Deciding what holiday gifts to get friends and family is always tricky, especially since this time of year can be so hectic. And once you finally figure that out, you have to worry about actually getting those gifts! Whether that means spending hours perusing online store catalogs and straining your eyes, playing tug-of-war with someone at a department store for that last toy on the shelf, or accidentally getting glitter and glue all over yourself while making a heartwarming handmade present—gift-giving can be quite a nightmare. Instead of experiencing even more holiday fatigue, why not get the perfect gift for all the book lovers and important people in your life by participating in an annual Free Library of Philadelphia tradition?

Each holiday season, the Free Library of Philadelphia Foundation creates festive commemorative bookplates that members of the community can gift in honor or in memory of those they care most about. With a gift of just $50, a bookplate inscribed with your honoree’s name will be placed inside a book in the Free Library’s collection. All you have to do is fill out this simple form!

Seems like a great gift, right? Plus, a holiday bookplate is a gift for more than just one person. In addition to giving the gift of a bookplate to your loved one, you’re impacting thousands of people across the Philadelphia region.

This year’s commemorative bookplate, “Sleighing on Broad Street”, features an image depicting crowds promenading on the sidewalk and horse-drawn sleighs speeding up and down North Broad Street, just north of City Hall. The picture is taken from Earl Shinn’s A Century After: Picturesque Glimpses of Philadelphia and Pennsylvania (1875). Shinn (1838-1886) was an American art critic and historian who often wrote under the pseudonym "Edward Strahan." This print is one of numerous historical images of Philadelphia in the Free Library’s Print and Picture Collection. This collection is home to a diverse assortment of fine art prints, photographs, drawings, and artists’ books.

The Free Library depends on an important public-private partnership in order to offer all of the services, programs, and resources for every Philadelphian. The City of Philadelphia provides for the Free Library's facilities and infrastructure, but many of our critical programs and events are only made possible by private charitable gifts—which includes holiday bookplates—from generous individuals like you.

Don’t miss this special opportunity to spread the holiday cheer! Give a commemorative holiday bookplate today!