Library Lady’s K-12 Edition – Deck the Shelves: Holiday Decorating

Posted on by janemouttet

Library Lady’s K-12 Edition is a mostly weekly newsletter for K-12 school librarians. Today’s topic is Deck the Shelves: Holiday Decorating Ideas for the School Library.

Well-run libraries are filled with people because what a good library offers cannot be easily found elsewhere: an indoor public space in which you do not have to buy anything in order to stay.- Zadie Smith

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Tips from Library Lady

🎄 Deck the Shelves: Holiday Decorating Ideas for the School Library

The holiday season is the perfect time to bring a little sparkle and warmth into the library! Whether you go all-out or keep it simple, festive decorations can make the library feel like a cozy, joyful retreat for students. Here are some fun and easy ways to celebrate the season without overwhelming your schedule (or your budget):

🌟 Easy Decor Ideas

  • Book Tree Display: Stack green or holiday-themed books into the shape of a tree and top it with a paper star. Add twinkle lights for a little extra magic.
  • Snowy Windows: Use white window markers or cut-out paper snowflakes to create a “winter wonderland” scene. Let students help make snowflakes to add their own touch.
  • Wrapped Books Display: Wrap books in festive paper and label them with clues like “A story full of snow and friendship” or “A winter mystery.” It’s a great way to encourage checkouts!
  • Countdown to Winter Break: Create a reading countdown with 12 or 24 books of the season—reveal one each day in December.
  • DIY Garland: String together paper mittens, stars, or book covers from discarded magazines. Let students design pieces for a community-made garland.
  • Storytime Fireplace: Use bulletin board paper to make a faux fireplace scene—perfect for a “Cozy Up with a Good Book” theme.

📚 Display Themes to Try

  • “Warm Up with a Good Book” – Pair with hot cocoa graphics and cozy reading corners.
  • “Stories That Spark Joy” – Feature uplifting reads or books about kindness and gratitude.
  • “Winter Around the World” – Highlight global winter celebrations and traditions.
  • “Holiday Classics & New Favorites” – Mix beloved tales like The Polar Express and The Snowy Day with new holiday releases.

📚 Resource of the Week: Holiday & Winter Library Display Inspiration

Here are some curated resources and ideas to help librarians decorate in a festive, inclusive, and bookish way this holiday season:

  1. School Library Journal – Crafty & Bookish Holiday Displays – This article is full of clever, librarian-friendly DIY ideas — like making a “book tree” by stacking red and green books, building a faux fireplace from books, or creating a snowman from white book spines. School Library Journal
  2. LibraryDisplays.org – Winter Holidays – A blog post with real-life librarian examples of inclusive winter displays (not just Christmas): they wrapped books in white and blue, used a “Unwrap the Gift of Reading” theme, and pulled in a variety of holiday traditions. School Library Displays
  3. Madison’s Library – Winter Wonderland Display – This is a great tutorial: hanging cotton-ball “snow” from fishing line, cardboard snowflakes, and selecting books specifically about snow, winter, or ice to match. Madison’s Library
  4. Christmas Bulletin Board Ideas (Today’s Creative Ideas) – Helpful for seasonal signage and bulletin boards — ideas like “Warm Up with a Good Book”, a winter wonderland, or “12 Days of Bookmas.” Today’s Creative Ideas
  5. Library Learners – Christmas Library Centers – If your librarians want interactive spaces, this has free ideas for ornament-making centers, winter bookmark stations, and calm creative corners. Library Learners
  6. Light & Layer – Enchanting Christmas Displays – Tips for adding small decorative touches: battery-powered string lights, snowman “sentinels” made from white books or paper, and chalkboard signs with holiday messages. Light and Layer

🎁 Bonus: Decor Items & Printables

Here are some product ideas you might like — items you can order (not affiliate links) or print for the library:

