual Holiday Party

Take part in a book discussion about I Still Dream About You by Fannie Flagg.  Copies available at the Front Desk.  The Book Club will also hold its Holiday Party during the discussion.  Register at the Front Desk by November 26.  Limited to 25 seats.

Thursday, December 5, 10:30am -- Computer Class: Computer Basics

A free computer class that provides hands-on training to adults.  The goal of the class is to make you more confident when using the internet in the library, at work or at home.  Limited to 5 seats.  Register HERE.

Thursday, December 5, 7pm -- Film Screening: A Place At The Table

Attend a screening of A Place At The Table, a new documentary that shines a light on the nearly 50 million Americans, including 1-in-4 children, who struggle with food insecurity and hunger.  The library is requesting that moviegoers bring nonpershiable food items to be donated to the Tewksbury Food Pantry.  Limited to 50 seats.  Register HERE.

Friday, December 6, 6pm-8:30pm -- Festival of Trees Opening Night Gala

Drop-in and enjoy this fun holiday tradition!  Stroll through the library and gaze at 30 Christmas trees decorated and donated by community groups and local businesses.  Attend a family concert with Steve Blunt at 6:15pm and listen to Christmas carols with the Merrimack Valley Chorus at 7:30pm.  Make sure the kids stop by the Children’s Room for a holiday craft and scavenger hunt.  Free refreshments provided by the Shawsheen Tech.  Co-sponsored by the Friends of the Tewksbury and Tewksbury Cultural Council. 

Friday, December 6, 7:30pm -- Holiday Event: Christmas Concert with the Merrimack Valley Chorus

The Merrimack Valley Chorus will offer a free Christmas Concert as part of the library’s Festival of Trees Opening Night.  Arrive early and view more than 30 Christmas trees decorated by community organizations, local businesses, and Tewksbury families, displayed throughout the library.  Trees will be up until January 3. Opening Night, which begins at 6pm, will also consist of activities for children, including a family Christmas Concert with Steve Blunt at 6:30pm.  No registration required.

Monday, December 9, 10:30am -- Holiday Event: Christmas Traditions Debunked

UMass Boston professor Christopher Harding will explore the traditions of Christmas around the world and throughout history.  After this talk, you’ll never look at Christmas the same way! Limited to 50 seats.  Register HERE.

Tuesday, December 10, 7:30pm -- True Crime Talk: The Fall of Whitey Bulger with Howie Carr

Radio talk show host and Boston Herald columnist Howie Carr will discuss the fall of Whitey Bulger.  Carr is the author of Ratman: The Trial and Conviction of Whitey Bulger and The Brothers Bulger: How They Terrorized and Corrupted Boston for a Quarter Century.  Book signing after talk.  Limited to 100 seats.  Register HERE.

Wednesday, December 11, 12:30pm -- 'Booked For Lunch' Book Club Meeting

Come prepared to discuss a book you recently enjoyed reading!  The library will provide beverages; participants are encouraged to bring a brown bag lunch.  After all participants have shared their recommendations, staff will highlight some of the library’s newest books.  Limited to 15 seats.  Register HERE.

Wednesday, December 11, 2pm -- Job Hunt Help: How To Communicate With Diplomacy, Tact & Confidence

Life Coach Alex Bering, Chairman and CEO of the Y Guy, will help job seekers develop the skills to disagree agreeably, communicate more effectively through active listening, and control your own “hot buttons.”  Networking opportunities after the talk.  Limited to 25 seats.  Register HERE.

Thursday, Decembe 12, 1pm-5pm -- Device Advice: 1-on-1 Help With Your E-Reader

Book a 30-minute, one-on-one session with a library staff member to learn how to download free eBooks to your eReader (e.g., Kindle, Nook, iPad) from the library’s Overdrive digital collection.  Participants should bring their own e-readers.  Schedule an appointment today!  Register HERE.

Friday, December 13, 7pm -- Dinner & A Movie: “The Hunt”

Enjoy a free meal and a screening of a critically acclaimed foreign (Danish) film recently released on DVD.  The Hunt, about a teacher falsely accused of misconduct with a child, is widely seen as a likely nominee for best foreign film at next year’s Academy Awards.  Rated R.  Limited to 75 seats.  Register HERE.

Saturday, December 14, 2pm -- Holiday Event: Learn Dollar Bill Origami For The Holidays

Origami masters Michael LaFosse and Richard Alexander, founders of Origamido Studio in Haverhill, will discuss and demonstrate dollar bill origami, as seen in their new book, LaFosse & Alexander’s Dollar Origami.  Open to all ages.  Book signing after talk.  Limited to 50 seats.  Register HERE.

Monday, December 16, 10:30am -- Holiday Event: The History of Christmas in New England

Kenneth Turino, Manager of Community Engagement and Exhibitions at Historic New England, will offer a well-illustrated lecture tracing the development of the celebration from Christmas in New England from the 17th century to today.  Limited to 50 seats.  Register HERE.

Tuesday, December 17, 7pm -- True Crime Talk: A Bulger Victim Speaks Out with Bob Halloran

WCVB-TV journalist Bob Halloran will discuss the devastating impact Whitey Bulger has had on the family of victim Debbie Davis.  Halloran will be joined by Debbie’s brother, Steven Davis.  Halloran is the author of Impact Statement: A Family’s Fight for Justice Against Whitey Bulger, Stephen Flemmi, and the FBI.  Book signing after talk.  Limited to 100 seats.  Register HERE.

Wednesday, December 18, 2pm -- Job Hunt Help: How To Network Effectively

Kevin Willett, founder of “Friends of Kevin,” will teach job seekers how to network effectively.  Willett, known as the “most connected guy in the Merrimack Valley,” runs a networking group that brings together the business, non-profit, and artistic communities of Massachusetts.  Networking opportunities after the talk.  Limited to 25 seats.  Register HERE.

Thursday, December 19, 10:30am -- Computer Class: Internet Basics

A free computer class that provides hands-on training to adults.  The goal of the class is to make you more confident when using the internet in the library, at work or at home.  Limited to 5 seats.  Register HERE.

Thursday, December 19, 7pm -- An Evening with Andre Dubus III

Join bestselling author Andre Dubus III for a discussion of his latest book, Dirty Love.  In these linked Boston-based novellas, love is “dirty” – tangled up with need, power, boredom, ego, fear and fantasy.  Dubus is also the author of The Garden of Last DaysHouse of Sand and Fog (a #1 New York Times bestseller, Oprah’s Book Club pick, and finalist for the National Book Award), and Townie, winner of an American Academy of Arts and Letter Award in Literature. Book signing after talk.  Limited to 100 seats.  Register HERE.

Friday, December 20, 7pm -- Dinner & A Movie: “Prisoners”

Enjoy a free meal and a screening of one of Hollywood’s latest DVD releases.  Prisoners is a crime drama starring Hugh Jackman and Jake Gyllenhaal.  Rated R.  Limited to 75 seats.  Register HERE.

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