Weekly Newsletter: December 12-17
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Virtual Travel Program!

Is Antarctica on your bucket list? Penguins (and more penguins), Polar Dips, Sea birds, Orcas, Zodiac explorations, amazing ice and scenery. Join traveling photographer Jack Holmes as he cruises to Antarctica with stops in Buenos Aires and Ushuaia, Argentina.

Register to attend via Zoom HERE!

Looking for more trip planning, travel tips, and destination information? We have a ton of great travel resources for you: from books, to Global Road Warrior, and even our staff! Click here to read about Roz's trip to Costa Rica which she planned using some of the library's travel resources!

This week's events:

Topsfield Library events in purple (View the Topsfield Library's calendar here)

Sen. Lovely's In-Person Office Hours: Mon 12/12, 11am-12pm: Senator Joan B. Lovely is holding in-person office hours at the Topsfield Town Library. The office hours will be held in the Topsfield Room, located on the second floor of the library. The room is accessible via stairs and elevator. Pre-registration for appointments is requested.

Mah jongg: Tue 12/13, 1-4pm: Drop-in Mahjongg is back! All levels welcome, no sign-up necessary.

Decked out for the Holidays (VIRTUAL): Tue 12/13, 7pm-8pm: Virtually visit magnificently decorated conservatories and mansions and beautifully lit gardens during the holiday season! This presentation includes Longwood Gardens, Winterthur, Newport Mansions, Blithewold, and others. Brought to you by the Newburyport Public Library. Sign up here. (Zoom)

Topsfield Select Board & MASCO School Committee Community Listening Session: Sat 12/17, 10am-11:30am: From 10:00-11:30AM, one to two Select Board members will be in the Activity Room in an open forum format that will give residents a chance to share thoughts and ideas and to ask any questions. Also at this time, one or more of your Topsfield reps from the MASCO School Committee will be in the Activity Room. This is a time for informal conversations with our community members! Ask questions, share ideas, express concerns, or just come by to say hello!

MassHire Career Fair

On Thursday, December 22, MASSHIRE is taking their Career Center on the road and visiting Topsfield, bringing their resources and services directly to job seekers' hands.  Visitors can drop-in to receive information on job searching as well as free training opportunities.  MASSHIRE will also have a Certified Professional Resume Writer on hand reviewing and critiquing resumes, all for FREE!  No appointments necessary.

This will be an in-person event, held in the Topsfield Library Activity Room.

MASSHIRE is a program of the Massachusetts Executive office of Labor and Workforce Development.

National Cupcake Day is December 15th!
'Tis the season for baking! Try a new recipe from one of these cookbooks!

The Best-Ever Cookie Book : 175 tested-'til-perfect recipes for crispy, chewy & ooey-gooey treats

By Good Housekeeping (Editor), Jane Francisco (Foreword)

Everyone loves a cookie! Whether you go right to the chocolate or are more of a buttery shortbread fan, there's a special cookie here just for you. The Good Housekeeping Test Kitchen presents their best-ever, tested-‘til-perfect recipes so you can find your soulmate in sweetness. Plus, a chapter devoted to holiday cookies will become your favorite for celebrations all year round.

A New Take on Cake: 175 Beautiful, Doable Cake Mix Recipes for Bundts, Layers, Slabs, Loaves, Cookies, and More!
By Anne Byrn
Anne Byrn is known for her cake mix magic, and A New Take on Cake makes baking from a boxed mix as inspiring as it is easy--everything from vegan tortes to gluten-free cakes, doughnuts to cake pops, and whoopie pies to a wedding cake. All for snacking, celebrating, and everything in between!

Gluten-free baking at home : 102 foolproof recipes for delicious breads, cakes, cookies, and more

By Jeffrey Larsen

A comprehensive, visual collection of more than 80 master recipes (with variations) for gluten- and allergen-free breads, muffins, scones, cakes, cookies, pies, tarts, and more, developed and refined by a baking instructor/pastry chef to achieve stellar results every time.