💡 Bonus Tips + Best Practices from Other Librarians

  • Use wrapping paper or craft paper to cover bulletin boards — it’s cheap, versatile, and easy to change out. (SCCOE)
  • Try an “Unwrap the Gift of Reading” theme: wrap display books in plain paper, add a ribbon, and highlight different genres. (School Library Displays)
  • For inclusive decor, feature winter celebrations from multiple traditions (e.g., Hanukkah, Kwanzaa) to make displays welcoming. (School Library Displays)
  • Use cotton snowflakes, cellophane, and other simple materials for a 3D snow globe–style bulletin board. (images.kaplanco.com)
  • Encourage student participation: have them create paper snowflakes, write book recommendations on “lights,” or design winter characters.

A few touches of holiday cheer can turn your library into a magical reading haven students look forward to visiting every day. However you decorate, let it reflect the warmth and wonder books bring all year long.

Find Christmas book Lists here.

Read my reviews of Christmas titles.

Read more Christmas – themed posts

Need to do some fundraising for your library? Here are some posts on my blog which describe my fundraising camps. 

Recent Adult Book Reviews

Adult Review – Skipping Winter – anthology

Recent YA Book Reviews

YA Spotlight – Chasing the Blue Boat – Coming of Age

Recent MS Book Reviews

MS Review – The Friendship Formula – middle school

Recent Kid Book Reviews

Kid Review – A Big Change Happened – picture book

Library Lady Blog Posts – November Celebrations

Veterans’ Day

Native American Heritage Month

Thanksgiving

Items in my Shop

Cute animals with books – stickers, shirts and more in my Redbubble Shop

What I’m Checking Out

Important Indigenous Figures to Teach About in School

Some things that might interest you

📚 Tools for School Librarians 📚

As librarians, we’re always looking for creative ways to engage students and enhance programming. These tools are easy to use. Explore them today and see how they might fit into your toolkit. These were created by a friend of mine and have great potential for helping you in your library programing.

Create History Posters

I just got Children’s History Empire, and it includes 579 expertly written AI prompts that instantly create stunning, age-appropriate history posters for kids aged 5–7, 8–11, and 12–17. These would be perfect decor for your library.

Each prompt brings a different era to life, from the Stone Age to the Space Age, complete with accurate details, storytelling scenes, and visual composition that works perfectly in tools like ChatGPT Images, Midjourney, Ideogram, and more. I used the free version of ChatGPT for mine

In just minutes, you can create:

✅ Classroom posters and wall art
✅ Social media graphics that parents love to share
✅ Printable flashcards and homeschool learning packs
✅ Beautiful products to sell on Etsy or TeachersPayTeachers

Create Coloring Pages

Coloring Book Creators GPT Bundle – Use Coupon code gpt10 to save $10 – create coloring pages for your students

 What’s Inside:
 Camille – The Concept Curator
Camille is your creative compass. She helps you choose themes that inspire buyers, map your book’s flow, and outline every page so your final product feels intentional, cohesive, and irresistible.

✅ Theme research that blends creativity with market demand
✅ Complete outlines with page-by-page concepts
✅ Expansion ideas to grow your series

 Penelope – The Prompt Stylist
Penelope takes Camille’s plan and turns each page into a perfectly detailed AI art prompt. No mismatched styles or trial-and-error frustration — just clean, consistent prompts ready to paste into MidJourney, DALL·E, Leonardo, or your favorite platform.

✅ Ready-to-paste prompts with consistent style
✅ Platform-specific syntax for flawless results
✅ Works for kids, adult coloring, and niche-specific designs

Lila – The Listing Strategist
Lila transforms your finished book into a polished, keyword-optimized listing that sells. Whether it’s Etsy, Amazon KDP, or another platform, she blends SEO with persuasive copy so your coloring book stands out.

✅ Multiple keyword-rich title options
✅ Buyer-focused descriptions that convert
✅ SEO-friendly tags tailored to your platform

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Interview Me
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Is there a way I can help you? Drop a note in the comments or shoot me an email, I’d love to help.

See you next week.

Jane (Library Lady)

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