The Glen Cove Public Library has filled its calendar from Thanksgiving week through mid-December with free and low-cost programs: a Gilded Age history talk on Nov. 28, a behind-the-scenes look at the 1983 film A Christmas Story on Dec. 6, holiday house decorating nights for kids and teens, and a caroling walk through downtown Glen Cove on Friday, Dec. 18. Most programs take place in the library's Community Room or Children's Room at 4 Glen Cove Avenue, and most ask for advance registration.

Glen Cove's lost mansions, Nov. 28

On Saturday, Nov. 28, from 2 to 3:30 p.m., local historian Jake Finamore presents The Forgotten Estates of Glen Cove, Long Island. The talk covers more than 15 estates built in the city during the Gilded Age and the Gatsby years, using rare photographs to show mansions owned by some of the wealthiest families in the country. Some of those houses were torn down long ago; others still stand. The library lists 65 seats for the program in the Community Room.

The day before, on Friday, Nov. 27 at 2 p.m., younger kids can catch Fossil Funhouse with Petra Puppets, a dinosaur puppet show in the Children's Room built around jokes about pterodactyls, prehistoric clams and a sneezing dinosaur. Earlier that week, on Tuesday, Nov. 24 at 7 p.m., the Children's Room hosts Family Thanksgiving Bingo. The library is closed on Thanksgiving Day, Thursday, Nov. 26.

A Christmas Story, decorated houses and a photography show

Film historian Larry Wolff takes the Community Room behind the scenes of a holiday movie on Sunday, Dec. 6, from 2 to 3:30 p.m., with The Making of A Christmas Story: A Family Classic. He walks through short biographies of the cast, the real filming locations, scenes that were cut, and period music, and he brings authentic memorabilia from the film to display.

Two evenings that week are for building. On Tuesday, Dec. 8 at 7 p.m., families with children in kindergarten through fifth grade can decorate a holiday house to take home (one kit per family). Teens in grades 6 through 12 get their own holiday house session on Thursday, Dec. 10 at 7 p.m. Both are in person and limited to Glen Cove Library cardholders, and spots are small: 14 family kits and 10 teen kits.

The Community Room also hosts a reception on Saturday, Dec. 5, from 10 a.m. to noon, for Through My Lens: Sunrises to Skyscrapers to Lenses, an exhibit of photographs by Joseph Kellard.

A film, a cookbook and a calm-down craft

On Friday, Dec. 11 at 1:45 p.m., librarian Marissa Lee Damiano screens the 1945 comedy Christmas in Connecticut for a sweet treat edition of the Lights, Camera, Conversation! movie group, with a discussion after the film. The story follows a magazine writer who has to keep up the act of a perfect home life when her publisher sends a returning war hero to spend Christmas with her.

The Cookbook Club meets Saturday, Dec. 12 at 11 a.m. around Russ & Daughters: 100 Years of Appetizing, the century-old Lower East Side shop's collection of family recipes for smoked fish, bagels and other Jewish appetizing traditions. Members choose a recipe, cook it at home and bring it to share. Registration opened for Glen Cove residents on Nov. 12 and opens to everyone else on Nov. 28, by calling the Reference Desk at 516-676-2130, ext. 124.

That afternoon, from 2 to 3:30 p.m., Janice Imbrogno leads Stress-Less Holidays, a talk on aromatherapy and breathing techniques for staying calm during the season. Each participant makes a Merry and Bright essential oil spray. There is a $7 materials fee, paid at registration.

Caroling downtown, Dec. 18

The season's last big event is the Fa-La-La-La-La Holiday Caroling Event on Friday, Dec. 18, from 4:15 to 5:30 p.m. Carolers gather at the library's Reference Desk for hot chocolate and treats, then walk into downtown Glen Cove to sing, finishing with a stop at The Regency Senior Living. The library asks participants to dress warmly and in festive clothes, says the walk is for all ages, and notes that it depends on the weather. There is room for 55.

How to go

  • Where: Glen Cove Public Library, 4 Glen Cove Ave., Glen Cove, NY 11542
  • Phone: 516-676-2130
  • Hours: Monday to Thursday 9 a.m. to 9 p.m., Friday and Saturday 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., Sunday 1 to 5 p.m.; closed Thursday, Nov. 26
  • Cost: Free, except the Stress-Less Holidays craft ($7 materials fee)
  • Registration: Through each program's page on the library's events calendar. For children's programs, registration opens to non-residents the day before, space permitting, by calling Youth Services; walk-ins cannot take waitlisted spots.

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