Recreation

The Kent Library Association in Kent, Conn., begins the celebration of its 100th birthday with the staged reading of “Bricks and Books: A Dramatized History of the Kent Memorial Library,” on Saturday, Jan. 29, at 6 p.m. in the St. Andrew’s parish hall in Kent.

’Tis the season for big bowls of oranges on side tables, where you can easily reach and peel and eat one while you’re reading a book by the fire or drinking cocktails in the living room before a dinner party.

To fully put us in mind of sleighs dashing through seasonal snow and festive caroling on town greens, the Salisbury Association in Salisbury, Conn., has put together an exhibit of 19th-century Christmas ornaments, books and cards.

It used to be that, to find their dream home, buyers would settle into the car of a real estate agent and drive around looking at properties with “for sale” signs on them.

Someday life will be normal again or at least normal-ish and at that point I will return to Manhattan. I’ll have to memorize the streets and subways again, and figure out how to buy a Metrocard.

Here’s an idea for something everyone in the family will love and should in theory be able to share: A Canon Ivy mini printer that works with your smartphone ($98.99).

I bought one a few weeks ago and I’m completely in love with it. I’ve already bought two for friends.

There’s something about the simplicity of Shaker design and  traditions that seems perfectly in keeping with ideas of an old-fashioned holiday season.

Fall and winter usher in new seasons of beauty and tranquility throughout the 510-acre Topsmead State Forest in Litchfield, Conn., whose crown jewel is an elegant yet understated circa 1925 English Tudor-style cottage.