In a literary twist on the Advent calendar, public libraries across Canada are offering bundles of 24 individually wrapped books, curating selections for different age groups. Montreal’s Bibliothèque Saint-Charles, for example, created bundles for kids six and under and seven through nine, as well as for adults. Anyone with a library card could pick up their neatly packaged stack starting November 30th, and all 45 bundles were picked up within hours.
Book bundles sprung up during pandemic lockdowns, when libraries assembled reading material for curbside pickup, with selections tailored to a patron’s requests or interests, or based on a general theme or vibe. Some librarians merged the concept with Advent calendars, which have long eclipsed their 19th-century Lutheran background to become a commercial mainstay of the holiday landscape.
A bundle of books, offered at no charge, counters December’s inescapable fixation on toys and shopping. Wrapping paper adds a layer of surprise and excitement to regular library books, while unwrapping one read a day creates a new holiday ritual that offers both children and adults a recurring moment of quiet during a hectic time of year. Judging from how fast stocks were depleted at participating libraries, people are eager to embrace alternatives to conventional customs — especially ones that help them slow down.