On Saturday, December 8, at 2:00 p.m. meet some of the most popular stars in Texas history, Tatu and Sagu of the Dallas Sidekicks, at the Allen Public Library. Participants will be treated to tales of their exciting soccer careers in the Metroplex, challenges they faced along the way and strategies for the victories they captured. This program is FREE.

After you've fulfilled your soccer quota for the day, join the library as they celebrate Ukrainian Christmas. Veselka, a Ukrainian folk singing group of Dallas, presents Ukrainian Christmas carols, dance and instrumentals on Saturday, December 8, at 7:30 p.m. Carols will be performed a cappella while others will be accompanied with a violin, guitar, accordion and keyboard. Joining Veselka with the chromatic accordion is Allen resident and virtuoso Vladimir Kalizine, a graduate of St. Petersburg Conservatory in St. Petersburg, Russia. Once a musician with the Krasnoyarsk National Dance Company of Siberia, Vladimir is currently a member of the bands Kalinka and Café Noir, participates in national tours, teaches music lessons, and is a regular performer at Jorg's Cafe Vienna in Plano. Vladimir will also perform some Ukrainian Chanukah songs.    

For many, Christmas means traditions like decking the halls, trimming the tree, hanging the stockings, attending open houses and taking the kids on their annual pilgrimage to visit Santa Claus. These cherished traditions and rituals will be discussed by Dr. Penne Restad, Professor of History and Distinguished Lecturer at the University of Texas at Austin and author of Christmas in America: A History. A regular feature on the History Channel during the holiday season, Dr. Restad chronicles the origins of America’s yuletide customs on Thursday, December 13, at 7:30 p.m.

If you choose to attend this seminar, you will learn about why we do such traditions during Christmas time. On Saturday, December 15, at 7:30 p.m. you can then prepare for a musical journey through the earliest Christmas music to the beginnings of today's familiar carols. Dr. Phyllis Tippit, writer and narrator for the evening, became interested in the early history of Christian music during her studies of the Psalms, the hymnbook of Jews and Christians for 3,000 years. As a lecturer at Baylor University, she taught Old Testament, ethics, and world cultures until retiring in 2011.

For more information, call 214-509-4911 or please visit the Allen Public Library website.

All events will be held at the Allen Public Library located at 300 North Allen Drive.